Highlight selected text
-
Select the text that you want to highlight.
-
Go to Home and, select the arrow next to Text Highlight Color.
-
Select the color that you want.
Note: Use a light highlight color if you plan to print the document by using a monochrome palette or dot-matrix printer.
Highlight multiple parts of a document
This method is best for highlighting multiple parts of a document because the Highlight tool stays on until you decide to turn it off.
-
Go to Home and select the arrow next to Text Highlight Color.
-
Select the color that you want.
The Text Highlight Color button displays the selected color, and the mouse pointer becomes a
when you point to the area of your document that contains text.Note: Use a light highlight color if you plan to print the document by using a monochrome palette or dot-matrix printer.
-
Select the text or graphic that you want to highlight.
-
To stop highlighting, select the arrow next to Text Highlight Color
and select Stop Highlighting, or press Esc.The mouse pointer becomes a
when you point to your document.
when you point to the area of your document that contains text.
and select Stop Highlighting, or press Esc.
when you point to your document.Remove highlighting from part or all of a document
-
Select the text that you want to remove highlighting from, or press Ctrl+A to select all of the text.
-
Go to Home and select the arrow next to Text Highlight Color.
-
Select No Color.
Quickly find highlighted text
-
If you are using Word 2016 or Word 2013, select Find > Advanced Find.
If you are using Word 2010, select Find.
The Find and Replace box appears.
-
Select Format > Highlight.
If you don’t see the Format button, select More.
-
Select Find Next.
Highlight selected text
-
Select the text that you want to highlight.
-
Go to Home and select the arrow next to Text Highlight Color.
-
Select the color that you want.
Note: Use a light highlight color if you plan to print the document by using a monochrome palette or printer.
Highlight multiple parts of a document
This method is best for highlighting multiple parts of a document because the Highlight tool stays on until you decide to turn it off.
-
Go to Home and select the arrow next to Text Highlight Color.
-
Select the color that you want.
The Text Highlight Color button displays the selected color, and the mouse pointer becomes a
when you point to the area of your document that contains text.Note: Use a light-toned highlight color if you plan to print the document by using a monochrome palette or printer.
-
Select the text or graphic that you want to highlight.
-
To stop highlighting, select the arrow next to Text Highlight Color
and select Stop Highlighting, or press Esc.The mouse pointer becomes a
when you point to your document.
Remove highlighting from part or all of a document
-
Select the text that you want to remove highlighting from, or press Ctrl+A to select all of the text in the document.
-
Go to Home and select the arrow next to Text Highlight Color.
-
Select No Color.
Quickly find highlighted text
-
Select Find > Advanced Find.
The Find and Replace box appears.
-
Select Format > Highlight.
If you don’t see the Format button, select More.
-
Select Find Next.
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You’ve seen printed documents with sections of text that had been highlighted with a marker in yellow or some color. You can highlight text in MS Word documents without printing them out and using a marker. Keep reading to find out how.
Table of Contents
How to highlight text in MS Word
We’ll look at two types of highlighting. The first is highlighting one or more words alone or within a sentence.
Highlight one or more words in Word
To highlight text in Microsoft Word, select the text you wish to highlight. Then:
- Open the Home tab of the ribbon.
- In the first section of the Home tab you’ll see the Paste section. The next section to the right is the text section where you can change fonts, font sizes, and more. In this section look for a small icon on the bottom row that looks like a tiny marker above a colored line.
- Click that marker icon to open a panel of colors you can select to highlight your text.
- Choose a color.
You should now see your text highlighted with the color you chose. Word is actually placing a colored background behind those words that you selected. The remainder of the sentence will not be highlighted.
NOTE: If you have your computer set to dark mode, you may have white text on a dark background. In this case, some highlight colors may be barely visible or not at all against the dark background. However, if you print the page or view it in light mode with a white background, you will see that the highlight is indeed there.
Highlight an entire paragraph in Microsoft Word
You can easily highlight an entire paragraph or more in MS Word using the previously mentioned method of selecting all of the words in the section you wish to highlight, then using the highlight button.
Highlight words, sentences, or paragraphs in MS Word using Shading
The second type of highlighting we’ll learn allows us to highlight the full width of the entire paragraph block.
Word provides another method of highlighting single words, entire sentences, and paragraphs, but it calls it shading. Here are some differences between highlighting and shading.
- More colors are available with shading than when you use the highlight button in the Home tab.
- Shading allows you to highlight words with a patterned color. Basic highlighting allows colors only.
- Highlighting all of the text using the select and highlight method mentioned previously highlights only the text and the blanks between words. It does not highlight the entire margin to margin block that shading provides.
