How to Stop Adobe Acrobat Highlighter from Opening the Comment Panel
Question details
The user wants to prevent Adobe Acrobat from automatically opening a comment pop-up field every time text is highlighted, which disrupts smooth scrolling and reading.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat DC
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Highlighting text and annotating while reading a PDF document.
- Observed behavior
- Highlighting text automatically selects the annotation and forces a comment text field to open, making it difficult to scroll to the next page and continue highlighting continuously.
Ensure you have saved any current work in your PDF document and check that you are running the latest version of Adobe Acrobat DC, as outdated versions may contain unresolved bugs related to annotation pop-ups.
Disable Automatic Comment Pop-ups in Preferences
Adjust Acrobat's commenting preferences to prevent the pop-up window from appearing automatically when you create a highlight.
Adobe Acrobat includes a built-in preference designed to automatically open a pop-up note for new annotations, encouraging collaboration. Disabling this specific setting is the primary way to stop the highlighter from interrupting your reading flow.
Launch Adobe Acrobat. Go to the top menu and select 'Edit' > 'Preferences' if you are on Windows, or 'Acrobat' > 'Preferences' if you are using a Mac.
In the left-hand pane of the Preferences window, locate and click on the 'Commenting' category.
Under the 'Viewing Comments' section, find the checkbox labeled 'Automatically open pop-ups for comments other than notes' and uncheck it.
Click 'OK' at the bottom of the window to save your changes, then try highlighting text in your document to ensure the panel no longer opens.
Use Keyboard Shortcuts or Click Workarounds
If changing the preference does not completely resolve the issue, use these quick manual actions to dismiss the panel and continue scrolling.
Highlight PDFs Seamlessly Using WPS PDF
Avoid annoying pop-ups and focus entirely on your reading. WPS Office includes a powerful, lightweight PDF editor that lets you highlight text, add annotations, and scroll through pages continuously without any unexpected interruptions.
- 1. Open Your PDF: Launch WPS Office and open your PDF document using the built-in PDF editor.
- 2. Access the Comment Tools: Navigate to the 'Comment' tab located on the top ribbon menu to view all annotation tools.
- 3. Select the Highlight Tool: Click on the 'Highlight' icon and choose your preferred color from the dropdown menu.
- 4. Highlight Seamlessly: Drag your cursor over the text you want to emphasize. The text will be highlighted instantly without triggering any intrusive comment pop-ups, allowing you to scroll freely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Adobe Acrobat keep opening the comment panel when I highlight?
Acrobat is designed with collaboration in mind, so it automatically opens a text field assuming you want to add context or a note to your highlight. This behavior is enabled by default in newer versions like Acrobat DC.
Will updating Adobe Acrobat fix the highlighter pop-up bug?
Sometimes, yes. If unchecking the preference doesn't work as expected, updating to the latest version of Acrobat DC can resolve known glitches and inconsistent annotation behaviors that ignore user preferences.
Can I change the default color of the highlight tool in Acrobat?
Yes. Right-click on a previously highlighted section, select 'Properties', choose your desired color and opacity, and check the 'Make Properties Default' box before clicking 'OK'.
How do I view all my highlights without the pop-up panel appearing on the page?
You can open the dedicated Comments pane on the right-hand side of the Acrobat window. This displays a structured list of all your highlights and annotations at a glance without interrupting your reading flow on the document itself.
