How To Make Microsoft Word White

To make Microsoft Word white on Windows, open File > Options > General and set Office Theme to White. If you only want a white document page, use View > Switch Modes while in dark mode. To remove a background colour saved in the document.

Choose which part of Word to change

Word has separate settings for its interface, the way a page appears on your screen, and the background formatting stored in a document. Start by identifying where you see the unwanted colour:

• Dark menus and ribbon: change the Office theme.
• A dark page beneath dark menus: switch the page to its light view.
• A coloured background in one particular file: check Page Color.
• Colour behind individual words or paragraphs: check highlighting or shading.

This distinction helps you choose the right control without changing unrelated document formatting. The Windows instructions below apply to the desktop app; Mac controls are covered separately.

Make Word's interface white on Windows

1. Open Word and select File.
2. Choose Options, then General.
3. Find the section for personalising your copy of Microsoft Office.
4. Open the Office Theme list and choose White.
5. Select OK to apply the setting.

Choosing White explicitly prevents Word's theme from following Windows through the Use system setting option. The theme setting can also affect other Office apps.

If you prefer a light interface with a coloured ribbon accent, try Colorful instead. Microsoft explains these choices in its guide to Office appearance settings. Available options and their appearance can differ between editions.

Keep a white page with dark menus

You can keep dark menus while displaying a light document page. In Word for Windows, follow these steps:

1. Open the document and select View on the ribbon.
2. Select Switch Modes to change the dark page to its light view.

For a persistent preference, open File > Options > General. In the Office personalisation section, tick the option labelled Never change the document page color, then select OK.

These display preferences do not force other readers to use the same view. A page that looks dark because of dark mode does not automatically print with a black background. See Microsoft's Word dark mode instructions for platform-specific controls.

Remove a background colour from the document

If one document has a coloured page even in light view, remove its page background formatting:

1. Open the affected document.
2. Select Design, then Page Color.
3. Choose No Color to remove the applied background.
4. Save the document to retain the change.

No Color restores an unfilled page, which normally appears white in light view. You can select a white swatch instead if you specifically want an explicit white fill. Microsoft's page background guide describes both controls.

The Themes gallery on the Design tab serves a different purpose: it coordinates document colours, fonts and effects. You do not need to find a theme called White to restore a plain page.

Make Word white on a Mac

1. Open Word and choose Word from the macOS menu bar.
2. Select Preferences, then General.
3. Under Personalize, select Turn off Dark Mode.

To retain dark menus with a white page, choose Dark Mode has a white page color in the same area instead. You can also use View > Switch Modes to toggle the page view. Microsoft documents these alternatives in its explanation of dark mode on Mac.

Check colour behind text separately

If the page is white but a coloured strip remains behind text, changing the Office theme or page background will not remove that local formatting.

1. Select the affected text.
2. On Home, open the Text Highlight Color menu and choose No Color.
3. If the colour remains across the paragraph, check the Shading menu in the Paragraph group and remove its fill.

Highlighting and shading are separate features. Microsoft's guides to removing highlighting and paragraph shading explain the distinction. Work on the affected passage first so you preserve intentional formatting elsewhere.

Check the result before continuing

Open a blank document alongside the affected file. If only the original file has an unwanted colour, focus on its page or text formatting. If both have dark menus, check the application appearance setting.

For separate Office setup issues, the Microsoft Office guides include articles on Office activation using Command Prompt and finding an Office product key using Command Prompt. Neither task is required to change Word's colours.

Reopen your working document and check one page of text to confirm the background and text remain readable.