How Do I Highlight Text in a PDF

How Do I Highlight Text in a PDF

You can highlight text in a PDF using built-in tools in your browser, free PDF readers, or native apps on Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android. The exact steps depend on which device and app you are using, but the core process is the same: open the file, select the text, and choose the highlight option.

Highlight PDF Text in a Browser

Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Firefox let you highlight without installing anything extra.

• Open the PDF in your browser.
• Click and drag to select the text you want marked.
• Right-click the selection and choose Highlight or use the text toolbar that appears.
• Save the file to keep the highlights.

Use Adobe Acrobat Reader (Free)

Adobe Acrobat Reader is the most common free PDF reader and offers precise highlighting tools.

• Open the PDF in Acrobat Reader.
• Click the Highlight tool in the toolbar or press the H key.
• Drag across the text you want to mark.
• To change the highlight color, click the color swatch in the toolbar.

Highlight on Windows

Beyond the browser and Acrobat, Microsoft Edge lets you highlight directly, and you can use the free Microsoft Edge reading view or the Draw feature in the Windows Mail and Photos apps for basic marking.

Highlight on Mac

Preview, the built-in Mac PDF viewer, supports highlighting.

• Open the PDF in Preview.
• Click the Markup tool (the pencil icon).
• Choose the Highlight tool and drag over the text.

Highlight on iPhone and Android

Both platforms let you mark PDFs using built-in file viewers or Google Drive.

• iPhone: Open the PDF in Files or Books, tap the pen icon, and select Highlight.
• Android: Open in Google Drive or Google PDF Viewer, tap the highlight icon, and select text.

Tips for Better Highlights

• Use different colors for different topics or priority levels.
• If highlighting is grayed out, the PDF may have security restrictions or be scanned as an image.
• For scanned PDFs, you may need OCR software or a dedicated PDF editor to make text selectable first.