If you’ve ever been working on a document in Microsoft Word and accidentally highlighted text, or if you’re dealing with someone else’s markup, you might find it a bit annoying. But don’t worry—removing that highlight is super simple!
How to Remove Highlight in Word
Removing highlights in Word is a straightforward task that will make your document look clean and professional. The following steps will guide you through the process, ensuring that you can quickly and efficiently remove any unwanted highlights.
Step 1: Open Your Document
First, open the Word document that contains the highlighted text you want to remove.
Make sure you have the document ready in Word. You don’t want to be fumbling around looking for it while trying to follow the next steps.
Step 2: Select the Highlighted Text
Using your mouse or keyboard, select the text that has been highlighted.
Drag your cursor over the highlighted section or use the Shift key along with the arrow keys for a more precise selection. You need to ensure that only the highlighted text is selected to avoid removing any other formatting.
Step 3: Go to the Home Tab
Navigate to the "Home" tab located at the top of the Word window.
This tab contains all the primary formatting tools you’ll need, including the option for highlighting.
Step 4: Open the Text Highlight Color Menu
In the "Home" tab, locate the "Text Highlight Color" button in the Font group.
This button usually looks like a highlighter pen. Clicking this will drop down a menu of highlight color options.
Step 5: Choose ‘No Color’
From the dropdown menu, click on the option labeled ‘No Color’.
Selecting ‘No Color’ will remove the highlight from the selected text. Voila! Your text should now appear without any highlighting.
Once you’ve followed these steps, the highlight should vanish, leaving your document neat and tidy.
Tips for Removing Highlight in Word
- Double-Check Your Selection: Before removing the highlight, make sure you’ve selected the correct portion of text.
- Use Keyboard Shortcuts: Pressing Ctrl+A selects all text in the document. This is useful if you want to remove all highlights at once.
- Review Formatting: After removing highlights, review your document to ensure other formatting remains intact.
- Save Your Document: Always save your changes to avoid losing any work.
- Highlight Again if Needed: If you accidentally remove the highlight from the wrong section, you can easily highlight it again by selecting the text and choosing a highlight color.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I remove highlights from multiple sections at once?
Select multiple sections by holding down the Ctrl key while selecting each portion of highlighted text, then follow the steps to remove the highlight.
Can I use the ‘No Color’ option to change other types of formatting?
No, the ‘No Color’ option specifically removes highlighting. Other formatting options must be adjusted separately.
What if the ‘No Color’ option isn’t visible?
Make sure your version of Word is up to date. Older versions might have different menu layouts.
Is there a way to automatically remove all highlights in a document?
Yes, you can use the Find and Replace feature to search for highlights and replace them with no color.
Does removing highlights affect other text formatting?
No, removing highlights will only affect the highlight color without altering other text formatting like bold or italics.
Summary
- Open your document.
- Select the highlighted text.
- Go to the Home tab.
- Open the Text Highlight Color menu.
- Choose ‘No Color’.
Conclusion
Removing highlights in Word is easy once you know how to do it. By following these simple steps, you can clean up your document in no time. Whether you’re editing your own work or someone else’s, knowing how to remove highlight in Word will keep your documents looking sharp and professional.
For more tips and tricks on using Microsoft Word, consider checking out other guides and tutorials. If you often find yourself working with text formatting, becoming familiar with these tools can save you a lot of time. Happy editing!
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.