- Shading can be used to place a color background behind an entire paragraph from left margin to right margin even if it is a one word sentence. If your document or design called for it, you could have two or three words centered with a rectangle shaped background from left margin to right margin.
You’ll find the Shade function hidden away under the Design tab. With the Design tab open, look all the way to the right for a button/icon labeled Page Borders. If you mouse over that button, the tooltip will say Borders and Shading.
To shade specific words:
- Select the text.
- Under the Design tab, click the button labeled Page Borders on the right end of the ribbon.
- From the box that opens, select the Shading tab.
- On the left side, click inside the box below the Fill label.
- Choose your shade (highlight) color. If you don’t see exactly the color you need, select the More Colors… button below the current color choices. From there you can find practically any color you could wish for.
- On the right side, you should see a square with your selected words in it. Below that square, click in the box to choose Text or Paragraph.
- To highlight only the text you’ve selected, choose Text. To highlight the entire paragraph block which extends from the left margin beyond the last word to the right margin, choose Paragraph.
I’ve included photos of a Microsoft Word document that illustrates the use of the different highlighting and shading uses that I’ve discussed in this article.
I consider the Word’s shading function to be more useful than the highlighting function if you need any more than the most basic highlighting—select a word and highlight it with one of fifteen colors.
With a little forethought, the shading function can be quite useful in laying out a document with accented sentences, creating signs, or designing pamphlets.
You can find more tips for using Microsoft Word here.
You’ll find video tips for using Microsoft 365 here.
Highlighting text in Microsoft Word can be a useful tool when editing or revising documents, especially if you need to draw attention to specific words or phrases. By following these simple steps, you can easily highlight text in Microsoft Word and make your documents more organized and visually appealing. Whether you need to draw attention to specific words or phrases, or simply want to create a more visually engaging document, highlighting is a great tool to have at your disposal.
How To Highlight: Step-By-Step 🚕
Step 1
Open the Word document and select the text you want to highlight. You can do this by clicking and dragging your cursor over the text, or by using the keyboard arrow keys to move the cursor to the desired location.
Step 2
Once you have selected the text, click on the «Home» tab in the ribbon menu.
Step 3
In the «Font» section of the «Home» tab, you will see a button that looks like a highlighter pen. Click on this button to open the «Text Highlight Color» drop-down menu.
Step 4
From the drop-down menu, select the color you want to use to highlight the selected text. You can choose from a variety of colors, such as yellow, green, pink, or blue.
Step 5
Once you have selected the color, the text will be highlighted in that color. You can repeat this process to highlight additional text in the same color or switch to a different color.
Using The «Find» Feature To Highlight ⚾️
You can also use the «Find» feature in Word to search for and highlight specific words or phrases throughout the entire document.
To do this, click on the «Home» tab and then click on the «Find» option. In the «Find and Replace» dialog box, enter the word or phrase you want to find, and then click on the «Reading Highlight» button to highlight all instances of that word or phrase in the document.
You can master «Find and Replace» in our tutorial.
Removing Highlighting 🐻
If you want to remove the highlighting from a particular section of text, simply select the highlighted text and click on the «Text Highlight Color» button again. From the drop-down menu, select «No Color» to remove the highlighting.
FAQ About Using Highlight In Microsoft Word 🧀
Q: How do I highlight multiple words or phrases at once in Microsoft Word?
A: To highlight multiple words or phrases at once in Microsoft Word, hold down the «Ctrl» key while clicking on each word or phrase you want to highlight.
Q: Can I change the color of the highlight in Microsoft Word?
A: Yes, you can choose from several different colors for highlighting in Microsoft Word by using the «Text Highlight Color» drop-down menu in the «Font» section of the «Home» tab.
Q: How do I remove all highlighting from a Word document at once?
A: To remove all highlighting from a Word document at once, go to the «Home» tab and click on the «Replace» option in the «Editing» section. In the «Find and Replace» dialog box, leave the «Find what» field blank, click on the «More>>» button, and then click on the «Format» button. From the drop-down menu, select «Highlight.» Then, click on the «Replace All» button to remove all highlighting from the document.
Q: Can I highlight text in a different color for different reviewers in Word?
A: Yes, you can use the «Track Changes» feature in Microsoft Word to highlight text in different colors for different reviewers. Simply select the text you want to highlight, click on the «Review» tab, and then select the «Track Changes» button. From there, you can choose a different color for each reviewer to highlight the selected text.
Q: How can I find and replace highlighted text in Word?
