Do you want to personalize the way your word online document looks? Are you tired of the same old white background and need to spice things up. If the answer to these questions is yes this tutorial is for you. This article tutorial takes you through how to change the background color on Word online.
How to change background color on Word online
Word Online is a free program for editing and sharing documents. This is why you only see the basic editing and formatting options. Here are the steps to follow if you want to change the background color of documents even though there is no dedicated option.
- Start by opening the document you would like to edit. To do this, you must log in to the Office online website using your credentials. Once you have the document, double-click to open it.
- Once you have the document you want to edit, click and open the insert menu from the top ribbon.
- Click and select Drawing. You will have a popup window with the various options available.
- With the help of this menu, you can insert a shape into the document or draw your own. We prefer to work with a structured canvas.
- Click on Insert, and you will have three options: shapes, text box, and picture. Select shapes and open the dropdown menu.
- You can choose to insert a rectangle into the document from the various options available in this menu. This way, you can easily use it as a background.
- Click on the canvas and drag to insert the shape.
- Click on the shape added, and you will see two new menus. Shape and Text: click on Shape.
- You can now change the color of the shape you have inserted. Click on Shape Fill and choose the color you want to add to the background.
- After choosing the color you like, click on Save and Close at the top right of the popup menu.
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How to adjust the shape added to a Word online document to form an overlay?
- The dialogue box will close, and you will see that the shape appears on your Word online document.
- Initially, it will be tiny and must be stretched out to fit the page.
- To stretch out the shape, drag the white dots on the shape and stretch it across the documents, creating an overlay.
- After adding the shape, you will need to add a textbox over it to include content in the document.
- This can be done by double-clicking on the shape. You will have the same menu as before. This time, click and select the Text box and add it to the shape.
- Drag to adjust the size of the textbox.
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How do you put a background on Word online desktop?
On the desktop version of Word online, there are more options for changing the color of the document you are working on. Here is how you can change the background color in Word.
- Start by accessing the document created on Word online by logging on to the Office online website. Alternatively, you can log in to OneDrive and access the document.
- Double-click the document to open it
- Click on Design in the top ribbon and you will have an array of options.
- Select Page color. You will have a dropdown menu with the colors and options available.
- You can choose among the standard colors available or click on more colors. if you are looking for a pattern or texture, click on Fill Effects and choose from the various textures available.
- The entire document will change color once you choose the color or texture.
- After changing the background color, you can add content and pictures to the document as usual.
- To remove the color, simply go to design > age color > No Color.
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How do I change the background color of only one page in Word?
When you change the background color of the document in the desktop version of Word, you can end up with the same color throughout the document. There is no segregation option. Here is how you can change the background color of only one page in Word.
- Open the document you would like to edit
- Click and open the Insert menu
- Select Shapes
- From the shapes available, click on the rectangle, as it is easier to use it as the background.
- Once the shape is selected the cursor will turn into a +. click and drag till you get the shape.
- Now click on the shape and use the options available under Shape fill to change the color to the one you want to change the background to.
- After the color is changed use the white circles to increase the size of the rectangle so that it covers the entire page. Overlaying the image over the page will give you the different color pages you desire.
- Now click on the image and choose Send to Back. This way, you will have the image in the background while you add text to the document.
After you have changed the color of the page, you can add text by inserting a text box. This way the content you add will sit over the newly added color.
To add a text box to the document, click on Insert and select the Text box. You can then select the Draw text box options. Click and drag to insert the text box.
When adding a textbox, the default color is white, and this can stand out from the color you have added. To counter this, go to Shape Fill and select No Fill. This way, the underlying color of the textbox will disappear.
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How to change background color on Word online page on Mac?
To change the color of pages in an online Word document you are working on on a Mac is simple. Here are the steps you can follow.
- Start by downloading the document you would like to work on. This can be done from the office online website or by using one drive.
- After opening the document, click on and select Design from the top ribbon
- From the options available, click and select the page color
- Now, choose the color you would like to add to the document and click on it
- once selected, the color will replace the default white.
If you need to add color to a specific page in the document, the process is a little lengthy. Here is how it is done
- Go to the page that needs to be formatted
- click, and open the insert menu in the top ribbon
- from the options available, and choose shapes. Under shape, click and select a rectangle.
- Now format the shape to the color or texture you would like to add.
- once it appears on the document, drag the corners and cover the document with it.
- Now choose the send backward option and move it to the background.
- to add content insert a text box from the insert section and choose no fill. This will ensure that you do not have the white default textbox color.
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How to change the background color on Android devices?
Here is how you can change the color of a word online document using an Android device.
- Start by downloading the word application for Android. Sign in and access the document that needs to be formatted.
- Once you have the document tap on it to open it.
- Enable formatting and open the menu on the bottom
- Tap on home for more options
- Tap on insert and select shape
- Now select a rectangle and change the color
- After the rectangle is added to the document stretch it and cover the page as an overlay.
- Send it backward and add a textbox to add content.
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How to change the background color on iOS devices?
If you are looking to change the color of a document on your iOS device follow these steps.
- Start by downloading the Word application for iOS. You will need to sign in to access files.
- Tap the document to open it.
- Enable formatting; the menu will show at the bottom of the screen. Tap on home for the extended menu.
- Tap on Insert and select shape
- Select a rectangle and change the color using the options available.
- After the rectangle is added to the document, stretch it and cover the page as an overlay.
- Insert a textbox and add the content needed.
In conclusion
When you think about how to change background color in Word online, there are fewer editing options as compared to the desktop version. This being said there is always a workaround, you can change the color by adding a shape and extending it to cover the page.
If you need to change the color of the entire document, you can replicate the changes made to the first page. Another option is to use the desktop application and change the background color of the entire document. On phones and other Android and iOS devices, you will need to add a shape and overlay the document.
You may like the following word online tutorials:
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- How do you put a different background on each page in Word Online?
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My name is Carissa Gudino and I am an expert in word online, using Word Online in my day-to-day tasks. In this blog, I will share with you tips and tutorials on how to use word online to its fullest potential. I work for various clients in various countries like the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, etc. My tutorials are designed to help beginners, as well as more experienced users, learn new tricks and tips on Microsoft word online. Check out more.