- Changing the page colour in Google Docs on a computer
- Changing the Google Docs background colour on Android
- Pages versus pageless and the background colour
- Picking an exact brand colour for your Google Doc
- Shading just one paragraph instead of the whole page
- Highlighting text and colouring table cells in Google Docs
- Background colour ideas for small business documents
- Going back to a white background in Google Docs
- If the Google Docs page colour won't change
- Frequently asked questions
To change background color in Google Docs, click File, then Page setup, select Pages, pick a Page color and click OK. The catch is the format: Google says most page settings vanish in pageless documents, though you can still update the background colour there.
A white page is fine for most things, but a soft brand colour behind a flyer, a one-page offer sheet or a welcome pack can make a plain document feel finished. It's also one of those settings that's tucked away where you wouldn't think to look, which is why so many people end up searching for it.
Google Docs gives you a few kinds of background colour: the whole page, a single paragraph, a highlighted phrase and a table cell. I'll start with the whole page because that's what most people mean, then cover the others.
Changing the page colour in Google Docs on a computer
According to Google's Docs Editors Help, the page colour lives in Page setup:
- Open your document on a computer.
- Click File, then Page setup.
- At the top of the box that opens, select Pages.
- Find Page color and pick a colour from the list.
- Click OK.
If you want every new document to start with that colour, click Set as default before OK. I'd only do that if it's your house style for everything, because it'll apply to new documents you create afterwards.
Changing the Google Docs background colour on Android
Google's help lists the same setting in the Android app:
- Open the Google Docs app and open your document.
- Tap Edit in the bottom right.
- Tap More in the top right.
- Tap Page setup.
- Choose Page color and pick your colour.
Google's page setup article doesn't give the iPhone and iPad steps in the same way, so if you're on an Apple device and can't find Page setup, make the change on a computer and it'll show on every device.
Pages versus pageless and the background colour
This is the bit that trips people up. Google Docs has two formats. Pages gives you a document with page breaks, headers, footers and page numbers. Pageless scrolls continuously with no breaks.
Google says most Page setup options, such as margins and orientation, aren't available in pageless documents. But it also says you can still update the background colour in pageless format. So if the dialog looks different from what you expected, check which format you're in.
To switch, click Format and choose Switch to Pageless format or Switch to Pages format. Google notes that in pageless you can't add columns, page numbers, headers and footers, so pick Pages for anything you plan to print or send as a PDF.
Picking an exact brand colour for your Google Doc
If you've got brand colours, you don't need to guess from the preset swatches. Google's help explains two ways to get an exact match:
| Method | How it works |
|---|---|
| Hex or RGB values | Under Custom, click Add a custom color, enter the Hex code or RGB values, then click OK |
| Eyedropper | Under Custom, click Pick a custom color and click any colour on your screen. Google says this works in Chrome and Edge |
Google says a custom colour you create can be used anywhere else in that same file, which saves you typing the code again for headings or table fills.
Keep contrast in mind. Pale backgrounds with dark text are easy to read; dark pages with light text look striking but use a lot of ink if someone prints them.
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Shading just one paragraph instead of the whole page
Sometimes you only want a coloured box behind a tip, a quote or a call to action. For that, Google's help points to paragraph shading:
- Click inside the paragraph.
- Open the Format menu.
- Choose Paragraph styles, then Borders and shading.
- Set a Background color, and add a border if you'd like one.
- Apply the change.
The same box lets you choose the border position, width, dash style and border colour. It's a neat way to make a callout without inserting a table.
Highlighting text and colouring table cells in Google Docs
For a single word or line, select the text and click Highlight color in the toolbar. Google says highlight colour is only available in Google Docs and Slides. For a table, select the cells and use Fill color to change their background.
If you're building a visual like a flyer and want an image with no background sitting on your coloured page, my walkthrough on removing a background in Canva is a quick way to prepare it before you insert it.
Background colour ideas for small business documents
- Offer sheets and service menus: a light tint that matches your logo.
- Welcome packs for new clients: one colour for the cover page feel, white text boxes for the detail.
- CVs and portfolios: keep it subtle. My roundup of free resume templates worth downloading shows how restrained colour tends to look more polished.
Going back to a white background in Google Docs
Changed your mind? There's no separate remove button to hunt for. Open File, then Page setup again, select Pages, and choose white under Page color, then click OK. If you'd ticked Set as default earlier, do the same and click Set as default again, otherwise every new document you start will keep the old colour.
For a shaded paragraph, click inside it, go back to Format, Paragraph styles, Borders and shading, and set the Background color to white or none. For highlighted words, select them and pick none from the Highlight color menu. It's worth doing a quick scroll through the whole document afterwards, because a stray shaded paragraph is easy to miss on a long page.
If the Google Docs page colour won't change
- Page setup looks different: you may be in pageless format. Check under Format.
- Not sure how it looks on paper: open the print preview or download a PDF and check it before you send it.
- Only part of the page changed: you may have used paragraph shading or highlight instead of Page color.
- Eyedropper missing: Google says it's supported in Chrome and Edge.
Frequently asked questions
Where is page color in Google Docs?
On a computer, click File, then Page setup, select Pages at the top, and find Page color. On Android, tap Edit, then More, then Page setup.
Can I change the background in a pageless Google Doc?
Yes. Google's help says that in pageless format you can still update the background colour, even though options like margins aren't available.
How do I use my brand colour as the background?
Under Custom in the colour menu, click Add a custom color and enter your Hex code or RGB values, or use the eyedropper in Chrome or Edge.
Can I colour just one paragraph?
Yes. Click in the paragraph, then Format, Paragraph styles, Borders and shading, and set a Background color.
How do I make the colour apply to new documents too?
In Page setup, choose your colour and click Set as default before clicking OK.
