WD: How to Use the Highlighter in Word (139493)
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Word for Windows 95
- Microsoft Word for Windows 95 7.0a
- Microsoft Word 97 for Windows
This article was previously published under Q139493 SUMMARY
You can create special color highlighting effects by using the Highlight
option on the Formatting toolbar. Highlighting in Word is the electronic
equivalent of using a highlighter pen to call attention to a portion of a
document.
To create special color highlighting effects, perform these steps:
- Click the Highlight button on the Formatting toolbar.
- Select the text you want to highlight.
- To turn off Highlight, click the icon again. (To remove the
highlighting, see the "More Information" section that follows.)
MORE INFORMATIONHow to Use All 15 Highlight Colors
In addition to the four highlight colors that appear when you click the
arrow next to the Highlight button, you can select other colors by
clicking and dragging down past the apparent end of the list and to the
right. Fifteen colors are available.
In Word 7 only, you can also select the highlight color by clicking Options
on the Tools menu, and selecting the Revisions tab. The highlight colors
are available in the Highlight Color box at the bottom of this tab.
How to Remove Highlighting
To change highlighted text back to regular text, click the arrow next to
the Highlight button and select None. Select the text you want to change.
The highlighting disappears.
How to Search for Highlighting
To search for highlighted text, click Find on the Edit menu. In the Find
What box, delete any existing text. Click the Format button and choose
Highlight. You can search for highlighted text, but you can't search for a
particular color of highlighting. The Find feature will find all
highlighted text, even if different colors are used in the document.
If you use the Replace command in conjunction with highlight formatting,
Word applies the color currently selected on the toolbar.
How to Redo Highlight Formatting
You cannot use normal methods to redo highlighting. If you apply
highlighting and then select text and press F4 (the Repeat Command function
key), more highlighting is not applied. Also, if you apply highlighting and
then select new text and click the Edit menu, Redo Highlight is not an
option. Undo Highlight is an option, however.
Similarly, if you remove the highlight formatting from text by choosing
None from the list of Highlight colors and then click Undo Highlight on the
Edit menu, Word will reapply the highlight color that you just removed. If
you then click Redo Highlight on the Edit menu, the None highlight is
reapplied and the color disappears.
To redo highlight formatting, use the Format Painter.
How to View Text Without Viewing Highlighting
You can turn Show Highlight on or off by clicking Options on the Tools
menu, clicking the View tab and selecting or clearing the Highlight check
box under Show. If Show Highlight is turned off, text with highlighting
applied still holds that characteristic, although it doesn't appear to be
highlighted on the screen.
If you apply highlighting while Show Highlight is turned off, it will have
the effect of turning Show Highlight on, and highlighting will appear on
that text. Also, any other highlighted areas will then be visible.
Other Notes on Use of the Highlighter
Black is included in the Highlight Color list. Black highlighting makes
text unreadable unless the text (that is, the font color) is formatted with
a contrasting color.
Highlighting is unique in that it is neither character nor paragraph
formatting.
You can also apply highlighting in WordMail and in the Word section of
Microsoft Binder.
| Modification Type: | Minor | Last Reviewed: | 8/17/2005 |
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| Keywords: | kbhighlight KB139493 |
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