Highlighting in Word works like a real highlighter pen, making key dates, names, or action items stand out. It’s also a simple way to flag text for reviewers. This guide covers the Text Highlight Color tool, the keyboard shortcut, highlighter “pen mode” for marking many passages quickly, changing and removing colors, finding all highlighted text, and using shading when you need colors the highlighter doesn’t offer.
Quick Answer
Select the text, go to the Home tab, and click Text Highlight Color (the “ab” pen icon) to apply the current color. Click the arrow next to it to pick another color. On Windows, Ctrl + Alt + H applies the current highlight color. To remove highlighting, select the text and choose No Color.
Method 1: Highlight Selected Text
- Select the words, sentence, or paragraph.
- On the Home tab, in the Font group, click Text Highlight Color.
- To use a different color, click the small arrow next to the button and choose from the palette. That color becomes the default for the button.
The mini toolbar that appears when you select text also has the highlighter button.
Method 2: Keyboard Shortcut
Select text and press Ctrl + Alt + H (Windows). Word applies the color currently shown on the highlighter button. Press it again on the same text to remove the highlight.
Method 3: Highlighter Pen Mode
- With no text selected, click Text Highlight Color. The pointer turns into a highlighter pen.
- Drag across any text you want to highlight. Repeat as often as you like.
- Press Esc, or click the button again, to stop.
Method 4: Draw Tab Highlighter (Pen and Touch)
On touchscreen devices, or with a mouse, open the Draw tab and choose a highlighter pen. This creates ink strokes over the text, like marking a printed page. Ink highlights aren’t text formatting, so they won’t show up in Find and aren’t removed with No Color. Use the eraser instead.
Remove Highlighting
- Some text: select it, click the arrow next to Text Highlight Color, and choose No Color.
- The whole document: press Ctrl + A, then choose No Color.
- Highlight that won’t go away: it’s probably shading, not highlighting. Select the text, go to Home > Shading (the paint bucket), and choose No Color. Or use Borders > Borders and Shading > Shading > No Color.
Find All Highlighted Text
- Press Ctrl + H and click the Find tab, then More >>.
- Leave Find what empty, click Format > Highlight.
- Click Find In > Main Document to select every highlighted passage at once.
With all highlights selected, you can copy them into a new document, or apply No Color to remove them. You can also use Replace to swap one highlight color for another by setting the new color on the button first and using Format > Highlight in both boxes.
Highlight vs. Shading
| Highlight | Shading | |
|---|---|---|
| Colors | 15 fixed colors | Any color, including custom RGB |
| Applies to | Text only | Text, paragraphs, or table cells |
| Can hide on screen | Yes (Options > Display > Show highlighter marks) | No |
| Findable with Format > Highlight | Yes | No |
Hide or Print Highlighting
To temporarily hide highlights on screen and in print, go to File > Options > Display and uncheck Show highlighter marks on the screen and in printed documents. The highlights remain in the file and reappear when you check the box again.
Word for Mac and the Web
- Mac: Home > Text Highlight Color works the same way.
- Web: Home > Text Highlight Color is available. Advanced Find by highlight requires the desktop app.
Related: Remove highlighting in Word.
Related: Change the Word background to white.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add more highlight colors?
No. Word’s highlighter has a fixed palette. Use Shading for custom colors.
Why didn’t my highlight print?
Check the Show highlighter marks option in File > Options > Display, and make sure you aren’t printing in black and white.
How do I highlight text in a comment?
Select the text and click Review > New Comment. The commented text is automatically marked.
Summary
- Select text and click Home > Text Highlight Color, or press Ctrl + Alt + H.
- Click the button with nothing selected to use pen mode, and press Esc to stop.
- Choose No Color to remove highlights, or check Shading if they won’t go away.
- Use Find > Format > Highlight to select all highlights at once.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.