This article explains how to highlight text in the Pages app on a Mac, including how to leave notes once you’ve highlighted something.

What to Know

  • Select some text, then click Insert > Highlight to highlight some text.To change your highlight color: View > Comments & Changes > Author Color, and select a custom color.To leave a comment on highlighted text: Mouseover highlighted text, click Add a Comment, type your comment, and click Done.

How Do You Highlight in Pages on a Mac?

Pages allows you to highlight text so a specific section stands out from the rest of the document. You can select from a number of different highlight colors, and each editor can be assigned a different color if you’re working collaboratively. After a section of text has been highlighted, you can also add a note to remind yourself why you highlighted it, or to provide commentary, context, or other information to a collaborative partner.

Here’s how to highlight in Pages on a Mac:

  • Open a Pages text document.
  • Select the text you want to highlight.
  • Not sure how to select text on a Mac? Position the mouse cursor at the beginning of the text, click and hold the mouse button, drag to the end of the text, then let go of the mouse button. You can also select text by holding down Shift and then moving the cursor with the arrow keys.
  • Click Insert > Highlight on the menu bar.
  • Your text is now highlighted.
  • The Review Toolbar will now appear at the top of the document. To highlight additional text, just select some text and click Highlight in this toolbar.

How to Change the Color of Highlighted Text

Once you’ve highlighted some text, you can change the highlight color. If your document has multiple people collaborating on it, you can also assign a different color to each person.

Open a Pages text document.

Select the text you want to highlight.

Not sure how to select text on a Mac? Position the mouse cursor at the beginning of the text, click and hold the mouse button, drag to the end of the text, then let go of the mouse button. You can also select text by holding down Shift and then moving the cursor with the arrow keys.

Click Insert > Highlight on the menu bar.

Your text is now highlighted.

The Review Toolbar will now appear at the top of the document. To highlight additional text, just select some text and click Highlight in this toolbar.

Here’s how to change the color of highlighted text in Pages on a Mac:

  • Highlight some text using the method described above.
  • Click View on the menu bar.
  • Click Comments & Changes.
  • Click Author Color.
  • Click the color you want to use for highlights.
  • Other people who have access to this document will see this color when you make highlights. They can set their own color using this same method, and you will see their highlights in the color they choose.
  • Your highlights will change to the color you selected.

How to Leave Comments on Highlighted Text in Pages on Mac

You can highlight text just to make it stand out or to help you find specific sections later on, but highlighting also allows you to leave notes. When you highlight text in Pages, you can add a comment to the highlighted text. You can then check the comment later to help remind you of why you highlighted the text, or to see if there was some change you wanted to make later.

Highlight some text using the method described above.

Click View on the menu bar.

Click Comments & Changes.

Click Author Color.

Click the color you want to use for highlights.

Other people who have access to this document will see this color when you make highlights. They can set their own color using this same method, and you will see their highlights in the color they choose.

Your highlights will change to the color you selected.

Comments are also useful if you’re collaborating because the other people who have access to your document will be able to see your comment and leave their own.

Here’s how to leave comments on highlighted text in Pages on a Mac:

  • Highlight some text using the method described above.
  • Move your mouse cursor over the highlighted text, and click in the Add a Comment box when it appears.
  • Type your comment, and click Done.
  • If you move your mouse over the highlighted text in the future, your note will pop up.

Move your mouse cursor over the highlighted text, and click in the Add a Comment box when it appears.

Type your comment, and click Done.

If you move your mouse over the highlighted text in the future, your note will pop up.

  • How do I remove a highlight in Pages?
  • To remove highlighted text in Pages, click in the highlighted text section; you’ll see a comment pop-up appear. In the box, click Delete. Removing a highlight doesn’t remove any text; it removes only the highlight.
  • How do I highlight text in Pages on an iPad?
  • In Pages on your iPad, select the text, and then tap Highlight. To remove the highlight, double-tap on the highlighted text and then tap Remove Highlight.

To remove highlighted text in Pages, click in the highlighted text section; you’ll see a comment pop-up appear. In the box, click Delete. Removing a highlight doesn’t remove any text; it removes only the highlight.

In Pages on your iPad, select the text, and then tap Highlight. To remove the highlight, double-tap on the highlighted text and then tap Remove Highlight.

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