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Fix Adobe Acrobat Highlight and Strikethrough Not Working on One PDF Page
Question details
The user is unable to use the highlight and strikethrough annotation tools on a single specific page of a PDF document.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat Reader Mobile
- Device & OS
- iPad
- Scenario
- Annotating and marking up a PDF document on an iPad.
- Observed behavior
- Highlight and strikethrough tools work normally on all pages except one. Updating the application and restarting the iPad do not resolve the issue.
Verify that the problematic page contains actual text and is not a scanned image, as standard highlight and strikethrough tools require selectable text to function properly.
Check if the Page is a Scanned Image and Use OCR
Annotation tools often fail if the specific page is an image rather than text. Running Optical Character Recognition (OCR) converts the image into selectable text.
PDFs can sometimes contain a mix of text pages and image-based pages. If a page was inserted from a scanner or saved as a flat image, the Acrobat reader will not detect the text required for highlighting or strikethrough.
Try to long-press and select a single word on the problematic page. If the entire page is selected or nothing happens, the page is likely an image.
Open the PDF in a desktop PDF editor that supports OCR (like Adobe Acrobat Pro or WPS Office) to recognize the text on that specific page.
Save the newly recognized PDF and open it again on your iPad to successfully use the highlight and strikethrough tools.
Provide Diagnostics and the File to Support
If the issue is caused by a file-specific bug or formatting error, sharing your app details and a sample file with support can help them investigate.
Print to PDF to Flatten the Document
Re-saving the document by 'Printing to PDF' can sometimes fix corrupted text layers or problematic formatting on specific pages.
Easily Annotate and Edit PDFs with WPS Office
If you are struggling with PDF annotations or corrupted pages, try WPS Office. It offers powerful, built-in PDF editing tools that allow you to highlight, strikethrough, perform OCR, and add comments seamlessly across all your devices, including iPads.
- 1. Open your PDF: Launch the WPS Office app on your iPad or desktop and open the PDF document you want to edit.
- 2. Access annotation tools: Tap on the 'Edit' or 'Annotation' tab located in the top menu bar to reveal the markup options.
- 3. Highlight or strikethrough: Select the Highlight or Strikethrough tool, then drag your finger or cursor over the text you wish to mark up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't I highlight text on only one page of a PDF?
This usually happens if that specific page was inserted as a scanned image or flattened graphic, meaning there is no recognizable text layer for the highlight tool to latch onto. It can also occur if the page has unique security restrictions or corrupted formatting.
How do I fix a PDF page that acts like an image?
You need to process the document using an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) tool. This will scan the image and convert the visual characters into selectable, editable text that you can then highlight or strikethrough.
Are there free alternatives for highlighting PDFs on an iPad?
Yes, WPS Office is an excellent free alternative that provides robust PDF reading and annotation tools, including highlighting, drawing, and strikethroughs, fully supported on iOS and iPadOS.
Will restarting my iPad fix PDF editing glitches?
Restarting can clear temporary memory glitches or app freezes, but if the issue is isolated to a single page in a specific document, it is almost certainly a file-formatting issue rather than a device or software glitch.