A: To find and replace highlighted text in Word, go to the «Home» tab and click on the «Replace» option in the «Editing» section. In the «Find and Replace» dialog box, click on the «Find what» field and select «Highlight.» Then, click on the «Format» button, choose the highlight color you want to find and replace, and click on «OK.» In the «Replace with» field, you can enter the new text you want to replace the highlighted text with. Finally, click on the «Replace All» button to replace all instances of the highlighted text in the document.
Conclusion 📸
In conclusion, highlighting text in Microsoft Word can be a simple and effective way to draw attention to specific words or phrases in a document. By following the step-by-step instructions provided in this article, you can select the text you want to highlight, choose the color you want to use, and remove highlighting if necessary.
If you want to emphasize important text within a Microsoft Word document so that it’s not overlooked by the reader, you can use Word’s highlighting tool. You can also search for highlighted text within the document. Here’s how.
Highlight Text in a Word Document
You can easily highlight specific text in Microsoft Word. To do so, open a Word document that contains the text you want to highlight. You’ll need to select the text by clicking and dragging your cursor over the text.
Once you select the text, a pop-up menu will appear above the selected text. Click the down arrow next to the “Text Highlight Color” icon to display a drop-down menu with several colors to choose from. You can also find this option in the “Font” group of the “Home” tab.
Click the highlight color to apply it to the text. Light color highlights print better with monochrome palettes and printers.
You can also consecutively highlight text in multiple parts of a document. To do this, select your highlight color from the “Font” group of the “Home” tab before selecting the text you want to highlight.
After you select the highlight color, your cursor will become a highlighter. You can now continually highlight text throughout the document.
Press the “Esc” key on your keyboard to exit highlight mode.
RELATED: How to Highlight Text in Your PowerPoint Presentation
Remove Highlighting From Text in a Word Document
You can also remove the highlighting from text in a Microsoft Word document. To do this, click and drag your mouse over the highlighted text to select it. If your Word document contains a lot of highlighted text and you want to remove all of the highlights, you can press Ctrl+A to select all of the text in the document.
Next, click the “Text Highlight Color” icon in the “Font” group of the “Home” tab and then select “No Color” from the drop-down menu.
The highlight is now removed from the text.
Search for Highlighted Text in a Word Document
If your Microsoft Word document is long and you want to quickly find highlighted text, you can use the advanced search function.
Open your Word document that contains the highlighted text and select the down arrow next to “Find” in the “Editing” group of the “Home” tab. Next, click “Advanced Find” in the drop-down menu.
The “Find and Replace” window will appear. In the “Find” tab, select the “More” option.
In the “Find” section, select the “Format” option. Next, click “Highlight” in the drop-down menu.
You can now find each instance of highlighted text by clicking the “Find Next” button.
Highlighted text, when used properly, allows the reader to quickly grab important information from your Microsoft Word document without having to read the text in its entirety. Be mindful of the text you highlight within your content.
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In Microsoft Word, highlighting words is not just selecting any text by mouse or by double-clicking on it. Imagine when you are reading any book and want to mark or display any important point you’ll use a highlighter pen. In a Word document, you can do it in a similar way.
MS Word users can highlight a single line of text, a paragraph, or a whole document. It is as simple as highlighting in Google Docs.
For highlighting text or grammatical errors Grammarly and ProWritingAid is the best tool you can use for free in MS Word.
You can highlight the phrase as well as change the highlighted color. Below are a few Microsoft Word highlight shortcut keys that help you add color behind the text. So how to highlight in Word using a keyboard?
Open Microsoft Word on desktop. Then select the color which you want to use for highlighting in Word documents, you can also change the color from the color palette from the menu as shown.
After choosing a highlighter color, now select the entire text which you want to highlight and then press Ctrl + Alt + H hotkey which is the Microsoft Word highlight shortcut command from the keyboard. See the example below-
Shortcut key to remove highlight in Word
In a Word document, to remove the color highlighting text using keyboard shortcut keys, just select text and press Ctrl + Alt + H shortcut again.
Shortcut to highlight in Word
To highlight all text and images during writing, you can use keyboard shortcuts to highlight them within the Microsoft Word document. Some basic commands are-
- For permanent highlighting, select all text and press Ctrl + Alt + H from the keyboard.
- Put the cursor at the starting position and then hold the Shift key and click at the end position of the last paragraph. You can also use Ctrl + A for that.
Microsoft Word highlight shortcut for line
- There is a shortcut to highlight an entire line in word also, select a particular line by just double-clicking on it.
- Now press Ctrl + Alt + H from the keyboard
- A single line will be get highlighted.
Learn: How to anchor a picture in Microsoft Word