Expanding Colors Available for Highlighting

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated October 21, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

Word provides a highlighter tool that allows you to...well, "highlight" text, much as you would do with a highlighter pen on a printed document. The default color for highlighting is yellow, but you can change the color if you click the down-arrow to the right of the Highlight tool on the Formatting toolbar. Word allows you to pick any of fifteen different colors.

The colors used for highlighting cannot be changed beyond what is offered in the fifteen colors. (The colors appear to be hard-wired into Word.) You can, however, highlight text in a different way, if you prefer: by using shading. Follow these steps:

Select the text you want to highlight.
Choose Borders and Shading from the Format menu. Word displays the Borders and Shading dialog box.
Make sure the Shading tab is displayed. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The Shading tab of the Borders and Shading dialog box.

From the colors displayed, select the one you want to use. (If you'd like to choose from more colors, click the More Colors button.)
Click OK.

Word then applies the selected color to the selected text, and it looks exactly like what you apply using the Highlight tool. If you find a color you like to use a lot, you can create a macro that applies the shading to the selected text. The following macro applies pale yellow shading to the selected text.

Sub HighlightPaleYellow()
    With Selection.Font
        With .Shading
            .Texture = wdTextureNone
            .ForegroundPatternColor = wdColorAutomatic
            .BackgroundPatternColor = wdColorLightYellow
        End With
    End With
End Sub

With the macro in place, you can assign it to a shortcut key or to a toolbar button so you can apply your own "highlighting" whenever you want. Or, if you prefer, you can bypass macros altogether and simply create a character style that applies the desired shading to selected text.

There is only one downside that I can find to using shading to highlight text, and that has to do with Find and Replace. One of the formatting attributes that you can search for is if the text is highlighted, but you cannot search for shading applied to text. If this is a big concern for you, then I'd suggest defining styles for your shading, since you can always search for specific styles.

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the WordTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (105) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Copying Cells to Fill a Range

Excel provides two really helpful shortcuts you can use to fill a range of cells, either horizontally or vertically. ...

Discover More

Using RD Fields with Chapter Headings

The RD field can be handy for pulling together a bunch of documents into a single file. However, using the field can play ...

Discover More

Inserting a Special Symbol

The vast majority of what you enter into a document can be accomplished through the use of the regular keyboard. However, ...

Discover More

Do More in Less Time! Are you ready to harness the full power of Word 2013 to create professional documents? In this comprehensive guide you'll learn the skills and techniques for efficiently building the documents you need for your professional and your personal life. Check out Word 2013 In Depth today!

More WordTips (menu)

Turning Off Highlighter Display

You can use the highlighter tool to add all sorts of color to your document. If you want to turn off those colors so that ...

Discover More

Using the Highlighter

Need to draw attention to some text? Consider using the Highlight tool, which functions just like the highlighter pens ...

Discover More

Highlighting Text Using the Keyboard Only

Highlighting text, using the Highlight tool, is a great way to mark up a document. Normally you need to use the toolbar ...

Discover More

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is three minus 2?

2023-06-23 15:46:02

Rob Pianka

Thank you so much! It's been months that I've been googling, only to read that it is impossible to change the selection of colors for highlighting. (Most of which make it impossible to read the highlighted text!) Such a simple solution. You are a genius.

2023-01-21 16:16:01

Comp

Thank You!! I really needed it!

2022-10-30 06:32:23

Ruth Kidson

Thank you! That's really helpful.

2022-06-23 16:40:04

Ryan

This was SO helpful. Such a basic tip but I couldn't remember it from last time. Thank you!

2022-02-21 07:32:29

sasan

thanks alot

2021-10-14 12:14:07

Ohhhhh! I just wanted to THANK YOU for your wonderful instructions on highlighting text in Word without using the default colors. It worked like a charm and my pamphlet rocks!!!
So looking forward to your newsletter!
Thank you again!

2021-08-26 10:18:45

Bryan Keith Elkins

Perfect. Exactly what I needed. Thanks for taking the time to put this together :)

2020-10-23 03:42:27

C A

Thank you so much 💕💕💕💕

2020-07-02 11:33:23

Ginny Barnett

Hello. I have created a Normal.dotx that includes 8 different colors for shading. They are character styles in the template: Shading Lilac, Shading Yellow, Shading Blue, etc. As you mentioned, you can apply them as well as Find and Replace them. There is also a Shading None. Are you interested in posting this template on your site so people can download it? Then you wouldn't be bombarded with folks who can't find the menus you tell them to use.

