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How to Highlight a PDF in WPS Office - A Comprehensive Guide

February 2, 2024
3.8K Views

As your finals week is approaching, you realize there’s a lot of reading material that you need to prepare for and there’s no time left for printing. Your option left is to read through the PDFs provided to you. With WPS Office, you have a free and user-friendly solution, you can effectively highlight your PDF study materials on your computer. This article guides you through the simple steps on how to highlight a PDF in WPS Office, helping you memorize and learn your study material effectively.

How to Highlight a PDF in WPS Office

How to Highlight a PDF in WPS Office

Method 1: Using the Highlight Area

The first method we'll explore involves utilizing the "Highlight Area" option available in WPS PDF. This option is particularly handy when you need to highlight long paragraphs or images. Let's go through the steps to highlight an area in WPS PDF:

Step 1: In WPS PDF, go to the Comment tab in the tab bar, and then click on the "Highlight Area" option.

WPS PDF Highlight Area tool

WPS PDF Highlight Area tool

Step 2: Use your mouse to set the area you wish to highlight.

 WPS PDF select Highlight Area

WPS PDF select Highlight Area

Step 3: If you want to change the color of the highlighted area, click on the Highlight Area button to expand. This will allow you to explore different color options provided by WPS PDF.

WPS PDF change Highlight area color

WPS PDF change Highlight area color

Step 4: If you wish to select a custom color of your choice, click on "Other Colors".

WPS PDF Highlight Area more color options

WPS PDF Highlight Area more color options

Step 5: Select the color you prefer. Users can also choose a color using the hexadecimal code. Once you have selected a color, click on “OK”.

WPS PDF set custom Highlight Area color

WPS PDF set custom Highlight Area color

Step 6: Now, select a new area to highlight, and you will see the highlighted area in the color of your choice.

Note: Make sure to press "Esc" to exit the Highlight Area tool once you're done highlighting your PDF.

The WPS PDF Highlight Area tool has proven to be extremely useful, particularly for highlighting diagrams. Its convenience is unparalleled compared to other highlighting tools in different PDF software.

Method 2: Using the Highlight

Next, we have the basic Highlight tool in WPS PDF, allowing users to select specific text in PDF documents for highlighting. This tool is extremely efficient and easy to use. Here's how users can highlight text in WPS PDF:

Step 1: The Highlight tool in WPS PDF can be accessed in the Home tab. Click on the Highlight button to activate it.

 WPS PDF Highlight tool

WPS PDF Highlight tool

Step 2: Now, simply select the text you wish to highlight using your mouse.

WPS PDF select text to highlight

WPS PDF select text to highlight

Note: Users can select text and then activate the Highlight tool as well. However, to streamline the process and save time, activating the Highlight tool first and then selecting text proves to be more efficient.

Step 3: If you don't like the highlight color or wish to use different colors for specific sections, simply click on the “Highlight” button to expand and view the available colors.

Step 4: If you need a custom color or different shades, click on "Other Colors" to select from a larger range of colors or use the color code to specify your custom color.

WPS PDF Highlight color options

WPS PDF Highlight color options

Step 5: Select the color of your choice. Explore different color options, including custom, advanced, or standard colors, and click on OK.

Step 6: Users can also activate the Highlight tool by simply selecting the text and then using the highlight shortcut in WPS PDF; "CTRL + F2" for more efficient highlighting.

WPS PDF Highlight shortcut in WPS PDF

WPS PDF Highlight shortcut in WPS PDF

Notice the difference between the Highlight Area and the Highlight Tool? When we use the Highlight Area tool, it highlights an entire area without gaps between the lines. This method is ideal for highlighting long paragraphs.

On the other hand, if we look at the Highlight Tool, there are proper gaps between the lines. Additionally, when highlighting different words individually, there are gaps, making the document look more organized. Therefore, the Highlight Tool is more effective for highlighting smaller text or individual words.

WPS PDF Highlight vs Highlight Area tool

Method 3: Using the Drawing Tools

The last tool is the Drawing tool to highlight text in WPS PDF. This tool feels like we are highlighting text in our books—freehand, with a variety of different color options. Let's look at how to highlight a PDF in WPS Office using the Drawing tool and how to change the highlight color of the Drawing tool in WPS PDF.

Step 1: Open WPS PDF and find the Drawing tool in the Comment tab.

WPS PDF Drawing tool

WPS PDF Drawing tool

Step 2: Once you select the drawing tool, the Doodle tab will appear. Here, you can make changes to your drawing tool to highlight your text.

