Google Docs can create documents and spreadsheets with various fonts and file formats, including lists, tables, and images. Even though there are no straightforward ways to set background image in Google Docs, there are many workarounds that will let you add a background image or color to your Google Docs document.
How to set the background color in google docs? You can change or set the background color quickly with the below 4 steps.
- Open the google docs document where you want to set the background color.
- Click on the “File” menu -> Click on “Page setup”.
- Click on the “Page Color” drop-down and select the desired color as per your requirement.
- Finally, click on the “Ok” button to set the desired color.
We will discuss this in detail along with other approaches below.
Table Of Contents
How to set the background color in Google Docs?
Setting up a background color for your document in google docs is simple and is just a few steps to do.
- Click file > Page setup

- A pop-up will open up displaying the option to choose an orientation, paper size, and page color.
- Click the drop-down under “Page color,” located at the bottom of the left corner of the pop-up, and select your desired color from the list of colors.

When you click on the page color drop-down option, the Google Docs color palette will open. It consists of a variety of colors that allows you to choose one.

You can also customize the Google Docs background color by clicking the “custom” option from the color palette. This will help you to use a specific shade or color. You can also insert an HTML color code to find a color you like.

Once you choose the color, click the “OK” button. You can also opt to make this new normal by “set as default” option.
How to set the background image in Google Docs?
There is a cluster of options to insert an image as a background in your google docs.
- Set the background image in google docs using a Word file
- How to Set the background image in google docs using Google Slides
- Set the background image in google docs using Drawing
- How to Set the background image in google docs using Watermark
Set the background image in Google Docs using a Word file
Create an image in the Word document and customize it according to your needs. Save the file on your computer.
Now Open your Google Docs document.
- Click File > Open
- Click the “Upload” option and select the Word file from your device.

- Right-click on the image and select Image Options.

The Image Options pane will open on the right side of your Google Docs document. You can adjust the transparency slider to make your image more or less transparent to reveal the text beneath the image.

How to Set the background image in Google Docs using Google Slides
One of the best options for creating a background image in Google Docs is using Google Slides. This option works well in situations where you give minimum text input.
Create a new blank presentation in Google Slides.

- Click File >Page Setup
- Click Custom. To make your presentation look like an actual background image in a Google Docs document, adjust the height to 11 inches and the width to 8.5 inches.

- Click Slide > Change Background

- The Background dialog box will pop up. You can also choose the background color if you wish. To set the background image, click the “Image” button.
- Browse the image you want to set as the background image in google docs and click on “Open”. Once the image is uploaded, click “Done”.

If you want the same background on multiple slides, you have to upload it to each of the slides.
If you want to create the minimum content for your document, add a text box and edit the text after adding your background image.
Once you have created the text, you can download the presentation as a PDF and upload it to your Google Docs.
Steps to Set the background image in Google Docs using Drawings
Click Insert > Drawing > +New.

A drawing space will be open.
- Click the “ Image” icon to select the image file you want to use as your background image.

- Choose an image to upload from your computer as a background image in google docs.
- Now click the “Text box” icon to insert your text above the background image in Google Docs.

Add your text, customize the color and font according to your needs, and to best suit with background image in google docs.
Set the background image in Google Docs using a watermark
With the Google Drawings tool, you can create the background image as a watermark to reveal the text beneath the background image in your Google Docs.
- Open the Google drawings
- Click Insert > Image
- You can upload the image from your personal computer, google drive, or google photos, insert an URL, instant camera, or by searching for it using the built-in Google Images search

Select one of the above-mentioned options to proceed.
To insert a Google Drawings image as a watermark image in Google Docs, you have to need to alter the transparency of the image. A watermark image typically has very reduced transparency so that it can sit behind text on a document without blocking the actual content.
To reduce the transparency of the image, follow the below instructions
After inserting the image, right-click on the image and select the “Format Options” button.

This will open up the Format Options menu on the right side of Google Drawings.
In the Adjustments tab, move the “Transparency” slider up to reduce transparency.
This will reduce the transparency of the image.

Your watermark image is ready. Now name it. It will automatically get saved in your Google Drive storage.
Once you watermark the image or text that is ready from Google Drawing, it’s time to insert it into the document of your Google Docs.
Click Insert > Drawing
Select your saved Google Drawings image from Google Drive.
Google Docs background color in the table
To change the background color of the table, right-click on the table and select table properties.

In the Table properties, click “cell background color” and choose the color that suits your text.

Google Docs text background color
You can add or remove the color behind the text you are adding to your document. To add text background color, Follow the below steps
- Click on the text you want to add to the background color.
- Click on the “Highlight” color tab at the top of your Google Docs document and choose the text background color you want.
Follow the above instructions to make your document look more appealing with background image and color. It will also help you to insert background images in google docs.