How to Remove a Watermark from a Spreadsheet in Excel 2013

Some companies or organizations like to include their logo as a background watermark when they share Excel files internally and externally. While this can be helpful in providing a constant reminder of which company created that spreadsheet and its data, it can make the data difficult to read. Fortunately these watermarks in Excel 2013 spreadsheets can be removed with a few steps.

Our guide below will show you where to find the setting that allows you to delete a watermark in the background of your spreadsheet, as well as another place you can look if there is a specific type of watermark that you are trying to eliminate.

 

How to Delete a Watermark in Excel 2013

The steps in this guide were written using Microsoft Excel 2013. This guide assumes that you currently have a watermark on your spreadsheet, and that you wish to remove it. Watermarks in Excel are pictures, so this method can also be employed if you are trying to remove a background picture from your spreadsheet as well.

Step 1: Open your spreadsheet in Excel 2013.

 

Step 2: Click the Page Layout tab at the top of the window.

how to delete a watermark in excel 2013

 

 

Step 3: Click the Delete Background button in the Page Setup section of the ribbon.

how to remove a watermark in excel 2013

 

 

If you don’t see the Delete Background button in the final step above, and you are specifically trying to remove a watermark that says “Page 1” or “Page 2” or whatever page number you are trying to get rid of, then this is technically not a watermark and won’t be included on the printed page. It’s just something that is shown when you are in Page Break View in Excel. You can remove this visible identifier with the following steps.

Step 1: Click the View tab at the top of the window.

how to change the view in excel 2013

 

 

Step 2: Click either the Normal or Page Layout button in the Workbook Views section of the ribbon.

how to remove the page 1 watermark in excel 2013

 

 

Having trouble getting your printed spreadsheet to format properly? Learn about ways to optimize a spreadsheet for printing in Excel 2013 and save yourself a lot of frustration.