How to Change Background Color in Google Docs [2023]

The default color for the pages in Google Docs is white, but this may not always be suitable for what you’re creating. Sometimes, you might want to add some creativity to make your document look better and more engaging.

In our detailed guide on how to change the page background color in Google Docs, we’ll take you through the steps with visual references so you can change your background color in Google Docs quickly… let’s begin!

Why Should You Change Background Color in Google Docs?

Changing your background color in Google Docs often becomes a necessity when creating complex documents. Here are a few reasons you may want to change your page background color:

Google Docs has become one of the most popular word-processing tools online. You might need to spend a lot of time in front of your white screen which can put more strain on your eyes. If you select a light and soothing color as your background, this will be comfortable for your eyes.
Some readers may have visual impairments that make reading pages difficult with default backgrounds. If you increase the contrast by changing your background, this can be helpful for readers.
You can use different backgrounds for different parts of your document. As a result, highlighting crucial information becomes more straightforward; which is more convenient for readers to extract information.
If you’re creating any brand materials, sticking to brand colors allows you to reinforce the brand identity.

Different Ways to Change Background Color in Google Docs

You have two ways to change your background color in Google Docs. The first way lets you change the background color of the selected text, and the second method is to change the background of the whole page. Let’s learn these methods in simple steps.

Steps To Change the Background Color of Selected Text

Step 1: Place your cursor where you want to select the text. Press and hold the left mouse button. Then, drag your mouse to where you want the selection to end and release the mouse button.

Step 2: Look at the toolbar above your page. You will find the Highlight tool there, which will look like a highlighter. Click it, and an array of preset colors will come up.

Step 3: Select the desired color by clicking on the preset, and the background color will show up immediately.

Google Docs highlight color menu options

Text with blue highlight background in Google Docs

Step 4: If you aren’t satisfied with the color presets, you can also use a custom color as your background. To do this, you need to click the plus icon below the custom color which will open the custom color dialog box.

Select a custom text highlight color in Google Docs

Step 5: Move the small selection wheel to choose your preferred color. A color picker is also there so that you can pick your desired color from the screen.

Color picker options to select a precise color in Google Docs

Step 6: You can adjust the hue by swiping this small wheel to the left or right.

Step 7: There’s also options for picking a color precisely by entering its Hex or RGB codes. Once the desired color is selected, you need to hit OK. The background will be applied to the selected text.

Use custom hex for background in Google Docs

Steps To Change the Background of the Whole Document

Step 1: Once you have your document open, you need to click on the File menu. Select Page Setup from the bottom of the menu. The page setup dialog box will appear.

Step 2: On the bottom left corner of the dialog box, you will find a drop-down box called Page color. Click on that box, and that will give you some color presets, just as you saw in the previous method.

Google Docs page color setting in the page setup menu

Step 3: Select the desired color as the background color of your document.

Select a page color option in the page setup dialog

Step 4: If you want to use custom colors, click on the plus icon below the custom option. This will open the Custom Color dialog box.

Step 5: You can use the color selection wheel to pick your desired color, just as you did in the previous method. You can also use the color picker tool to select any color from the screen; this looks like a small eye dropper.

Step 6: Adjust the hue of the background color by dragging the horizontal scroll button to the left or right.

Step 7: You can also use Hex codes or RGB values to achieve your background color precisely. Once you are satisfied, click OK.

Use custom HEX or RGB code for page background

Step 8: When setting up the background color, you can click on Set as default to make that color the default background color for all of your documents.

Remember, you can’t change the background color of a specific page in this method. The selected background color will be applied to the whole document.

How to Choose a Good Background Color

You need to remember these pro tips to choose a background color that suits your document.

Select your background color depending on the type of document. If it’s a formal report, don’t use any striking background color. Use something neutral to make your document look better, but if you’re doing a fun project for school, you can use vivid colors.
The readability of your text should not be affected. For example, don’t use a background color that’s close to your font color. Play with contrast to make text easily readable.
Experiment with various color options to find the most suitable background for your documents. You can even create a doc with your favorite color palettes so that you can choose the right color quickly.

Final Thoughts on Changing Background Color in Google Docs

Changing your background color in Google Docs can make your document easily extractable and eye-catching. You need to know how to change your background color in Google Docs to bring out change.

We provided a detailed guide on how to change your background color for your selected text and the entire document. These methods will help you change the look of your document; try them out!