To remove a watermark in Excel, you usually need to remove either a background image, a header/footer image, or a WordArt/shape object that was used as the watermark.

How to Remove Watermark in Excel

1. Quick checks (what kind of watermark is it?)

Before you start clicking around, try to identify what you’re looking at.

  • If the watermark is faint and appears behind all cells, it’s often:
    • A background image (Page Layout → Background), or
    • An image in the header/footer.
  • If the watermark looks like tilted text (e.g., “CONFIDENTIAL”), it may be:
    • WordArt or a text box sitting on top of the sheet.

Once you know the type, pick the matching method below.

2. Remove a background watermark (Page Layout → Delete Background)

Use this when someone set an image as the sheet background.

  1. Open the Excel workbook and go to the sheet with the watermark.
  1. On the ribbon, select Page Layout.
  1. Look for the Background button (in the Page Setup group).
  1. If a background is set, Excel will show Delete Background instead of Background. Click Delete Background.

The faint background image disappears immediately from that sheet.

3. Remove a watermark in Header/Footer (most common case)

Most “official” watermarks (company logos, “Confidential”, “Draft”) are added through the Header/Footer, especially when the sheet is meant for printing.

Method A – Page Layout view

  1. Go to the sheet with the watermark.
  1. Click the View tab, then choose Page Layout in Workbook Views.
  1. Your sheet now shows page boundaries and header areas at the top. Click inside the header area (top of the page).
  1. If the watermark is an image, you’ll see something like &[Picture] in one of the header boxes. Delete that code (or delete the text like “CONFIDENTIAL”).
  1. Click anywhere outside the header (e.g., into a cell) to exit.

The watermark disappears from print preview and normal view for that sheet.

Method B – Header & Footer tools

  1. Go to the Insert tab and click Header & Footer.
  1. Excel zooms into the header/footer area and shows Header & Footer Tools.
  1. Click on the header/footer that contains the watermark.
  2. Delete the image placeholder (&[Picture]) or text, then click Close Header and Footer or just click back into the grid.

Use this if the watermark is only visible in Print Preview or Page Layout but not in Normal view.

4. Remove WordArt or shape watermarks (big diagonal text)

If the watermark is large tilted text across the sheet (often “DRAFT” or “SAMPLE”), it may be a WordArt object or regular shape.

Method A – Select and delete in Page Layout or Normal view

  1. Go to the sheet and try switching to Page Layout view so the watermark is easier to click.
  1. Click directly on the watermark text or shape. You should see a bounding box around it.
  1. Press Delete on your keyboard.

If the watermark is behind cells and hard to select, the Selection Pane (next method) helps.

Method B – Use the Selection Pane to find hidden objects

  1. On the Home tab, click Find & Select → Selection Pane (or go via Page Layout → Selection Pane depending on Excel version).
  1. A list of objects appears on the right, with names like “Picture 1”, “Text Box 3”, “Rectangle 2”.
  1. Click each “eye” icon to hide/show objects until you see the watermark disappear; that’s your watermark object.
  1. Select that object in the list and press Delete.

This is especially handy when there are many shapes or when the watermark is hidden behind cells.

5. Remove stubborn watermarks with “Go To Special – Objects”

Some files have multiple shapes or WordArt used as watermarks on different pages. You can select all objects at once.

  1. Go to the Home tab.
  1. Click Find & Select → Go To Special.
  1. In the dialog, choose Objects and click OK.
  1. Excel selects all objects on the sheet (including watermarks).
  1. Press Delete.

Warning: this also removes other objects like shapes, images, and icons, so use it only if you’re comfortable losing those or if the sheet is mostly just the watermark.

6. Advanced: Remove header/footer image watermarks with VBA (all sheets

at once)

If the watermark is embedded as a header/footer picture on many sheets, you can clear them in one go using a small macro.

Note: This only applies where code/macros are allowed and trusted.

Example approach described in public guides: loop through each sheet and clear the header/footer picture filename.

This is mainly useful in large workbooks with many identically formatted sheets.

7. If “nothing works” – things to check

If you think you removed the watermark but still see something faint:

  • Check every sheet in the workbook; sometimes only one is clean.
  • Confirm you’re not just seeing the “Page 1” / “Page 2” print layout indicator rather than a real watermark (those are just view hints).
  • Look again at:
    • Page Layout → Delete Background.
* Insert → **Header & Footer** (and remove any image/text).

* **Selection Pane** for hidden shapes or images.

8. Mini FAQ and context

Is removing a watermark always allowed?

  • In many corporate files, watermarks are used for security or classification (e.g., “Confidential”, “Internal Use Only”).
  • Before you remove a watermark, make sure you have permission and that you’re not violating policy or sharing restricted data.

Why does Excel make this so confusing?

  • Excel doesn’t have a single “watermark control” like some word processors. Watermarks are built using backgrounds, headers/footers, or shapes , which is why there are multiple removal methods.

9. SEO-style extras (for your post structure)

If you’re turning this into a blog or “Quick Scoop” style article, you can use headings like:

  • H1: How to Remove Watermark in Excel (Full Guide – 2026)
  • H2: Remove Background Watermark in Excel
  • H2: Delete Header/Footer Watermark in Excel
  • H2: Get Rid of WordArt or Shape Watermarks
  • H2: When a Watermark Won’t Go Away (Troubleshooting)

You can also mention that users look for this alongside “latest news” about Excel updates or forum discussion threads where people share workbook-specific tricks, even though the core steps above stay fairly stable across recent versions.

10. Simple HTML table snippet (for your “return_tables_as_html” rule)

Here’s a small HTML table you can embed to summarize the methods:

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Watermark Type</th>
      <th>How to Identify</th>
      <th>How to Remove</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Background image</td>
      <td>Faint image behind all cells</td>
      <td>Page Layout &rarr; Delete Background</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Header/Footer image or text</td>
      <td>Only visible in Page Layout / Print Preview</td>
      <td>View &rarr; Page Layout, click header, delete image or text</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>WordArt or shape</td>
      <td>Big diagonal text or logo on top of cells</td>
      <td>Select object and press Delete, or use Selection Pane</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Multiple objects</td>
      <td>Several shapes across the sheet</td>
      <td>Home &rarr; Find &amp; Select &rarr; Go To Special &rarr; Objects, then Delete</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.