Highlighter
Find the highlighter in the Pencil submenu, emphasize text or areas, set direction, width, color, and blending, and adjust existing highlights.
The highlighter adds color over text or part of an image to emphasize it while keeping the content underneath visible. Use it to mark key passages, a table row, or a whole explanation.
Find the highlighter in the submenu
In the default layout, “Highlighter” is in the “Pencil” submenu. Click the small angled arrow to the right of the pencil icon to find “Highlighter” in the same group.
For a screenshot, select an area first. On an image pin, press SpaceSpace to show the annotation toolbar.
Expand the small arrow beside “Pencil” and click “Highlighter.” The group button changes to the highlighter icon, and its style bar appears below.
Choose a drawing mode and color. Hold the left mouse button and drag over what you want to emphasize, then release to finish one highlight.
You can also select it directly with the default shortcut Shift+6⇧ Shift+6.
Its position changes if you customize the toolbar layout. For frequent use, click “Adjust” at the bottom right of the menu to move it to the top level. See Manage button order and levels.
Add color to a line of text or a whole area
The far left of the style bar has two mode buttons: a filled rectangle and a diagonal line. The diagonal line is selected by default; each drag draws a straight line with rounded ends.
| What to emphasize | How to draw |
|---|---|
| A line of text or table row | Select the diagonal line icon and drag from one end of the text to the other; set the width first to cover its height |
| Several lines or a whole area | Choose “Rectangle” and drag from one corner to the opposite corner to fill the area |
The dragged area determines rectangle size. Hold Shift⇧ Shift while drawing to make a square.
To highlight separate lines, draw one highlight per line. To draw around something along a free curve, use the Pencil.
Keep a highlight level or aligned
Line mode allows any angle by default. Hold Shift⇧ Shift while dragging to snap horizontally, vertically, or to 45° diagonals, making it easier to follow a line of text.
If you often highlight horizontal text, change “Default mode” to “Eight-direction mode” in “Annotation” → “Highlighter” settings. Those directions then snap without Shift; holding Shift temporarily restores any angle.
This setting controls direction in line mode. Rectangle mode still follows the area you drag.
Set width, color, and blending
In line mode, change the “Pencil” value in the style bar to adjust highlight width, or scroll over the image. Choose a color in the palette on the right; yellow is the default.
“Blend mode” beside the colors determines how the highlight combines with the underlying content:
- Multiply: the default. Blends the color with the image, suitable for dark text on a light background while keeping dark strokes visible.
- Translucent: covers the image with a lighter color, useful when you want a less prominent highlight.
- MultiplyDefault: mixes the color with the content underneath.
- TranslucentA lighter color overlays the underlying content.
To lighten the color further, hold Ctrl⌘ Command and scroll down over the image; scroll up to deepen it. Translucent mode is already very light, so compare the modes before adjusting opacity.
If scrolling over the image has no effect, check “Annotation” settings and make sure “Disable mouse wheel to adjust annotation tools” is unchecked.
Adjust an existing highlight
Keep “Highlighter” selected, first choose the same line or rectangle mode as the highlight, then click it. If you cannot select it again, set “Mark secondary editing” to “Enable.”
| Goal | Action |
|---|---|
| Move the highlight | Drag the line or inside the rectangle |
| Change a line's length and direction | Drag its endpoint control points; Shift follows the same snapping rules as drawing |
| Change a rectangle's area | Drag square control points at corners or edges |
| Change the style | Select it, then adjust color, blend mode, or opacity; lines also allow width changes |
| Delete the highlight | Select it and press DeleteBackspace |
Style changes affect the selected highlight. To change only the next highlight's color, press EscEsc once to deselect, then set it and draw.
Press Ctrl+Z⌘ Command+Z to undo an incorrect drawing or accidental deletion, or Ctrl+Y⌘ Command+Y to redo. See Annotation basics for duplication and other general operations.
Related articles
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Broken lines
Find broken lines in the Arrow submenu, plot routes point by point, choose curves, waves, fills, and endpoint markers, and edit nodes or move the whole line.