How to Remove Draft Watermark on Microsoft Word

    pankajBy Ms Word 4 Mins Read

    Watermarks are helpful in safeguarding copyright or claim ownership. Similarly, the Draft watermark is used to indicate that the work is still in progress. Although the content is still visible due to its light shades, it needs to be removed once the work is complete. 

    But it is troublesome to get rid of it when it is embedded in the header/footer section and especially when the document files are corrupted. So, for such problems, we have listed some effective methods for removing them.

    How to Remove Draft Watermark on Microsoft Word?

    To remove a watermark in Word, you first need to try using the Remove Watermark feature in Microsoft Word.  

    Using Watermark Tool

    To add or remove a watermark in a Word document, a Watermark tool section is available. This is the most basic feature to get rid of the draft watermark from your document. However, the Word interface is slightly different for Mac devices. You can follow these simple steps to remove Watermarks from your Word Document.

    On Windows

    1. Open Word document.
    2. Click on the Design tab. For Word 2010 or earlier, the Watermark tool is under the Page Layout tab.
      Click-on-the-Design-tab.
    3. Click on the down arrow under Watermark.
      Click-on-the-down-arrow-under-Watermark.
    4. Now click Remove Watermark. 
      Now-click-Remove-Watermark.

    On Mac

    1. Open the Word document and go to the Design tab. 
    2. Click on Watermark.
    3. In this window, select No Watermark.
      In-this-window,-select-No-Watermark.
    4. Now click OK.

    Using Header Section

    If the watermark is still present, it’s likely that Word anchored it in the header area. You can use the header section to select the Watermark portion for removal. Here are the steps:

    On Windows

    1. Double-Click over the top section of the page. Header & Footer tools will appear.
      Header-&-Footer-tools-will-appear.
    2. Now place your cursor over the watermark until a 4-way arrow appears.
      Now-place-your-cursor-over-the-watermark-until-a-4-way-arrow-appears.
    3. Click to select the watermark.
      Click-to-select-the-watermark.
    4. Hit the Delete key.

    On Mac

    1. Double-click the header or footer area.
    2. Now click over the Watermark portion.
    3. Press the Delete key.

    If you can’t select the Draft watermark, you can use a selection tool that makes selecting easier. To select and delete using the selection tool, use the following method:

    1. Double-Click at the header section of the page.
    2. Once the Header & Footer tools appear, go to the Home tab.
    3. Now click on the Select drop-down.
    4. Select the Watermark.
    5. Now press the Delete key.

    Save as XML Document

    Since XML format is a text-based format that stores data in a structured way for sharing data. If you save your document in XML format, it converts the contents into text. Thus, removing the watermark in this format becomes easier. Follow this three-step procedure to delete the Draft watermark:

    Step 1: Save the Word Document in an XML Format

    1. Open the Word document.
    2. Click on File.
      Click-on-File.
    3. Click on Save As.
      Click-on-Save-As.
    4. In this window, you can choose a file name and location for saving this file.
    5. Expand the Save as type: by clicking on the down arrow.
      Expand-the-Save-as-type-by-clicking-on-the-down-arrow.
    6. Choose Word XML Document (*.xml).
      Choose-Word-XML-Document-xml
    7. Click Save.

    Step 2: Open the XML File in Notepad to Find and Delete Watermark

    1. Now go to the file destination and right-click on it.
    2. Hover the cursor around Open with and choose Notepad.
      Hover-the-cursor-around-Open-with-and-choose-Notepad.
    3. In the Notepad window, press the CTRL + F keys together.
      In-the-Notepad-window,-press-the-CTRL-+-F-keys-together.
    4. A finding tool will pop up.
    5. Type Draft and click Find Next.
      Type-Draft-and-click-Find-Next.
    6. If you find Draft inside a double quote, remove this text without removing the quotation marks.
      If-you-find-Draft-inside-a-double-quote,-remove-this-text-without-removing-the-quotation-marks.
    7. Click on File and then Save. 
      Click-on-File-and-then-Save.

    Step 3: Save the File in Document Format Again

    1. Now close the Notepad and go to the file location again.
    2. This time open with Microsoft Word.
      This-time-open-with-Microsoft-Word.
    3. You can see the draft watermark is removed. 
    4. Go to File and Save as a Word Document(*.docx).
      Go-to-File-and-Save-as-a-Word-Document

    Using Third-Party apps

    You can easily remove a watermark from Word with some third-party tools like ScanWritr There are several online editors and converters that can quickly remove Watermarks and make your work easier. 

    These tools are readily available over the internet, so you don’t have to install any app. Whether you work on a PC, Mac, or a mobile device, simply search for an Online Watermark removal tool in your browser.

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