Tech Reference

How to highlight a PDF on your Mac computer using the built-in Preview app

apple iphone macbook pro ecosystem
It's easy to highlight PDFs on a Mac in Preview. Apple
Read in app

Whether you're reading articles, editing your own drafts, or proofreading others' work, it may be helpful to highlight text in a PDF. 

You can easily highlight PDFs on a Mac with your desired colors when you open the file with Preview. You can easily do so using the markup tools found at the top of the screen. 

Here's how to do it. 

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

MacBook Pro (From $1,299.99 at Best Buy)

How to highlight a PDF on a Mac 

1. Open the Preview app on your Mac and select the file you wish to highlight through the "File" menu option, where you can select "Open…" to locate a file. 

  • You can also open a PDF directly into Preview from your desktop, documents folders, an email, or in Messages.

2. Highlight the text with your cursor first.

image1 highlight
Use your cursor to highlight desired text in PDF as the first step.  Marissa Perino/Business Insider

3. Once the desired text is highlighted, click on the highlighter icon found at the top of the screen. This will automatically highlight your text.

image2_highlight
Click on the highlighter icon to highlight your text.  Marissa Perino/Business Insider

4. To change the color of the highlight, click the arrow next to the highlighter icon. Any text you highlight from now on will be highlighted in that color until you change it again.

image3_highlight
Click on the highlighter icon to change color.  Marissa Perino/Business Insider

You can also show the complete markup toolbar by clicking on the icon with a pencil tip at the top of the page to use the "Show Markup Toolbar" option, which lists out more features for drawing and annotating. 

The shortcut to open this toolbar is SHIFT + COMMAND + A. You can also open and close the toolbar by selecting "View" at the top Preview toolbar and select "Show Markup Toolbar" or "Hide Markup Toolbar."

image4 highlight
Select "Show Markup Toolbar" to see more drawing and annotating options.  Marissa Perino/Business Insider

 

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

Insider Inc. receives a commission when you buy through our links.

Read next

Marissa Perino is a former editorial intern covering executive lifestyle. She previously worked at Cold Lips in London and Creative Nonfiction in Pittsburgh. She studied journalism and communications at the University of Pittsburgh, along with creative writing. Find her on Twitter: @mlperino.