Office Settings & Configuration

How to Customize Highlighter Colors in Microsoft Office

Phi Hung Vo Oct 10, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user wants to change or customize the default highlighter colors in Microsoft Office applications and Teams to improve text readability.

Can You Customize Highlighter Colors in Microsoft Office?

Product: Microsoft Office and Teams
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Formatting text to make it stand out without using the default, hard-to-read bright yellow highlighter.
Observed behavior: Microsoft Office and Teams only offer a fixed, limited palette of highlighter colors with no built-in option to add custom colors.

Before you start

Ensure you are logged into your Microsoft account if you plan to submit feature feedback, and note that workarounds will rely on alternative text formatting tools like shading.

Solution 1Recommended

Use Text Shading as an Alternative to Highlighting

Since the highlighter palette cannot be customized, use the Shading tool in Word to apply custom background colors to your text.

While the Highlight tool is restricted to a preset number of colors, the Shading tool allows you to pick from millions of custom colors. This is the best built-in alternative for creating readable text emphasis.

Select Text

Highlight the specific word, sentence, or paragraph you want to emphasize in your document.

Locate the Shading Tool

Go to the Home tab on the ribbon and look for the Shading icon (which looks like a tipping paint bucket) in the Paragraph group.

Apply Custom Color

Click the small arrow next to the Shading icon. Select a color from the Theme Colors, or click 'More Colors' to choose a custom hue that is easier to read.

Use Text Shading as an Alternative to Highlighting

Shading vs. Highlighting: Unlike the highlighter tool, shading applies to the paragraph or text background and offers a full spectrum of custom colors, allowing for much better contrast.

Solution 2

Submit a Feature Request to Microsoft

Vote for or submit a feature request to encourage Microsoft to add custom highlighter colors in future updates.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't I change the default highlight color in Microsoft Word?

Microsoft Word has a hardcoded palette for the text highlight color tool, and currently, there is no built-in setting or registry modification available to change or add to these default options.

Does Microsoft Teams support custom text highlight colors?

No, similar to the Office desktop applications, Microsoft Teams chat and channel posts only support a standard set of highlight colors and do not allow custom additions.

Is there a keyboard shortcut to apply shading instead of highlighting?

While there isn't a default shortcut for shading, you can add the Shading tool to your Quick Access Toolbar and use the Alt key plus the corresponding number to quickly apply background colors to your text.

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