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Fix Highlight Tool Not Working in Adobe Acrobat Reader on iPad
Question details
The user is unable to continue highlighting text in a PDF after reaching the seventh page.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat Reader
- Device & OS
- iPad
- Scenario
- Reading and annotating a multi-page PDF document.
- Observed behavior
- The highlight tool stops functioning entirely after a few pages, while other tools in the application continue to work normally.
Before proceeding with troubleshooting, completely close the PDF reader app from your iPad's app switcher and verify that the PDF document does not have restricted editing permissions.
Check App and iPadOS Versions
Outdated applications or operating systems frequently cause unexpected glitches with memory-heavy tasks like multi-page PDF annotation.
Software updates often contain essential bug fixes for known memory management issues and tool crashes.
Open the App Store on your iPad, tap your profile picture in the top right, scroll down to check for available updates, and tap 'Update' next to Adobe Acrobat Reader if listed.
Go to Settings > General > Software Update on your iPad. If a newer iOS/iPadOS version is available, follow the on-screen instructions to download and install it.
Hold down the power button and volume button (or home button on older models) to turn off the iPad, then turn it back on to clear system caches.
Isolate Document-Specific Issues
Determine whether the highlight failure is isolated to a single corrupted PDF or affects all PDF files on your device.
Share the PDF with Adobe Document Cloud
If the issue only happens with one particular file, sharing it with support helps them replicate and investigate the broken text layers.
Highlight and Annotate PDFs Seamlessly with WPS Office
If your current PDF reader continues to freeze or restrict your highlighting on iPad, WPS Office offers a smooth, lightweight alternative. It provides robust PDF annotation tools that let you highlight multi-page documents without performance drops.
- 1. Install the App: Download and install WPS Office for free from the Apple App Store on your iPad.
- 2. Open Your PDF: Launch WPS Office, tap on the 'Files' tab, and import or open the PDF document you want to read.
- 3. Access Annotation Tools: Tap on the 'Edit' or 'Annotation' tab located on the top menu toolbar.
- 4. Highlight Your Text: Select the 'Highlight' tool, pick your preferred color, and simply drag your finger or Apple Pencil over the text to highlight it seamlessly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the highlight tool only work on certain pages of a PDF?
This usually happens if some pages in the document are scanned images rather than encoded text. Highlight tools require selectable text to function. If a page is an image, you will need to run OCR (Optical Character Recognition) on the file first, or use a free-hand drawing tool.
Can memory limits on an iPad cause PDF annotation tools to stop working?
Yes. Exceptionally large PDFs with complex graphics or hundreds of pages can consume excessive RAM. When the iPad's memory limit is reached, reader apps may disable active tools like highlighters or even crash to prevent device freezing.
Does flattening a PDF help with highlight tool glitches?
Flattening a PDF merges visual elements and existing annotations into a single background layer. While it secures previous edits, it does not fix a broken text layer. However, saving a fresh copy of the PDF sometimes resolves underlying file corruption.
