Trying to highlight text in Pages? The catch is that review highlights don't print, while text backgrounds do. Here's how to add the right kind, change its color, and remove it when you're finished.
Highlight a passage for review
Review highlights mark text in the document body, text boxes, and shapes; use background formatting for table-cell text or highlights that print.
- 1.Select text by dragging across it, or double-click a word.
- 2.Choose Insert > Highlight from the menu bar, or press Shift-Command-H. The Mac app's toolbar Insert button does not contain Highlight.
- 3.Repeat for other passages. Once the document contains comments, highlights, or tracked changes, the review toolbar appears, giving you another way to apply a highlight: select text and click Highlight there.
Make your highlight print
Use Text Background when you want color behind selected words to appear on paper. It also works inside table cells, text boxes, and shapes.
Select the words you want to highlight.
Open the Format sidebar.
For text inside a text box, table, or shape, select Text.
Open Style.
Under Font, open Advanced Options.
Beside Text Background, choose a color using the color well or color wheel.
Click in the document to apply the background.
Want a block of color across the entire paragraph width? Click a paragraph or select several paragraphs.
Open Format > Layout.
Under Paragraph Background, choose a color using the color well or color wheel.
Change your highlight colors
Review highlights use your author color. Choose View > Comments & Changes > Author Color, then select a color. Related comments and tracked changes also change color, so this doesn't give one passage its own independent color.
Add a comment or tracked change to retain the new author-color preference.
For different colors on individual passages, select the words and choose a color through Format > Style > Font > Advanced Options > Text Background. For text inside a text box, table, or shape, select Text before Style.
Reuse a highlight's formatting
Select text that already has the background color you want to copy.
Choose Format > Copy Style, or press Option-Command-C.
Select the destination text.
Choose Format > Paste Style, or press Option-Command-V.
Tip: Select partial paragraphs to avoid replacing paragraph styles, and remember that copying a style transfers other applicable text formatting along with the background color.
Remove unwanted highlighting
These controls clear review marks or printable backgrounds, depending on which you applied.
For a single review highlight, hover over the highlighted passage.
Click Delete.
For bulk removal, select the body text containing the review highlights, or press Command-A while working in the document body to select all body text.
Choose Edit > Remove Highlights and Comments. This also deletes comments and excludes text boxes, shapes, and tables.
For a printable text background, select the affected words.
Open the Format sidebar.
For text inside a text box, table, or shape, select Text.
Open Style > Font > Advanced Options > Text Background.
Choose the diagonal-line swatch from the color well to remove the background.
For a paragraph background, click the affected paragraph or select several affected paragraphs.
Open Format > Layout > Paragraph Background.
Choose the diagonal-line swatch from the color well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the highlight disappear when I click somewhere else?
Dragging across words creates a temporary text selection. To save a review highlight, select the words and press Shift-Command-H. For printable color, apply Text Background.
Can I save a highlight color for repeated use?
Yes. Apply Text Background to sample text. Select part of that text, not a complete paragraph or heading. Open Format > Style > Font > Character Styles, selecting Text before Style for text inside an object. Click New style (+) and name the style. To reuse it, select other text and choose the saved style from Character Styles. It can carry other character formatting too.
How do I color a whole table cell instead of just its words?
Select the cells. In the Format sidebar, click Cell. Under Fill, click the color well and select a fill option. This colors the complete cells.
Can I attach a note to highlighted text?
Yes. Select the passage and click Comment in the main toolbar. Type your note, then click Done. You can also press Shift-Command-K to create the comment. Text associated with a comment is highlighted; table-cell comments use a corner marker instead.