4 Easy Ways to Change Word Background to White [Windows & Mac]
When you are editing, printing, or sharing a Word document, a common but frustrating issue is the incorrect background color. Especially after switching to dark mode or accidentally changing the background color, many users are eager to know how to change the Word background to white, restoring a clean and tidy visual experience for their documents.
By Crystal Updated on July 18, 2025
Why is my Word background black?
Many users suddenly find the background of their Word documents turning black while editing, which is usually due to one of the following reasons:
- Enabled the dark mode for the system or Office.
- Manually changed the page color;
- Used a certain page theme or visual effect;
- Set the background color for a specific page, not the entire document.
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How to change word background to white with 4 Ways
If your Word document has a black background and you want to change it to white, the process is relatively straightforward. Next, we will carefully introduce several different methods on how to change the Word background from black to white.
Way 1. Change from dark mode to a white background
If your Word interface is entirely black, you have likely enabled dark mode. ✍To turn it back to a bright interface on Windows:
1. Go to “File” > “Options”. In the Word Options window, select “General”.
2. Under the “Personalize your copy of Microsoft Office” section, find the “Office Theme” dropdown, and select “Colorful” or “White” to switch out of dark mode.
This will not only change the application's appearance but also ensure that the default document background is white.
✍To turn off dark mode on Mac:
1. go to the Apple menu and select “System Preferences”. Then, click on “General”.
2. Under the “Appearance” section, choose “Light”.
This system - wide change will also affect the look of your Word application, changing it from dark mode to light mode and likely making the document background white.
Way 2. How to change the background color to white in the Word
In addition to the interface theme, users sometimes inadvertently change the background color of the document page, causing issues when printing or exporting. Here are the specific steps on how to change the Word background to white:
1. On Windows, Go to Design > Page Color.
2. Choose the color you want under Theme Colors or Standard Colors.
Way 3. How to set the Word background to white on Mac
Many Mac users also encounter issues with abnormal document or interface backgrounds, leading to a high demand for searching "how to change Word background to white in Mac." In fact, the solution is largely similar to Windows, but the interface is slightly different:
1. Open Word, click "Design" > "Page Color"
2. Choose white as the background.
If you want remove the black background, just click No Color to change the background from black to white in Word.
This method can help you quickly restore a clean document view, making it clearer whether you are editing, presenting, or outputting.
Way 4. Change the background color of only one page
If you only want to change the background of a specific page, such as the cover page or the table of contents, you can use section breaks or text boxes to achieve the requirement of how to change the Word background color in Word on one page.
1. Insert a "section break" to divide the document into multiple sections;
2. Insert a full-page text box or shape on a specific page;
3. Set the shape to white;
4. Place it "at the bottom layer" and remove the border;
5. Ensure it does not affect the display of the text content.
Although it doesn't directly change the page background, this is currently the most flexible way to achieve a single-page background color.
✨Useful Tips for changing Word background to white on Mac
If the background color affects the print quality, be sure to use "Print Preview" to confirm.
When switching between dark and light themes, note that the document's color will not change automatically.
When exporting the document as a PDF, it is recommended to confirm whether the background color is included.
If it is a template document, it is recommended to set the background to the default white before saving the template file.
With the above techniques, you will fully master various methods on how to change the Word background to white and flexibly adjust the settings according to your actual needs.
FAQ about change Word background to white
Q: Can I set a white background for the header or footer only?
A: Yes. In the header or footer area, insert a shape, fill it with white, and send it behind the text. This lets you keep the rest of the page unchanged.
Q: I'm using a template. Why can't I change the background color?
A: Some templates have preset colors. To fix this, go to Design > Themes, choose “No Theme” or a simple one, then try setting the background again.
Q: How can I make the background white in multiple Word files at once?
A: Word doesn’t support batch changes. But you can create a template with a white background, and copy content from each document into it.
Q: I set the background to white, but it still looks gray. Why?
A: That’s likely your screen setting. Features like Night Mode or True Tone can make white look gray. Try viewing the file on a different screen or export to PDF to check.
Q: If I use dark mode, will others see the same dark background when I share the file?
A: No. Dark mode only affects your view. The document’s real background depends on the Page Color setting. If it's set to white, others will also see it as white.
Conclusion
Whether you are working on a report, a resume, or formatting a presentation, a clean white background always brings a more professional visual experience. By following the methods introduced in this article, you have mastered various ways to change the Word background to white.
