How to Put an Image Behind Text in Google Docs

Google Docs is the cloud-based word processing system offered by Google. Despite its many virtues, Docs does have a downside: it has a relatively limited feature set. Unlike Microsoft Word, which has a behemoth feature list, Google Docs focuses on doing a few basic things and doing them well. For 99% of users 99% of the time, this is more than sufficient. Sometimes we rely on workarounds to accomplish our document goals.

This article will show you all of the known methods to add a background photo to your document.

How to Add Text on Top of Images in Google Docs

If you want to add text on top of an image in a Google document, follow these steps:

1. Open Google docs, sign in, and click Go to Docs.
   
2. Click on the option to open a new document.
   
3. Click on Insert.
   
4. Click on Image. Then, select the file location of your image.
   
5. Select the image and click Open.
   
6. Click on the image in Google Docs. Then, click on the three vertical dots in the sub-menu. You’ll see a small pop-up that says Image Options.
   
7. Click All Image Options.
   
8. Click on Adjustments.
   
9. Move the slider to the right to adjust your Transparency.
   
10. Then, click Text Wrapping.
    
11. Click the box above Behind Text. Then, click the X in the upper right-hand corner to close the editor.
    
12. Place your cursor above the image and use the arrow down key on your keyboard to place your cursor where you’d like to begin your text.
    

Top Three Google Docs Workarounds to Add Images behind Text

If, for some reason, the method above isn’t working for you, there are at least three ways of adding a background image to your Google Docs file. If you have other suggestions or approaches, then, by all means, share them with us in the comments section at the end of this article!

Three Workarounds to Add Image Behind Text in Google Docs includes:

• Use Microsoft Word to add the background image, then adjust the image transparency when you import the file into Docs.
• Use Google Slides to add the image.
• Use Google Docs by utilizing the Drawings feature.

Let’s break these three options down.

Option 1: Use Microsoft Word to add Google Docs Background

The MS Word method requires you to have a licensed copy of Microsoft Word through the Retail package, Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365), or the free Office Online software.

1. Create your document in Google Docs with the text (but without the background images) and other elements you want for your final copy.
   
2. Copy the contents of your Docs document and paste it into a Word document or save the file as a .docx file (most accurate) by choosing File > Download as > Microsoft Word (.docx).
   
3. Open the .docx file in Word and select Insert > Picture from the main ribbon.
   
4. Choose your picture in the File Explorer popup window and select Insert. Your picture now appears in the Word document.
   
5. Right-click on the picture and select Wrap Text > In Front of Text because Google Docs doesn’t support the Behind Text option.
   
6. Save the Word file and close Word.
   
7. Go back into Google Docs and select File > Open. Choose Upload and select the Word file that you just saved. The image gets inserted into Google Docs.
   
8. Right-click on the image and select Image Options. Adjust the transparency slider to your needs, then save your document. You now have (sort of) a background image in your Docs document.
   

Option 2: Use Google Slides to add Google Docs Background

Another option for creating a simple document with a background image using just Google tools is to utilize Google Slides. This option works well when you don’t need a lot of text and don’t need editable text unless you include some around the image.

1. Create a new blank presentation in Google Slides.
   
2. From your blank slide document, click on File > Page Setup, then choose Custom and set the height to fit within your Google Docs page. Adjust sizes based on margin settings, so 11″ width is 9″ with 1″ margins.
   
3. Click on the Slide tab and choose Change Background.
   
4. In the Background dialog box of Google Slides, click on Choose Image. Browse your computer for the image you want to add and click on Open” Once the image is uploaded, click on Done.
   
5. Repeat the steps above for each Google Slides page, then add text boxes and paste your Google Docs content.
   
6. Once you’re done placing and editing text, take a screenshot of the slide. Then, open a new Google Docs document and insert the image. It’s not editable text, but it works. Adjust image size if needed.
   

Option 3: Use the Drawings Feature in Docs to Add a Background

If you prefer to stick with Google Docs to create your background image under text, you can use the Drawings feature and add text boxes.

1. In your current Docs file, position the cursor and select Insert > Drawing > + New.
   
2. Click the Image button and select the file you want to use as a background.
   
3. Change the transparency of your image if you need to by clicking on the pencil icon and clicking on Transparent.
   
4. Select the Add Text Box button and place the text box where you want your foreground text to appear. Next, type in the foreground text, setting its font, color, and size as you prefer. Presto, instant background image!
   

Using the steps above, you may need to fiddle with your images and get the text to match the existing content. This technique is better for very simple text overlays than a transparent background image on a standard text document, but it works.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the answers to more of your questions about Google Docs.

How do I use the same image for every page of my Google Doc?

If you have multiple pages and you want the same image behind the text on each page, you’re in luck. When you copy the picture, the settings go with it. This means you only need to copy the initial image once after selecting the Behind text option.

Click on the image on the first page and use the Control + C or Command + C keyboard shortcut to copy the picture to your clipboard. Then, go to the next page and use the Control + V or Command + V shortcut to paste the image.

How do I remove the image?

If you decide you no longer want the image on the page, all you need to do is click the image (a box will appear around the picture) and click your keyboard’s backspace button. The text will remain, but the image will disappear.

Can I add an image after I’ve already added the text?

Yes! You may need to click your computer’s enter key to create some space. But, you can add the image using the steps above and use the text wrapping feature to move the image behind the words on your page.

The words on the document will temporarily move down to accommodate the image, but when you click the text wrapping option, the words will move back to their previous position. Although, it is a good idea to double-check that everything looks right before sharing your document.

Images, Text, and Google Docs

As you can see, there are several ways to add backgrounds to Google Docs; you just have to get creative sometimes. Even though the image quality might suffer, it gets the job done, and Google will hopefully improve on that problem soon.