Technology

The Ultimate Guide to Instantly Adding Watermark to Excel for All Spreadsheets

Watermarking in Excel is a great way to mark your ownership and protect the content on your Excel spreadsheets. If you're unsure how to do it, you can follow the steps outlined in this article.

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17 October, 2023

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Inserting a watermark into Excel simply means adding a logo to the worksheets in an Excel file. This is done to assert the author’s ownership of the data file and prevent others from copying or using it for personal purposes. This article will guide you through the entire process of inserting a watermark into your Excel file in a simple and straightforward manner. Keep reading to learn more.

What is a Watermark? Why Add One to Your Excel Workbook?

A watermark is a faint mark or image superimposed over a document or picture to protect its copyright and authorship, preventing unauthorized duplication or usage by competitors or others. These marks typically include logos, text, phone numbers, or the author’s name.

Just as you can add a watermark to a Word document or insert a watermark in PowerPoint, you can also add a watermark to your Excel workbook. The purpose of doing so is to:

Prevent file duplication and copyright infringement: When a logo is inserted as a watermark beneath the content of a document, it becomes challenging to remove without access to the original Excel file.

Add a professional touch to your Excel workbook: For important documents, adding a logo as a watermark can also enhance the overall appearance and demonstrate the author’s professionalism.
Provide information about the author: Inserting a watermark with your name, logo, or company/organization name helps viewers identify the creator of the Excel file.

How to Add a Watermark to Your Excel Workbook

Watermarks in Excel can take various forms, such as logos, images, or text. The following sections will guide you through the process for each type.

1. Adding a Watermark to Excel as a Logo or Image

Here are the steps to insert a logo or image as a watermark in your Excel workbook:

Step 1: Open the Excel file where you want to add the watermark. Go to the Insert tab, click on Text, and select Header & Footer from the menu.

Step 2: Click on the Design tab, then select Picture.

Step 3: The Insert Pictures dialog box will appear. Choose where you want to upload your image from: From a file, Bing Image Search, or OneDrive. For this example, we’ll select From a file to upload an image from our computer.

Step 4: Select the image you want to use as your watermark, then click Insert.

Step 5: After inserting the image, the Header will display [Picture]. Click anywhere on the Excel sheet to view the inserted image.

The result should look like this:

Step 6: If the logo appears too dark, you can adjust its transparency. Click on the Header containing the image, then select the Design tab and click on Format Picture.

Step 7: In the Format Picture dialog box, go to the Picture tab. Under Corrections, select Washout and then click OK to apply the change.

The result should now look like this:

Step 8: If the logo appears larger than desired, you can adjust its size. In the Format Picture dialog box, go to the Size tab. Under Scale, adjust the Width and Height to your preferred dimensions, then click OK.

The result should reflect the adjusted size:

Step 9: If you’re not happy with the logo’s position, you can change it. Place your cursor over the &Picture section, then press the Enter and Space keys to move it to your desired location.

Once you’ve finished editing, click on any cell outside the header to exit the editing mode. The final result should look similar to this:

2. Adding a Text Watermark to Your Excel Workbook

If you don’t have a logo image, you can still add a text watermark by following these steps:

Step 1: Open your Excel file and go to the Insert tab on the Menu bar. Click on Text, then select Header & Footer from the menu.

Step 2: In the Header section, type the text you want to use as your watermark into one of the three boxes provided.

Step 3: To change the font color, style, or size of your watermark, select the text and go to the Home tab. From there, you can choose the desired font, color, and size.

Step 4: To adjust the position of your text watermark, place your cursor at the beginning of the text you entered, then press the Enter and Space keys to move it to your desired location. Finally, click on any cell outside the header to exit the editing mode. The result should look similar to this:

How to Remove a Watermark from Your Excel Workbook

If you need to remove a watermark from your Excel workbook, follow these simple steps:

Step 1: Open the Excel file containing the watermark you want to delete. Go to the Insert tab, click on Text, and select Header & Footer from the menu.

Step 2: Click and highlight the watermark in the header, then press the Backspace key on your keyboard to delete it. Finally, click on any cell outside the header to exit the editing mode.

Conclusion

This article has provided a comprehensive guide on how to add a watermark to your Excel workbook, whether it’s in the form of a logo, image, or text. Each step is accompanied by illustrative examples to ensure a clear understanding of the process. We hope you found this tutorial helpful and wish you success in your Excel endeavors.

Further reading:

Shortcut Key Tips for Switching Sheets in Excel and Google Sheets
A Guide to Merging First and Last Names in Excel to Save Time on Creating Lists

Frequently asked questions

A watermark is a faint image or text overlaid on a document or picture to protect its copyright and authorship. In Excel, adding a watermark helps prevent file duplication and unauthorized usage, adds a professional touch, and provides information about the author.

Inserting a logo as a watermark beneath the content of an Excel document makes it challenging to remove without access to the original file, thus deterring unauthorized duplication or usage.

Adding a watermark to an Excel workbook has several advantages: it prevents file duplication and copyright infringement, adds a professional touch to important documents, and provides information about the author or creator of the file.

To add a watermark to your Excel workbook, you can either insert a logo or image, or use text. For a logo or image watermark, go to the Insert tab, select ‘Text’, then ‘Header & Footer’. From there, you can upload your image and adjust its transparency, size, and position. For a text watermark, follow the same initial steps, then type your desired text into the header section and format it as needed.

Yes, you can add a text watermark even if you don’t have a logo image. Simply follow the steps for adding a watermark, and instead of inserting an image, type your desired text into one of the three boxes provided in the Header section. You can then format the text’s font, color, and size as needed.

To remove a watermark from your Excel workbook, open the file and go to the Insert tab. Click on ‘Text’, then select ‘Header & Footer’. Click and highlight the watermark in the header, then press the Backspace or Delete key on your keyboard. Finally, click on any cell outside the header to exit the editing mode.