If you want to learn how to add a draft watermark in Microsoft Excel, follow along with the methods described in this simple tutorial.

When I’m working on reports that aren’t final yet, I treat them like printed documents marked for internal use only.

In Excel, the closest I can get is by adding a draft watermark. But here’s the catch: Excel doesn’t offer a simple watermark option like Word or PowerPoint. You can’t just click a button and be done with it.

That makes this task surprisingly frustrating if you don’t know the workarounds.

In this guide, I’ll show you a few easy ways to add a draft watermark that looks clean and professional. Let’s get started with the first method below.

Using the Excel Header and Footer Feature

Adding a watermark in Excel can feel like trying to find a light switch in the dark. It’s not obvious, as it’s not labeled clearly. Moreover, Excel doesn’t offer a dedicated button for it.

Thankfully, the Header & Footer feature comes to the rescue with a neat little trick that helps you place a watermark-style image. For example, it could be the word DRAFT behind your worksheet when printed.

This method is especially useful if you’re sharing printed reports or saving the sheet as a PDF and want people to know it’s not final.

It’s pretty easy once you know where to look, and the end result looks polished and professional.

The best part? You don’t need advanced Excel skills, like complicated formulas or formatting.

The method involves just a basic image and a few clicks in the right place. Let’s get started with the first method by following these steps:

First, create or download an image with a light gray DRAFT text written in it. A transparent PNG with tilted text works best. Save it somewhere easy to find on your computer, like your desktop.

Open your Excel file and go to the Insert tab at the top of the screen. Look toward the right end of the ribbon for the Text group, and click Header & Footer.

You’ll enter the Page Layout view of the worksheet, which also shows the header and footer options. Once you’re in the Header & Footer view, your worksheet will shift slightly. Click inside the center box to add a header.

After clicking the center box, a new tab called the Header & Footer menu will appear in the Excel ribbon.

Go there and click the Picture button in the Header & Footer Elements group, which opens a window to insert an image.

You’ll now see the Insert Pictures dialog box. Click on the Browse button.

Browse to the DRAFT image you saved earlier using the From a file option, select it, and click Insert.

You’ll see something like &[Picture] show up in the box. Don’t worry, that’s totally normal.

Click anywhere outside the header area to see the image in its actual display. Excel doesn’t show it perfectly in normal view, but it’ll appear when printed or saved as a PDF.

Still, click anywhere except the header field to see the DRAFT image that you have added.

To check how it looks before printing, go to File > Print or press Ctrl + P.

The preview will show your watermark, centered and softly faded behind the data.

Done! You’ve now added a draft watermark like a pro using just the header and a little creativity.

Now, there are simple formatting steps you can learn to improve the DRAFT text watermark in your Excel worksheet.

Firstly, you need to move the DRAFT text watermark in the middle of the document to make it more obvious and professional.

To do that, click on the &[Picture] field in the Header area at the top of the Page Layout view.

Now, take the cursor to the left of the ampersand character in the header code and press the Enter key on the keyboard to change its position on the worksheet.

Now, click anywhere else on the Page Layout view to find out the current position of the DRAFT text watermark.

If you need to change the position again, repeat the above step.

Another modification you can do is change the opacity of the DRAFT text watermark. Click on the Header field in the Page Layout view to open the Header & Footer tab in the Excel ribbon menu.

Now, click on the Format Picture button in the Header & Footer Elements block.

The Format Picture dialog box will show up. There, you can adjust the following fields to customize the DRAFT text watermark:

• Size
• Picture
• Alt Text

After making the required changes, click on the Page Layout view to visualize the final quality of the DRAFT text watermark.

Using the Excel WordArt Feature

The first method, while popular, comes with a few drawbacks, like you can’t place the DRAFT text watermark wherever you want on the worksheet.

Here comes the Excel WordArt feature handy. You can use a WordArt object to write the DRAFT text and make it look like a watermark using the Transparency feature of the text of the Format Shape option.

This method is especially useful when you’re sharing spreadsheets electronically or saving them as PDFs, where traditional watermarks might not show.

WordArt gives you full control over size, position, color, and transparency, so your watermark looks professional without getting in the way.

You’ll be inserting styled text that floats over your data, and with a few tweaks, it’ll blend in like it was always meant to be there.

Open your Excel worksheet and click on the Insert tab in the top ribbon. This is where all the magic tools for adding stuff like text and images live.

In the Text group on the right side of the ribbon, click on WordArt. A little drop-down will appear with fun, colorful text styles; pick one you like.

Don’t stress about the color now, you can fix it up in the next steps.

Type the word DRAFT into the WordArt box that appears on your sheet. You’ll notice it floats over your data, like a sticker on glass.

Don’t forget to drag and drop it on the worksheet data.

Now, click on the edges of the WordArt box to select it (make sure you see the resizing dots). Then go up to the Shape Format tab that automatically appears in the ribbon.

