How to Highlight PDFs on Different Devices
When you find yourself struggling to pick out the key points from lengthy documents, it’s time to highlight PDF. It not only helps you stay organized but also turns a static document into an interactive study or work material. Overall, it’s more than just a splash of color but a personal roadmap through the noise.
To handle documents smartly, explore the following guide filled with the best methods to highlight PDFs. Plus, every approach is performed on a different device to address various needs, so do read out all the information till the end!
Part 1. 3 Best Methods to Highlight PDFs on Different Devices
Explore this section thoroughly and discover the 3 best methods to highlight PDFs on Windows or Mac:
- Highlight PDF on Win/Mac/iOS/Android Devices Using UPDF
The first method is to use UPDF, an ultimate PDF editor that allows highlighting text in different colors. Its annotate PDF capability lets users underline or strikethrough text to point out important takeaways. On accessing its “Comment” tool, you can underline or add text comments to your documents for better retention. Moreover, it has more than 100 stickers for quick navigation or drawing direct attention to the PDF.
Key Highlighting Features
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- Cross-Platform Compatibility: Highlight text on PDFs seamlessly across Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android devices.
- Fully Customizable Highlights: Choose from various colors, adjust opacity and thickness to personalize your highlights.
- Sticky Notes for Quick Reference: Add sticky notes to specific pages or sections to make important points stand out instantly.
- Personalized Stamps: Access 15 built-in review stamps and customize them to suit your workflow.
- AI Assistance Integration: Summarize or translate your documents into your preferred language with powerful AI tools.
- Custom Signatures: Easily draw or type your signature and personalize it for secure, professional document handling.
Simple Tutorial to Highlight PDF on Windows
Here’s a simple tutorial to highlight PDF properly with UPDF:
Step 1. Download and launch UPDF first, and then press the “Open File” button to add PDF.
Step 2. Navigate to the “Comment” tool from the toolkit on the left and access the “Highlight” feature from the top toolbar.
Step 3. Next, pick a highlighting color and select the text with the cursor to highlight that part.
- Highlight PDF on Mac Using Preview
To highlight PDF on Mac, there is no need to install anything because Preview comes pre-installed. It’s a convenient way to highlight text instantly with different colors. With a single click, your selected text can be highlighted through the Pencil icon in the toolbar via given steps:
Instructions. On Preview, head to the “File” tab to open your PDF document. Now, press the “Pencil” icon, extend the menu for choosing a color, and click the text you want to highlight.
Limitations
- Preview might not save your annotations across a PDF, causing hindrance in your work.
- The app might mess up the font when saved after editing.
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Highlight PDF via Edge Browser
Microsoft Edge isn’t just a browser; it has a built-in capability to read PDFs with an annotation tool. Users can easily highlight PDFs on Windows in different colors once they’re opened. Besides this, it allows drawing and adding text to your PDFs. Adhere to the given instructions to make highlighting simple:
Instructions. Open your PDF with Microsoft Edge and access the “Highlight” tool. Now, extend its menu to choose the color and select the text with the cursor to highlight the text.
Limitations
- It can add a text box in PDF but cannot edit the existing text.
- There are no advanced annotation tools such as stamps and signatures.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I highlight part of a PDF image?
Use a PDF editor like UPDF to select a pencil tool, choose a color, and draw over the image area to mimic a highlight.
- How do I highlight an area on a PDF?
To highlight PDF’s specific area, open it on UPDF and use a rectangle or oval shape to draw over that area.
- How do I highlight a PDF in Google?
Open PDF in Google Drive to open it through the connected PDF editor later. Now, use the highlight tool to mark text in different colors.
Conclusion
In conclusion, when you highlight PDF it not only involves adding colors but also boosting clarity or focus. It transforms your PDFs into interactive resources that support smarter reading and better retention. While there are several tools, UPDF makes highlighting much easier with different colors and other annotating tools.


