Fix Cannot Highlight PDF Text with Different Colors in Adobe Acrobat
Question details
Users are unable to highlight text in PDFs using different colors in Adobe Acrobat DC.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat DC
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Attempting to mark up or review a PDF document by applying various highlight colors to specific text selections.
- Observed behavior
- The highlighter tool fails to apply different colors, often appearing invisible or getting stuck on a single color, forcing users to find manual workarounds or use scripts.
Ensure your PDF document is not restricted or password-protected against commenting, as security settings can disable the highlighter tool completely.
Adjust Highlighter Opacity and Default Properties
Often, the highlight color appears invisible or unresponsive because the opacity has been accidentally set to 0%.
Adobe Acrobat's highlight tool properties can sometimes reset or retain incorrect default values. Manually adjusting the opacity and color settings usually restores full functionality.
Open your PDF in Acrobat DC and select the 'Highlight text' tool from the top toolbar.
Right-click on an existing highlight (or press Ctrl+E/Cmd+E) to bring up the Tool Properties toolbar.
Click the color indicator, choose your desired color, and find the Opacity slider. Increase the opacity to 100%.
Check the 'Make Properties Default' box to ensure your new color and opacity settings remain active for future highlights.
Update Adobe Acrobat DC
Software bugs can cause annotation tools to malfunction. Updating to the latest version often resolves these glitches.
Use Custom Highlighter Scripts
For advanced users dealing with persistent UI limitations, third-party JavaScript tools can allow quick switching between highlighter colors.
Easily Highlight and Markup PDFs with WPS Office
If Adobe Acrobat continues to give you trouble, WPS Office provides a lightweight, highly intuitive PDF editor where highlighting text in multiple colors takes just one click without complex property menus.
- 1. Open your PDF in WPS Office: Launch WPS Office and open your target PDF document.
- 2. Select the Highlight Tool: Navigate to the 'Comment' tab on the top ribbon and click on the 'Highlight' icon.
- 3. Choose Your Color: Click the drop-down arrow next to the Highlight tool to pick your preferred color from the palette, then simply drag your cursor over the text.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my PDF highlighter highlighting in grey or appearing invisible?
This usually happens when the tool's opacity is accidentally set too low. Select the highlight tool, open the properties bar (Ctrl+E), and ensure the opacity slider is set to 100%.
Can I change the default highlight color in Acrobat permanently?
Yes. Apply a highlight, right-click it, select 'Properties', choose your preferred color, check the 'Make Properties Default' box at the bottom of the window, and click 'OK'.
Why can I highlight an image but not the text in my PDF?
If you cannot select individual words, the PDF is likely a scanned document or an image rather than text. You need to perform OCR (Optical Character Recognition) first to make the text selectable and highlightable.
Does WPS Office support reading highlights made in Adobe Acrobat?
Absolutely. WPS Office is fully compatible with standard PDF annotations, meaning all your existing Acrobat highlights, comments, and markups will display correctly.