Use the Text Fill and Text Outline options to change the color to a light gray. This gives your watermark that professional, faded watermark look.

Now, right-click on the DRAFT text box on the worksheet and choose Format Shape from the drop-down menu.

On the Format Shape navigation panel, click on the Text Options menu.

Use the Transparency slider below the Color section to change the opacity of the DRAFT text watermark.

Make the text about 75% or more transparent so that the actual content on the worksheet becomes visible over the DRAFT text watermark.

That’s it! You’ve successfully added a draft watermark in Microsoft Excel.

Using the Excel Object Text Box

If the WordArt-based method feels a little time-consuming for you, try using this method.

It utilizes the Excel Text Box object to insert a DRAFT text watermark in an Excel worksheet. Let me show you the process below with clear instructions and images:

Navigate to the Excel worksheet where you wish to include a watermark text.

Click on the Text Box command in the Text group of the Insert tab to add a Text Box on the Excel worksheet.

You need to click on the worksheet and type something to see the Text Box.

This is a floating text box, and you can drag and drop it anywhere on the worksheet.

Now, you can type in DRAFT, right-click, and use the text formatting tools on the context menu to adjust the font style, size, shape, etc.

If the font size you have chosen spills over the Text Box object, enlarge its size to accommodate the entire text.

To add a little transparency to the watermark, right-click on the object again and choose Format Shape from the context menu.

You should now see the Format Shape dialog box on the right side of the worksheet.

Go to the Text Options tab and use the Transparency slider to increase the object’s opacity level by more than 75%. This will introduce a true watermark feeling.

The best thing about this method is that you can select the Text Box and drag it anywhere on the worksheet. When you find the right spot, drop it to reposition the watermark appropriately.

Using a Background Image in Page Layout

If you have already created a perfect DRAFT watermark text in the PNG format, you can import it directly into the Excel worksheet using the Background command in the Page Layout tab.

It inserts the image in small thumbnail sizes throughout the worksheet. Let me show you how in a step-by-step manner.

Open the Excel worksheet where you wish to insert the DRAFT watermark image.

Go to the Page Layout tab and click on the Background command in the Page Set-Up group.

The Insert Pictures dialog box will open. Click Browse in the From a file field.

Now, the Sheet Background dialog box will open. Use it to find and select the DRAFT watermark in the PNG format.

Click Insert to import the image as a background in the worksheet.

That’s it! You have successfully added a DRAFT watermark to the worksheet. This process is quick. Its drawback is that you can’t modify the image after inserting it as a background.

Using a VBA Macro

If you wish to automate the whole process and wish to include text and formatting modifications, you can use an Excel VBA-based automation.

Firstly, go through the following Excel tutorial to learn how to use a VBA macro script to create an automated workflow in Excel:

Once ready, use the following VBA script to create a macro:

Sub AddWatermarkTextbox()
    Dim ws As Worksheet
    Dim shp As Shape
    Dim watermarkText As String

    ' Prompt for watermark text
    watermarkText = InputBox("Enter the watermark text:", "Watermark Text")
    If watermarkText = "" Then Exit Sub

    Set ws = ActiveSheet

    ' Delete previous watermark if exists
    On Error Resume Next
    ws.Shapes("WatermarkTextBox").Delete
    On Error GoTo 0

    ' Add a textbox shape
    Set shp = ws.Shapes.AddTextbox( _
        Orientation:=msoTextOrientationHorizontal, _
        Left:=ws.UsedRange.Width / 2, _
        Top:=ws.UsedRange.Height / 2, _
        Width:=300, Height:=100)

    With shp
        .Name = "WatermarkTextBox"
        .TextFrame2.TextRange.Text = watermarkText
        .TextFrame2.TextRange.Font.Size = 48
        .TextFrame2.TextRange.Font.Bold = msoTrue
        .TextFrame2.TextRange.Font.Name = "Arial"
        .TextFrame2.TextRange.Font.Fill.ForeColor.RGB = RGB(128, 128, 128)
        .TextFrame2.TextRange.Font.Fill.Transparency = 0.85
        .Fill.Visible = msoFalse
        .Line.Visible = msoFalse
        .Rotation = 315
        .Top = (ws.UsedRange.Rows.Count * 15) / 2
        .Left = (ws.UsedRange.Columns.Count * 50) / 2
    End With
End Sub 

Once the macro is ready, press Alt + F8 to launch the Macro dialog box.

Select the AddWatermarkTextbox macro and hit Run.

A dialog box will ask you to enter text as the watermark, like DRAFT.

Excel VBA will create a watermark as a Text Box. You can reposition it as you like.

Conclusions

So, now you know how to add a draft watermark in Microsoft Excel in multiple ways. You can select a method that suits you and add watermarks whenever needed.

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