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How to Fix PDF Highlighting Issues in Adobe Acrobat
Question details
The user is unable to successfully highlight text within a PDF document using Adobe Acrobat, requiring a method to restore normal highlighting functionality.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Attempting to highlight important text sections in a downloaded, printed, or scanned PDF document.
- Observed behavior
- The highlighter tool selects circular or random areas instead of words, applies an invisible white highlight over the text, or fails to interact with the page content entirely.
Before attempting to fix the highlighter tool, try selecting the text with your standard mouse cursor. If the text cannot be selected, the PDF is likely a flat scanned image and will require OCR processing first.
Change the Highlighter Tool Color Settings
Sometimes the highlight tool is functioning properly but has accidentally been set to white, making it completely invisible on standard PDF pages.
If you can select the text normally but the highlight does not appear, your default comment color settings may have been altered.
Launch Adobe Acrobat and open your PDF. Click on 'View' at the top menu, scroll down, select 'Tools', and then click on 'Comment'.
Right-click the Highlighter tool icon in the toolbar and choose 'Customize Comment Tool' from the context menu.
Locate the 'Change Color' option, which looks like a paint can icon. Click it and select a highly visible color, such as light yellow, to ensure your highlights contrast against the page.
Recreate the PDF Using Save as PDF
If the PDF was generated using the Adobe PDF printer, it may contain incorrect text encoding. Re-saving it using a standard PDF exporter can resolve formatting glitches.
Use a Rectangle Annotation as a Workaround
If OCR is unavailable or the text encoding is permanently broken, you can manually draw a transparent colored box over the text to mimic a highlight.
Easily Highlight and Edit PDFs with WPS Office
Avoid frustrating highlighting errors by using the built-in PDF Editor in WPS Office. It provides smooth, precise text highlighting, full OCR capabilities for scanned documents, and intuitive annotation tools without the hassle of complicated settings.
- 1. Open PDF in WPS Office: Launch WPS Office and open your problematic PDF document.
- 2. Navigate to the Comment Tab: Click on the 'Comment' tab located on the top navigation ribbon.
- 3. Select the Highlight Tool: Click the 'Highlight' icon and choose your preferred, highly visible color from the dropdown menu.
- 4. Apply Highlight: Drag your cursor seamlessly over the text you wish to emphasize.
- 5. Use OCR for Scanned Files: If the document is a scanned image, simply use the built-in OCR feature in WPS Office to convert the image to text, making it instantly highlightable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my PDF highlight as a solid block instead of individual text?
This usually happens when the PDF is treated as a flat image rather than a text document. Running an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) tool will scan the document and convert the image into selectable text, allowing normal highlighting.
How can I highlight a scanned PDF document without using OCR?
You can use the Rectangle drawing tool as a quick workaround. Draw a rectangle over the text you want to highlight, right-click the shape to access its Properties, set the fill color to yellow, and lower the opacity to around 40% so the text shows through.
Why is the highlight color completely invisible when I use it?
The highlight color may have accidentally been changed to white, causing it to blend into the page background. You can fix this by accessing your Comment Tool properties and changing the highlighter color palette back to a standard yellow or green.
Does the Adobe PDF printer cause highlighting issues?
Yes, occasionally printing a document using the 'Adobe PDF' virtual printer can result in corrupted text encoding, leading to erratic highlighting behavior. Re-saving the original file using a generic 'Save as PDF' option usually fixes the problem.
