Excel (XLSX) files are frequently used for reports, analytics, data tracking, and business sharing, and many organizations place image watermarks such as company logos or approval marks inside worksheets. These images may appear behind cells, inside headers, or in the sheet’s drawing layer. When preparing a file for external use, you may need to remove these visuals to keep the spreadsheet neutral or prevent accidental disclosure of internal branding. If you want to remove image watermark from XLSX using Python, a Python-compatible spreadsheet-processing library makes it possible to detect and clear watermark images automatically. The process avoids manual editing and helps maintain the integrity of formulas and data. This guide also covers how to delete image watermark in Excel using Python, allowing you to clean up worksheets efficiently without disturbing existing calculations or formatting rules.

Steps to Remove Image Watermark from XLSX Using Python

1. Install GroupDocs.Watermark for Python via .NET using pip to enable image watermark removal features for spreadsheets.
2. Import the groupdocs.watermark module together with groupdocs.watermark.search.searchcriteria.
3. Load the XLSX file by creating a Watermarker instance inside a with context manager.
4. Create an ImageDctHashSearchCriteria object and supply the reference image used for comparison.
5. Adjust the maximum allowed difference value to define the sensitivity of image matching.
6. Search the XLSX workbook for watermark images that meet the criteria and remove the detected items.
7. Save the processed XLSX file without the watermark using the watermarker.save() method.

The spreadsheet-handling API used in this workflow can scan every sheet in the workbook and locate images that resemble your reference watermark. Instead of relying on fixed positions or manual selection, the tool compares visual patterns using DCT-based analysis, helping it identify watermarks even when resized, recolored, or lightly edited. This ensures that only intended graphics are removed while leaving cell content, conditional formatting, pivot tables, or charts untouched. Because Excel files often contain multiple embedded shapes or drawings, automated detection saves a significant amount of time. By following these steps, you can implement Python code to remove image watermark from XLSX and simplify the document preparation process for sharing, auditing, or exporting data.

Code to Remove Image Watermark from XLSX Using Python

Once the watermark has been removed, your Excel workbook becomes much easier to share or repurpose without revealing internal branding or sensitive graphical elements. By adjusting the similarity settings, you can reliably detect and remove watermark images that appear in varying sizes or slightly modified versions across different sheets. This makes the method particularly effective for spreadsheets generated automatically or reused as departmental templates. Ultimately, this guide explains how to clear image watermark in XLSX using Python and provides a consistent, dependable approach for producing clean, professional spreadsheets ready for reporting, analysis, or long-term documentation.

If you’re also handling PowerPoint files and need to clean up visual elements, check out our tutorial on remove image watermark from PPTX using Python to learn how to detect and remove logo-based watermarks from presentation slides programmatically.