How to Make a Microsoft Word Text Box Transparent

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When Microsoft Word opens, it may look like one big text box on the page, but Word doesn't use text boxes until you add them to your document. Inserting text boxes is beneficial for a number of reasons: you're able to tilt and angle text boxes, move them around the page and fill them with color. When text boxes are added, they are, by default, white to match the document page. But this white fill can obscure items below it, so you can render the text box transparent.

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Step 1

Open Word. Click the "Insert" tab and select the "Text Box" button on the ribbon at the top of the work area.

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Step 2

Click one of the text box options from the fly-out menu, such as "Simple Text Box." Word adds a default text box to the work area.

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Step 3

Click the text box and a new orange "Text Box Tools" tab appears at the top of the workspace.

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Step 4

Click the "Shape Fill" button directly below the tab. Click "No Fill" in the drop-down menu to make the text box transparent.

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