How to Stop Adobe Acrobat Highlighting from Opening Comment Pop-Ups
Question details
The user wants to prevent Adobe Acrobat from automatically generating and opening a comment pop-up box every time they use the text highlight tool.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat / Adobe Reader
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Reading a PDF document and frequently highlighting passages of text.
- Observed behavior
- Every highlighted passage automatically triggers a comment pop-up, creating unwanted comments and interrupting the reading workflow.
Save your current PDF document to ensure no progress is lost before making changes to the application preferences or applying software updates.
Change Comment Preferences to Disable Automatic Pop-Ups
Modify the built-in commenting preferences to stop the pop-up boxes from appearing whenever you highlight text in your PDFs.
This is the most direct workaround for the issue. Adjusting the Commenting preferences stops Acrobat from assuming you want to leave a note every time you use an annotation tool like the highlighter.
Launch Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader and open any PDF document to access the main interface.
Click on 'Edit' in the top menu bar, then select 'Preferences'. If you are using a Mac, click on the 'Acrobat Reader' menu and select 'Preferences'.
In the Preferences dialog box, locate and click on 'Commenting' under the Categories list on the left-hand panel.
Find and clear the checkbox for 'Automatically open comment pop-ups for comments other than notes'.
Check the box for 'Hide all comment pop-ups when Comment List is open', then click 'OK' at the bottom to apply these changes.
Update Adobe Acrobat to the Latest Version
Install the latest Acrobat or Reader patch which includes an official fix for this specific highlighting pop-up issue.
Highlight Text Smoothly with WPS PDF Editor
Avoid annoying comment pop-ups entirely by using WPS PDF. It offers an intuitive interface for reading, annotating, and highlighting documents without interrupting your workflow, all while maintaining perfect format compatibility.
- 1. Open your PDF file: Launch WPS Office and open your PDF document.
- 2. Access the Comment tab: Navigate to the 'Comment' tab on the top toolbar to access annotation tools.
- 3. Select the Highlight tool: Click the 'Highlight' tool icon and choose your preferred color from the dropdown.
- 4. Highlight text seamlessly: Drag your cursor over the text you want to highlight. The color applies instantly without opening extra pop-up windows.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Adobe Acrobat open a comment box every time I highlight?
By default, Acrobat may be configured to open comment pop-ups for all annotation tools to encourage collaboration. This can be easily disabled in the Commenting Preferences menu.
Can I still add notes to a highlight if I disable the automatic pop-ups?
Yes. Even with automatic pop-ups disabled, you can manually add a note to any highlighted text by double-clicking the highlighted area or right-clicking and selecting 'Open Pop-Up Note'.
Are these preference changes permanent in Adobe Acrobat?
Yes, once you adjust the Commenting Preferences and click OK, the setting will apply to all future PDF documents you open in the application until you manually change it back.
Will this fix work on both Mac and Windows operating systems?
Yes, adjusting the Commenting Preferences and updating the software to the latest patch are available on both Windows and Mac versions of Adobe Acrobat and Reader.