 WPS PDF Doodle Tab

WPS PDF Doodle Tab

Step 3: To ensure the drawing tool gives a highlighting effect, reduce the Opacity of the line using the toggle.

WPS PDF change the Opacity of drawing

WPS PDF change the Opacity of drawing

Step 4: To make your highlighter more visible, increase the Line Width of your drawing tool.

WPS PDF change line width of drawing

WPS PDF change line width of drawing

Step 5: Now, to change your highlighter color, click on the Line Color option. Different default colors will be available. To view more color options, click on "Other Colors" from the dropdown.

WPS PDF Line Color

WPS PDF Line Color

Step 6: In WPS PDF, there are two drawing options. If you click on "Draw Curve", this will allow users to draw or highlight freehand.

Step 7: If you choose "Line", users can highlight text in a straight line only, giving a more neat highlighting effect.

WPS PDF Drawing options

WPS PDF Drawing options

This tool is really effective, especially if you're using WPS PDF on your mobile. The tool allows users to read and highlight just like they would normally do with their books, but with more efficiency and neatness.

Which Method to Choose

Method

Pros

Cons

Highlight Area

  • Efficient for long paragraphs and images.

  • Ideal for highlighting diagrams.

  • No gaps between lines for a seamless look.

  • May not be suitable for highlighting smaller text or individual words.

Highlight Tool

  • Efficient for highlighting specific text.

  • Proper gaps between lines for organized highlighting.

  • Quick activation using "CTRL + F2" shortcut.

  • May not be as effective for highlighting large areas or diagrams.

Drawing Tools

  • Provides a freehand highlighting experience.

  • Great for mobile use and efficient for reading.

  • Options for drawing curves or straight lines.

  • May not provide the precision of traditional highlighting.

  • Requires adjustment of opacity and line width for visibility.

 WPS PDF Highlight option Comparison

The Best PDF Tool for Marking - WPS PDF Tools

WPS Office is a full-fledged Office Suite package, offering a comprehensive suite of tools suitable for both students and professionals. Students benefit from a free office suite that includes advanced and beginner-friendly features for tasks such as writing, presenting, spreadsheet work, and PDF annotation. The integration of AI further streamlines these processes, making assignments and exam preparations more efficient.

 WPS PDF

WPS PDF

All in the meanwhile, Professionals appreciate the free access to advanced features and robust PDF editing capabilities, which simplify sharing and collaboration. WPS Office's compatibility is a key advantage, making PDF editing, especially highlighting and annotating, remarkably convenient. This feature facilitates seamless communication, collaboration, and effective revision processes. Overall, WPS Office emerges as a versatile and user-friendly solution for various document-related needs.

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FAQs:

Q1. Can I remove the highlight from a PDF file?

Yes, you can easily remove highlights from a PDF file in WPS PDF using two simple methods:

Undo Shortcut:

If you highlighted using the Highlighter tool or Highlight Area tool, the quickest way to remove the highlight is to press "CTRL + Z" (Undo shortcut). This will revert the last action, removing the highlight.

Context Menu Method:

Step 1: Right-click on the highlighted area in your PDF document.

Step 2: Click on "Delete Comment" from the context menu.

WPS PDF Delete comment

WPS PDF Delete comment

Q2. Can I highlight a PDF in WPS Office on my mobile device?

Yes, you can highlight a PDF in WPS Office on your mobile device. The WPS Office supports the highlighting feature on mobile devices, enabling users to emphasize text in documents or PDFs. With its built-in PDF editor, you can highlight PDFs for free on mobile devices. It is advisable to ensure that you are using the latest version of the app for optimal performance and a smooth highlighting experience.

Q3. Does WPS Office support real-time collaboration, and can I collaborate with teammates using different operating systems?

WPS Office possesses robust and user-friendly collaboration features, facilitating simultaneous document collaboration with teammates. Its cross-platform compatibility, covering Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, and iOS, ensures smooth collaboration, enabling you to work effortlessly with teammates, regardless of their operating system.

WPS PDF: The Perfect Solution For Students & Professionals

WPS Office has consistently been a top choice for many, appealing to a diverse audience, including students and professionals, owing to its user-friendly interface and free accessibility. The unique PDF tool in WPS Office allows effortless annotation, highlighting, commenting, and editing. As you've discovered how to highlight a PDF in WPS Office, remember that the annotation features extend beyond simple highlighting, enhancing your document for better understanding. Download WPS Office now to experience these versatile PDF editing capabilities.


15 years of office industry experience, tech lover and copywriter. Follow me for product reviews, comparisons, and recommendations for new apps and software.