Adding a draft to your PowerPoint shows that the presentation is not yet ready to be shown and shows others that you are still in progress. This would probably stop others from judging your presentation while it is still in progress.
In this guide, we will show you how to add a draft watermark to your PowerPoint presentations.
These screenshots use desktop PowerPoint. Slide Master editing is available in the desktop app, so open the presentation there if you are working in PowerPoint for the web. PowerPoint has no ready-made watermark gallery; the text box below creates the draft mark.
Step 1: Open your presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint.
Step 2: Select “View” from the menu bar at the top of the screen, then click on the “Slide Master” option. This opens Slide Master view. Select the large master thumbnail at the top of the left pane, above its smaller layout thumbnails.
Step 3: With the master selected, choose “Insert” > “Text Box” and draw a text box on it.
Step 4: Add the word “Draft” in the text box.
Step 5: Format the text size and color to your liking. I recommend a 60 or larger font size with a light grey color.
Step 6: Click the “Close Master View” to exit the Slide Master.
Step 7: Check the slides that use this master for the “Draft” watermark, including the title slide. Some layouts may not display it.
Changes to a master affect the slides that use it. If your presentation uses multiple themes, add the watermark to each relevant master. If you prefer, you can also design a custom watermark of your own. It’s a quick way to flag a deck as work-in-progress before you share it with reviewers.
To remove the plain watermark when the presentation is finished, return to View > Slide Master, select the same master, delete the Draft text box, and close Master View.
Adding a tiled “Draft” background on PowerPoint.
If you wish to add a tiled background to your PowerPoint presentation, follow the steps below:
Step 1: Open your presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint.
Step 2: Select “View” from the menu bar at the top of the screen, then click on the “Slide Master” option. This opens Slide Master view. Select the large master thumbnail at the top of the left pane, above its smaller layout thumbnails.
Step 3: With the master selected, choose “Insert” > “Text Box” and draw a text box on it.
Step 4: Add the word “Draft” in the text box.
Step 5: Format the text size and color to your liking.
Step 6: Copy the text box.
Step 7: Right-click the master slide, and click “Format background.”
Step 8: In format background settings, click the “Picture or texture fill”
Step 9: Click the “Clipboard” and then “Tile picture as texture”
Step 10: Adjust the settings to your preferences.
Step 11: Click the “Close Master View” to exit the Slide Master.
Step 12: Check the slides that use this master for the tiled “Draft” watermark. A slide or layout with its own background may cover it.
Note: Using this method will make the tiled watermark appear as a background. Backgrounds added to slides will cover the master slide’s background, in this case, the tiled draft background.
If you want repeated text instead of a background fill, duplicate the text box in the master slide using Ctrl+D and arrange the copies manually. Master objects can still be covered by content placed on individual slides.
Conclusion
Adding a watermark in Powerpoint is now easy if you follow these steps! Whether you want a plain “Draft” stamp or a fuller tiled background, the steps above give you the result you’re after for your presentation. Experiment with different text sizes and colors to customize your watermark even further.
