Looking to emphasize a key passage for others — or for later? Studying a PDF and preparing its key passages for remembrance? Find out here how to highlight text in a PDF file with Preview ⤓ on a Mac.
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How to Highlight Text in PDFs with Preview on a Mac
Use Standard Text Highlighting in Preview.app
Time needed: 2 minutes
To highlight text in a PDF document using macOS Preview on a Mac:
- Click Highlights and Notes in the Mac Preview toolbar for the PDF file in which you want to highlight text.
Preview keyboard shortcut: You can also press Command Control H.
In the menu: In the Preview menu’s hierarchies, you can also select Tools | Annotate | Highlight Text.
Pick a color: Click the downward-pointing arrowhead next to Highlights and Notes to choose a color for highlights from now on. - Use the text selection cursor to select text for highlighting.
Add: You can always make a bigger selection to highlight a larger portion of text.
Subtract: if you make a selection within highlighted text, the highlight will be removed from the selection; see below for removing a highlight altogether and start fresh.
Their word: Apple include information on highlighting in the Preview User Guide.
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Remove a Highlight from macOS Preview
To remove a text highlight in Preview:
- Click on the highlighted text with the right mouse button.
- Select Remove Highlight from the context menu that has shown.
Alternative: You can also select the existing color in the context menu to remove the highlight.
Add Underline
You can also underline in addition to or in lieu of highlighting with a background color:
- Select Underline from the Highlights and Notes drop-down menu in the toolbar.
Preview keyboard shortcut: Press Command Control U to pick underlining. - use the cursor the select the text you want underlined in red.
Jump to Highlighted Text in Preview
To navigate to highlighted text in a PDF document using Preview on a Mac:
- Show highlights in the Preview sidebar.
Here’s how: Select View | Highlights and Notes from the menu or press Command Option 4 - Click a highlight to jump to its position in the document.
Jumping to pages: How to Bookmark Pages in PDF Files with Mac Preview
Browsing your annotations: How to Add a Note to a PDF File in Mac Preview
In screenshots: How to Draw Boxes and Straight Lines on a Mac Screenshot
Sketch to Highlight in Mac Preview (Any Color)
To highlight portions of text or images with any color in a PDF document on a Mac using Preview:
- Bring up the markup toolbar.
Here’s how: Select Show Markup Toolbar in the main toolbar, for instance, or press Command Shift A. - Choose Sketch or Draw.
Why sketch: Using Sketch makes it easier to draw straight lines. - Draw the desired highlight.
- Use the Shape Style menu in the markup toolbar to pick the line style.
- Set the Fill Color to translucent.
- Open the Border Color menu.
- Select Show Colors….
- Pick a color and set the opacity to suit the highlight.
Highlight Text in PDFs with Preview on a Mac: FAQ
Can I change the color of an existing highlight?
Yes.
To change the color with which a passage is highlighted in Preview:
- Click on the highlight with the right mouse button.
- Choose from the available colors in the context menu that has appeared.
All black: How to Redact Text in a PDF with Mac Preview
Can I add custom highlighting colors to Preview?
No.
While the colors for highlighting are fixed, you can draw and sketch with any translucent color (see above).
Can I see an overview of all highlights in a PDF file?
Yes.
To see a list of all highlighted passages in a document:
- Select View | Highlights and Notes from the menu.
Keyboard shortcut: You can also press Command Option 4.
Toolbar: In the main Preview toolbar, you can click Choose sidebar display and select Highlights and Notes from the menu that has appeared.
(Tested with macOS Tahoe 26.0–26.3, Sequoia 15.2, Sonoma 14.3–14.6; first published March 2024, last updated March 2026)