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How do I change the background color in Microsoft Office?

By: Author Color With Leo

Changing the background color in Microsoft Office applications like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint can help add visual interest or make certain elements stand out in your documents. With the right steps, it’s easy to customize the background color to suit your needs.

Changing Background Color in Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word provides a few different ways to change the background color for your documents. Here are the steps for each method:

Change Page Color

This will change the background color of the entire page:

  1. Go to the Design tab
  2. Click Page Color in the Page Background group
  3. Select the desired color from the available theme colors, standard colors, or custom colors

Change Text Background Color

To change the background color behind a specific block of text:

  1. Select the text
  2. Go to the Home tab
  3. Click the arrow next to Text Highlight Color in the Font group
  4. Choose the desired background color

Use Shading

You can also add shading behind text for a similar effect:

  1. Select the text
  2. Go to the Home tab
  3. Click the arrow next to Shading in the Paragraph group
  4. Select the desired shading color

Use Borders

Adding borders around sections of text can also help them stand out:

  1. Select the text
  2. Go to the Home tab
  3. Click the arrow next to Borders in the Paragraph group
  4. Choose the desired border style and color

Changing Background Color in Microsoft Excel

In Excel, you can change the background color of cells or the entire worksheet. Here’s how:

Change Cell Background Color

  1. Select the cell(s)
  2. Right click and choose Format Cells
  3. Go to the Fill tab
  4. Choose the desired color from the available theme colors, standard colors, or custom colors
  5. Click OK

Change Worksheet Background

  1. Right click on the worksheet tab and choose Tab Color
  2. Select the desired color from the palette

Alternatively, you can:

  1. Go to the Page Layout tab
  2. Click the arrow next to Background in the Page Setup group
  3. Choose the desired color from the available theme colors, standard colors, or custom colors

Changing Background Color in Microsoft PowerPoint

In PowerPoint, you can customize the background of a single slide or the entire presentation. Here’s how:

Change Slide Background

  1. Select the slide(s) you want to modify
  2. Go to the Design tab
  3. Click Format Background
  4. Choose Solid Fill and then select the desired color
  5. Click Apply to All to use that color for all selected slides

Change Theme Background

To change the default background color for all slides using a theme:

  1. Go to the Design tab
  2. Click Colors
  3. Choose the desired theme color variant

You can also customize your theme colors by clicking Customize Colors.

Tips for Using Background Color

Here are some tips for using background color effectively in Office documents:

  • Use a light background color with dark text for maximum readability
  • Limit your use of bright background colors which can strain the eyes
  • Make sure there is sufficient contrast between text and background colors
  • Use background colors sparingly to help certain elements stand out
  • Select colors that fit with your overall document theme or branding
  • Be mindful of colorblind users who may struggle with red/green or blue/yellow combinations

Common Background Color Uses

Some common ways to use custom background colors in Office documents include:

  • Highlighting key words or headings
  • Color coding different table cells or spreadsheet tabs
  • Making to-do list checkboxes stand out
  • Emphasizing slides titles or section dividers
  • Adding visual interest to page backgrounds or slide templates

Complementary Colors for Backgrounds

Here are some examples of complementary color combinations that work well for document backgrounds:

Background Color Complementary Text/Border Colors
Light blue Dark blue, black, brown, white
Soft purple Dark purple, white, gray, black
Lime green Dark green, black, brown, white
Pink Red, white, light gray
Turquoise Dark teal, black, white

Troubleshooting Background Color Issues

Here are some common background color problems and how to fix them:

  • Color appears different on screen vs print – Go to File > Print and check the settings to preview how colors will look printed. Adjust colors if needed.
  • Can’t get an evenly filled background – With images, use a high resolution picture sized to fit the document dimensions. For color, apply to all cells/paragraphs instead of selections.
  • Background makes text hard to read – Choose a darker background for light text and vice versa. Avoid red/green and blue/yellow combinations.
  • Background doesn’t appear when exported to PDF – Check that the Export Adobe PDF settings include background images/colors.
  • Backgrounds look pixelated in PDF – Increase resolution of background images before inserting. For color, try exporting in high quality print format.

Conclusion

Customizing the background color in Office applications is a great way to enhance your documents visually. By using complementary colors and keeping readability in mind, background colors can help highlight key information, add visual flair, and create more polished looking documents. With the techniques outlined here, you should now have the control you need to easily change background colors to suit your needs in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other Office apps.