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How to Highlight Text in Pages on Mac, iPhone and iPad?

February 20, 2024 1.4K views

Apple users enjoy a distinct advantage with an ecosystem renowned for its seamless integration and productivity-enhancing features. The cohesion across Apple devices facilitates effortless data transfer, a convenience not always matched by Windows or Android platforms. Among the suite of applications available to Apple users is Pages, a robust word processor that enables various document editing tasks, including highlighting. In this article, we'll guide you through the process of how to highlight text in Pages on your Mac.

How to Highlight Text in Pages on Mac, iPhone and iPad

How to Highlight Text in Pages on Mac, iPhone and iPad

How to Highlight Text in Pages?

Mac

Pages is the official Apple alternative to Microsoft Word and is part of the Apple ecosystem. For those who are Apple users, they will find it very convenient to use as it naturally syncs and makes the process from editing to sharing documents easy!

Method 1: In the Insert menu

The Insert menu option allows users to highlight their text in the form of comments, and readers can reply to those highlighted texts. This can be useful when collaborating with others and seeking their views. Highlighting text in this way helps capture your readers' attention; this process is known as annotating the document:

Step 1: On your Pages app, click on the Insert menu at the top of the page in the menu bar.

Step 2: In the Insert menu, select the Highlight option to emphasize text.

Apple Pages Highlight

Apple Pages Highlight

Step 3: Now, simply choose the text you want to highlight, and you will see a bar appear where all the comments will be visible.

Step 4: If you wish to change the highlight color, click on the View menu.

Step 5: Here, click on the "Comments & Changes" option, and then click on "Author Color", here users can select from various color options.

 Apple Pages Author Color

Apple Pages Author Color

Method 2: Adding Background Color

Another option for highlighting text involves adding a background. This method allows users to highlight text without adding comments—perfect for straightforward and clean highlighting.

Step 1: On your Pages interface, choose the text you want to highlight and navigate to the Format sidebar, and then click on the Style tab.

Step 2: Within the Style tab, click on the Settings icon to access advanced settings.

Apple Pages Format Sidebar

Apple Pages Format Sidebar

Step 3: Locate the Text Background feature, where you can add a highlight to your text. Click on the "Color" option and choose your preferred color.

Apple Pages Text Background Color

Apple Pages Text Background Color

Method 3: Using Keyboard Shortcut

To utilize the keyboard shortcuts in Pages for quickly and directly adding highlights to text, follow these steps:

Step 1: Highlight the text you want to emphasize in your Pages document.

Step 2: Simply press the "Shift + Command + H" shortcut to apply the text highlight.

Note: The preselected author color will serve as the default highlight color.

On iPhone and iPad:

Method 1: Select manually

On your iPad or iPhone, there's a simple method to manually add highlight colors, making text stand out with ease. Here's how:

Step 1: Open Pages on your iPad or iPhone device.

Step 2: Select the text you want to highlight by double-tapping on the word or dragging your finger over the desired text.

Step 3: As you double-click the text, more options will appear on top of the word.

 iOS Pages quick options

iOS Pages quick options

Step 4: Click on the arrow that indicates moving forward.

Step 5: Move twice until you see the Highlight option.

Step 6: Click "Highlight", and your selected text will be highlighted.

 iOS Pages Highlight

iOS Pages Highlight

Method 2: Adding background color

An alternative to highlighting is adding a background color that mimics the effect of highlighting. Here's how you can do it:

Step 1: Select the text you want to highlight by adding a background color on your iOS device.

Step 2: Tap on the Paintbrush icon located at the top right corner of the screen.

iOS Pages Paintbrush icon

iOS Pages Paintbrush icon

Step 3: Tap on the three dots (...) located in the font section to access more text options.

 iOS Pages more Font options

iOS Pages more Font options

Step 4: Scroll down to find the "Text Background" option and tap on it.

iOS Pages Text Background

iOS Pages Text Background

Step 5: By default, it would be set to "No Fill". Tap on the "Color" option next to the preset to view color options available.

iOS Pages Text Background Color

iOS Pages Text Background Color

Step 6: Users can adjust the color if needed by selecting a different color from the available options.

iOS Pages Text Background Color options

iOS Pages Text Background Color options

The Best Free Office Suite with Highlight Text - WPS Writer

WPS Office has a strong compatibility with other popular office software and operating systems a like, ensuring smooth interoperability with existing workflows and systems. For example, WPS Office for Mac seamlessly integrates with the latest macOS features, capitalizing on functionalities like widgets, sidecar, and split-screen view to enhance the user experience.

Moreover, the convenience extends beyond Mac devices, as WPS Office is readily available for installation on both iPads and iPhones, ensuring seamless continuity of work across all Apple platforms.

