How to Highlight Text in Google Docs (2025 Guide )

Want to make your important notes or ideas stand out in Google Docs? Whether you’re writing a research paper, reviewing a team document, or preparing content for presentations, knowing how to highlight in Google Docs helps you emphasize key points quickly and clearly.

This guide walks you through step-by-step instructions on how to highlight text using your mouse, shortcut keys, and even on mobile devices.

Disclaimer: Always double-check your selected text and formatting layer to ensure changes apply correctly, especially when working in shared or suggested-edit mode.

How to Highlight Text in Google Docs (Desktop)

If you want to highlight your text for quick access and are unaware of how to do this, then continue reading to learn how highlighting works in Google Docs. Well, you can highlight the text or phrases by following these easy steps mentioned below:

Step 1. Open Google Docs

Launch your web browser and open Google Docs, to open Google Docs in your web browser directly.

Open the Document

Step 2. Create a Document

After opening the Google Docs, if you do not want to use the existing one you can create a new document. Now make a new document by clicking on the blank document.

Creating the Document

Step 3. Select a Text to Highlight

To highlight the required text, place the cursor in front of the text or phrase you want to highlight, and hold – drag the cursor to the end of the phrase to select it.

Selecting the Text

Step 4. Click on Pencil Icon and Choose a Colour

When your phrase is selected, go to the pencil-like icon provided in the toolbar. As you hover over the icon it will show the highlight color displayed. Click on the icon.

Highlighter color palette will pop up.

Step 5. Review the Highlighted Text

From the color panel, select your desired color or you can also use custom colors by clicking on the ‘+’ icon. And your phrase will be now highlighted.

Highlighted text.

How to Change Highlight Color in Google Docs

Step 1. Select a Text to Highlight

To highlight the required text, place the cursor in front of the text or phrase you want to highlight, and hold – drag the cursor to the end of the phrase to select it.

Selecting the Text

Step 2. Click on the Pencil Icon and Choose a Custom Option

When your phrase is selected, go to the Pencil-like icon provided in the toolbar. As you hover over the icon it will show the highlight color displayed. Click on the icon. In the Panel click on Custom Option.

Select Custom

Step 3. Select Your Colour and Press OK

After clicking on custom a color panel will be displayed. You can now drag the icon given over the colors to create your color shade or edit the values directly in the given box just below it to create your color shade and press the OK button.

Customising the Colour

Step 4. Review the Highlighted Text

Your Selected text will get Highlighted. You can Preview the Changes.

Text Highlighted.

If you’re using Google Docs add-ons or extensions like “Doc Tools”, you can assign a shortcut for highlighting, like Alt + Shift + H.

Otherwise:

• After selecting, press Alt + / (Windows) or Cmd + / (Mac)
• Search for “highlight” in the command search bar
• Click the tool manually from the menu

How to Highlight in Google Docs on Mobile (Android & iPhone)

Step 1. Download the Application

Download the Google Docs application from the desired app store or Play Store and install it.

Download ‘google docs’ from play store.

Step 2. Open a Google Doc

Open the Google Docs application and open the document which can be a new blank document or an already existing document, click on the edit button at the bottom right corner of the screen.

Make a new document by clicking on (+) icon.

Step 3. Select the Text to Highlight

To highlight the text, double-tap on the word to select it and drag the blue handles to adjust the selection.

Selected phrase.

Step 4. Tap on Highlight Tool

Now after selecting the desired text or phrase, click on the highlight button just as above the keyboard displayed and then tap Highlight color at the bottom of the screen.

The highlighter pen.

Step 5: Choose a Color

Color options will be provided, allowing you to select your desired color from the available choices. You can also highlight text based on priorities using different colors. The selected text will be highlighted with the chosen color.

Color selection.

How to Remove Highlights from Google Docs

If you want to clear the highlight from any text:

Step 1: Select the Highlighted Text

To remove highlights, first select the highlighted text by dragging the cursor using your mouse.

Select the Text

Step 2: Click on the Highlighter Tool

After selecting the text, go to the pencil icon at the top of the toolbar. As you hover over it it will show highlighter on it. Click on the Highlighter (pencil) icon.

Select pencil icon

Step 3: Select None

After clicking on the pencil icon the color panel will open. In the panel, there will be an option of None. Click on that to remove the highlight.

Select None

Conclusion

Highlighting in Google Docs is an easy way to bring attention to text that matters. Whether you’re editing documents, collaborating with teams, or organizing your ideas, the highlighting feature helps you stay productive and visually organized.

Explore using different highlight colors to represent tasks, reviewers, or categories. And don’t forget — removing highlights is just as simple.