2019-11-01 20:48:44

For newer versions of Word:

1. Highlight text.
2. Click on “Design” tab.
3. Click on “Page Borders”.
4. A window should pop up called “Borders and Shading”.
5. Click on “Shading” tab.
6. Click the down arrow where it says “No colour”.
7. Click on “More Colours”.
8. Choose colour. Then click “OK”.
9. Make sure it only applies to text.
10. Click on “OK”.

2019-06-28 14:51:57

BJH

https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hub/2011/04/05/how-to-select-more-highlight-colors-in-word/

Use shading - ignore what it says on this site...

2019-01-07 15:48:50

Lou

I use the Home and Student 2016 edition of MS Office and I am sad to say that there doesn't seem to be a "border and shading" option.
I guess later versions of MS Office are downgrades.

2018-06-15 10:40:29

Thank you for this! It does just what I needed to do! I was highlighting text in a table and I used this tool: (see Figure 1 below)

Figure 1.

2017-12-04 09:55:23

Anyone

Does not work. No "Formatting toolbar" exists.
No "Format menu" exists.
Design Menu-> Page Borders, Clunky, Clumsy: does not work.

2017-12-04 09:49:22

Anyone

Does not work. No "Formatting toolbar" exists.
No "Format menu" exists.

2017-10-18 05:29:58

Chantelle

In Microsoft Word 2016 the borders and shading menu can be found in Design > Page Borders .. and then select the Shading tab. I also suggest selecting 'Apply to:text' to have the same highlighter effect.

(see Figure 1 below)

Figure 1. Menu

2017-09-04 23:18:32

Jon

@Terry (or anyone else with this question) On the left side of the Borders and Shading box, Shading tab is where you pick your color, on the right side at the bottom it should say "Apply to:", change this from Paragraph to Text. This way it'll just effect the portion of text you selected, not the whole line.

2017-03-08 16:40:57

Anne

I don't have fifteen choices. My shading tab doesn't look like this one.

2017-02-17 10:47:57

Terry

The trouble I find with shading as opposed to highlighting is that applies the shading to the WHOLE LINE (including any blank space after a return key push to create a short line) instead of applying colour ONLY to the selected text like the highlighting feature. Am I doing something wrong?

2016-11-30 16:00:38

Trisch

Thank you for this tip!! The awful highlighting colours in word was actually driving me nutty

2016-11-26 15:11:12

Pat

You don't say how to put the macro in. I've never used macros. I did go to macros and pasted your macro. But what do I do next? I don't really see any options in the window I put the macro in. I tried "Run sub/user form" and nothing happened. How do I "assign it to a shortcut key or to a toolbar button"?

Also, do you have a website just for Word 2016? I would think there are a lot of changes since 2007, 2010 and 2013.

2016-09-14 07:07:27

Craig B

Hi all, like others, I struggled to find the format menu. If you go to Page Layout in the ribbon and select Page Borders, you get to the Borders and Shading box shown above. From there, click the Shading tab, change Style from Clear to Solid (100%), and then select your colour from the drop-down.

2016-08-19 12:58:07

Andy

Although the highlight colours may appear to be hard wired I suspect they might not be. I have highlighted a document using two different PCs and noticed that when I copied a piece of highlighted text into another area which had been highlighted on the other PC that the grey hjighlight is slighty different between the two. One is 25% grey, the other is less then 20%, probably about 18%.

2016-08-01 14:15:38

Thanks a million it is so easy to forget about the shading bucket!

2016-07-05 01:33:24

Deb-Ellen

For those who don't have the ribbon displayed - paragraph formatting is under the Home tab.

2016-07-05 01:25:05

Deb-Ellen

Hi Allan

Can also obtain the same function in Word 2013 by choosing the shading button (tipping paint tin) in paragraph formatting, if you have the Ribbon as well as the menu bar displayed.

2016-05-25 18:05:36

Anatole

All good, but where is the Format Menu?

thanks, in advance

2016-05-14 15:48:57

Sparus

I'm not sure where a format tab is, but you can find Borders & Shading under the borders option on the home tab.

2016-04-13 21:41:28

Marlene

Under step #2, you say to find it on the format tab. I can't find a format tab anywhere.
where would I find that?

This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.