 WPS Office for Apple devices

WPS Office for Apple devices

This flexibility makes WPS Office a versatile choice for individuals and organizations looking to optimize their productivity tools while maintaining compatibility with existing software ecosystems. With its comprehensive feature set, intuitive interface, and broad compatibility, WPS Office stands as a versatile and indispensable tool for modern-day productivity.

How to Highlight Text in WPS Writer on Mac, iPhone and iPad?

Method 1: Using Text Highlight Color

WPS Office is highly compatible with macOS and allows users to highlight text by applying color on all their macOS devices. Here are the step-by-step instructions:

Mac

Step 1: Open WPS Office and choose the text you want to highlight. Then, navigate to the Home tab.

Step 2: In the Home tab, locate the "Text Highlighter" icon situated with the font options. Click to highlight the text.

WPS Office Mac Text Highlighter Tool

WPS Office Mac Text Highlighter Tool

Step 3: If you wish to change the color of the Text Highlighter, click on the small arrow to view more color options available on Mac.

WPS Office Mac change Text Highlighter color

WPS Office Mac change Text Highlighter color

iPad

Step 1: On your iPad, open WPS Office and select the text you want to highlight and click on the Start Tab.

Step 2: Next, click on the Text Highlighter Tool at the top right corner of the screen. This will highlight the selected text with the current highlight color.

WPS Office iPad Text Highlighter Tool

WPS Office iPad Text Highlighter Tool

Step 3: If you want to change the highlight color, click on the small arrow and select your desired color.

WPS Office iPad Text Highlighter Tool color options

WPS Office iPad Text Highlighter Tool color options

iPhone

Step 1: Choose the text you want to highlight in the WPS Office iPhone app, then click on the "T" icon in the main menu below.

WPS Office iPhone Text tools icon

WPS Office iPhone Text tools icon

Step 2: This will open various text tools; simply click on the "Highlight" icon to apply the highlight tool to the text.

WPS Office iPhone Highlight option

WPS Office iPhone Highlight option

Step 3: If you want a different color for the highlight, click the arrow to view all the different color options available in the WPS Office mobile app.

WPS Office iPhone Highlight color options

WPS Office iPhone Highlight color options

Method 2: Change the Text Color

You can easily simulate a highlight by changing the text color on all macOS devices. Here's how:

Mac

Step 1: In WPS Office on Mac, the text color options are also located in the Home tab.

Step 2: Select the text you want to highlight, then click on the "Text Color" icon to change the font color.

WPS Office Mac Text Color

WPS Office Mac Text Color

Step 3: If you're seeking additional text color options in WPS Office on Mac, click on the small arrow to view more color choices.

WPS Office Mac Text Color options

WPS Office Mac Text Color options

iPad

Step 1: If you want to change the font color of your text in WPS Office on your iPad, simply select the text and head over to the Start Tab.

Step 2: On the top right, find the "Text Color" icon and click on it to change the color of your font.

 WPS Office iPad Text Color

WPS Office iPad Text Color

Step 3: If you want a different color, click on the small arrow and select a different font color.

WPS Office iPad Text Color options

WPS Office iPad Text Color options

iPhone

Step 1: Choose the text for which you want to change the font color to apply a highlight effect. Then, in the menu below, click on the "T" icon.

WPS Office iPhone Text tools

WPS Office iPhone Text tools

Step 2: The text tools menu will appear; here, simply click on the Font Color icon represented by the letter "A" to change the color of your font.

WPS Office iPhone Font color

WPS Office iPhone Font color

Step 3: If you want to choose another color for your font, just click on the arrow to view different color options and select the one you prefer.

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FAQs

Q1. How to change the highlighted text color in Pages?

Here's a straightforward guide on changing the color of highlighted text in Pages on a Mac:

Step 1: Select the highlighted text you want to change the color of.

Step 2: Go to the "View" option in the menu bar.

Step 3: Click on "Comments & Changes".

Step 4: Choose "Author Color".

Step 5: Pick the color you prefer for your highlights. The highlighted text will now appear in the selected color.

Q2. Will changing the highlight color affect how the entire document looks?

No, altering the highlight color affects only the appearance of the specific text that is highlighted and doesn't impact the overall look of the document.

Q3. Can collaborative editing be done on a Pages document with highlighted text across different devices?

Yes, iCloud syncing enables effective collaboration on Pages documents with highlighted text across Mac, iPhone, and iPad.

Pages, Word, WPS: Mac Choices

Pages, a major feature of Apple's iWork suite for Mac users, offers distinctive features that set it apart from the standard Microsoft Word. While both platforms have their merits, shelling out money for Word may not be the most cost-effective solution, especially considering that Pages also comes with a price tag for unlocking additional features. Instead, consider installing WPS Office for free, which offers seamless compatibility with Mac and provides a comprehensive writing tool experience without breaking the bank.


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