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Fix Adobe Acrobat Highlighter Not Working or Showing Color
Question details
The user is unable to apply highlight colors to text in Adobe Acrobat, whereas other markup tools continue to function normally.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Attempting to highlight important text within a PDF document for reading or review purposes.
- Observed behavior
- Selecting text triggers an Undo button but fails to apply the chosen highlight color, even though underline and strikethrough tools still work.
Before troubleshooting the application, open a different PDF file to confirm whether the highlighting issue is isolated to a single restricted document or if it affects all files.
Update Adobe Acrobat and Restart Device
Ensuring your application is up-to-date can resolve known bugs that affect the rendering of PDF annotation tools.
Software glitches in older versions of Adobe Acrobat can occasionally disrupt specific markup functions like the highlighter tool.
Applying the latest patch usually restores normal functionality to all PDF editing tools.
Open the Adobe Acrobat app, tap on your Profile icon, and select 'About Acrobat' to view your current app version.
Navigate to the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, search for 'Adobe Acrobat', and tap the 'Update' button if a new version is available.
Power your device completely off and turn it back on to clear the system cache and apply the update effectively.
Relaunch Adobe Acrobat, open your PDF file, select the highlight tool from the markup menu, and try selecting text again.
Verify Document Permissions and Restrictions
Check if the specific PDF file has security restrictions preventing comments and highlighting.
Highlight and Edit PDFs Seamlessly with WPS Office
If your current PDF reader fails to highlight text properly, try WPS Office. It includes a powerful, built-in PDF editor that allows you to easily highlight, annotate, edit, and manage PDF documents without frustrating glitches.
- 1. Install WPS Office: Download and install WPS Office for free from the official website, then launch the application.
- 2. Open your PDF document: Click on 'Open' on the homepage and select the PDF file you wish to annotate.
- 3. Access the comment tools: Navigate to the 'Comment' tab located at the top of the workspace ribbon.
- 4. Select the Highlighter: Click the 'Highlight' tool icon and choose your preferred color from the dropdown palette.
- 5. Apply highlights: Click and drag your cursor over the desired text to apply the highlight instantly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the PDF highlight tool show an undo button but no color?
This usually indicates a rendering glitch within the application or a conflict with the document's formatting. Updating the app to the latest version or clearing the application's cache often resolves this display issue.
Can I highlight text in a scanned PDF document?
By default, scanned PDFs are treated as flat images, making standard text selection impossible. To highlight specific words in a scanned document, you must first use an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) tool to convert the image into selectable text.
How do I change the highlight color in my PDF editor?
You can change the highlight color by selecting the highlight tool from your toolbar and picking a new color from the associated palette. Alternatively, right-click on an existing highlight, choose 'Properties', and adjust the color settings.
Why are some of my PDF files protected from highlighting?
Authors can apply security restrictions to PDF files to prevent unauthorized editing and commenting. If a PDF is restricted, you will need the designated permissions password to unlock the markup tools.
