How to Highlight in Microsoft Word

With Microsoft Word, you can highlight important details in a digital text, just as you would mark text printed in a book. You can use it to note items you want to remember or to point out information for others.

Instructions

1. Open a Microsoft Word document and select the text you want to highlight.

2. Click on the "Highlight" icon in the row of icons at the top of the Microsoft Word window. The icon is a small highlighter with a streak of yellow below it. If you do not see the icon, click the arrow at the bottom of the row to display hidden icons.

3. Choose a different color to highlight your text by clicking on the arrow on the right side of the highlight icon. The default color of yellow is used unless you specify a color.

4. Highlight multiple sections of text by first selecting the highlight icon without selecting any text. To highlight, drag the cursor over the text you wish to highlight. Click on the highlight icon again to exit highlighting mode or hit the "Esc" key on your keyboard.

5. Locate highlighted portions of text in a Microsoft Word document with the "Find" command. Go to the "Edit" menu and choose "Find." Expand the window by clicking the "More" button. After the window expands, click on the "Format" button and choose "Highlight." Click "Find Next" to find highlighted text in the document.

6. Remove highlighted text by selecting the text, clicking on the arrow on the right of the highlight icon and choosing "None."

Tips & Warnings

• Use multiple colors to highlight text for different purposes. For example, use yellow to highlight parts of a document as important and red to highlight areas needing more work.

• If printing a Microsoft Word document with highlighting in black and white, it's best to highlight with light colors such as yellow or turquoise.

• Temporarily hide highlighting by going to the Tools menu, clicking "Options," then clicking on the "View" tab and unchecking the box next to "Highlight."