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How To Highlight in Google Docs

Color highlighted text via mouse or mobile

By Tim Fisher Tim Fisher Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability Emporia State University Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the VP and General Manager of Lifewire. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on February 1, 2021 Reviewed by Ryan Perian Reviewed by Ryan Perian Western Governors University Ryan Perian is a certified IT specialist who holds numerous IT certifications and has 12+ years' experience working in the IT industry support and management positions. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Google Apps Docs Sheets Slides

What To Know

Desktop: Select the text you want to highlight. Locate the highlighter tool from the menu. Pick a color. Mobile: Tap the edit button. Select the text you want to highlight, tap the highlighter icon > Highlight color, and choose a color. Docs not only supports your standard yellow highlight but any color you can fathom since hex values are supported. This article covers how to highlight text in Google Docs using a desktop web browser and the mobile app.

Highlighting Text on Desktop

If you're using Docs from the website, choose some text and then pick a color from the highlighter button. Here's how: Select the text you want to highlight. Highlighting is sometimes used to mean selecting. If you want to select all the text, go to Edit > Select all or click and drag from one part of the document to another to grab everything in between. Locate the highlighter tool from the menu. It's in the same area as the bold/italic/underline section, to the text color changer's right. If you don't see it, it's hidden in the overflow menu; find it through the three-dotted button on the far right of the menu. Pick a color. The text will immediately become highlighted. If you don't see one from the list that you want to use, select the plus button at the bottom; you can adjust the hue or enter the color's hex value for an exact match.

Highlighter Add-ons

There are also Google Docs add-ons that provide highlighting functionality if you want extra features. Highlight Tool is one example that provides several options you can't get with Docs' built-in highlighter: Save colors to a library. You could make a set called Answers, for example, and build red and green buttons for highlighting wrong and right answers in a school worksheet.Choose a color set from your library to provide quick access to its buttons in the sidebar.Import and export specific color sets or your whole library. You or someone else can then import the highlighter sets into Google Docs for color consistency between documents, great for collaborators.

Highlight in Google Docs Mobile App

The mobile app requires a few more steps than the website to show the highlighter menu. With the document open, tap the edit button at the bottom to enter into editing mode. How to Open Google Docs Double-tap a word to highlight it. To expand the selection, drag the buttons on either side to include additional text. Select A from the menu at the top, or the highlighter icon from the menu at the bottom. In the new menu at the bottom, scroll down, select Highlight color, and choose a color. Repeat steps 2–4 as many times as needed. Tap somewhere else in the document to exit that menu. If you're done editing, select the checkmark at the top left to save. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Change Theme Colors in Google Slides How to Access Google Docs Trash How to Unshare a Google Doc How to Add a Border in Google Docs How to Add a Hyperlink in a Google Doc How to Open Google Docs How to Highlight and Find Duplicates in Google Sheets How to Add Accents in Google Docs How to Check for Plagiarism in Google Docs How to Allow Access to Google Docs How to Make a Checklist in Google Docs How to Control F on Android How to Do a Block Quote in Google Docs How to Edit Google Docs How to Email a Google Doc How to Change a Google Docs Background to a Picture Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies