How to Highlight Area in PDF? All Methods Are here

If you are looking for different tools that aid in the process of highlighting areas in PDFs, we are here to help.

In this article, UPDF, Foxit Phantom PDF, and PDFelement will all be introduced. We will focus on the features and the functionalities such as ease of use and the price tags.

How to Highlight an Area in PDF with UPDF?

The first option for highlighting areas in a PDF document is with UPDF. It provides a complete experience with a range of user-friendly features.

When you need to highlight content in your PDFs, UPDF offers the basic highlighting which goes line-by-line and adding highlights in the form of shapes. The best one is its area highlighting feature.

You can download UPDF on your device for free now to experience its features. For a limitless experience, you can purchase the UPDF Pro version at a very low price.

When you opt for UPDF to highlight areas in your PDF documents, you can try 2 different methods depending on the operating system you are using.

Here we will discuss both these methods in detail with their step-by-step guides:

Way 1. Highlight Area in PDF via Highlight

The first method is using the area highlight feature in UPDF. This feature is currently available for the macOS version of UPDF only where holding the shift key on your keyboard allows highlighting the whole area instead of highlighting line-by-line.

Below are steps you can follow to use the area highlighting feature in UPDF:

Step 1:

Click the icon of UPDF on your computer to run it and click the "Open File" button from the home screen to select and open the PDF file you want to highlight. Now, click on the file name in the file explorer window to select it and click the "Open" button from the bottom right to open it in UPDF.

Now, Click "Comment" from the left menu pane and click the "Highlight” option from the top menu. You may also pick your preferred color from the pallet appearing when you click “Highlight”.

Step 2:

Now, you need to hold the “Shift” key on your keyboard and “Click+Drag" your cursor over the area you want to highlight. This way, instead of highlighting content line by line, UPDF will highlight everything present in that area whether it be graphics or space.

Way 2. Highlight Area in PDF via Shapes

Now, if you are not on macOS or want to try some unique shapes for highlighting content like circles, etc. you can use this method.

Here we will explain how you can use Shapes in UPDF to highlight specific areas in a PDF.

Step 1:

Start the UPDF app on your PC by double-clicking its desktop icon and then you will click the "Open File” button from the home page of UPDF. Now, click a PDF to select and click “Open” to open it in UPDF.

Once your PDF opens you will click “Comment” from the left menu and then click the “Rectangle” button. A popup will appear where you may select the shape, border color, fill color, line thickness, and most importantly opacity.

Note: The higher the opacity of the shape, the less content will be visible through it. So, we recommend keeping the opacity of your shape between 25-45%.

Step 2:

With the same “Click+Drag” action as in the previous method, you can add your shape to the PDF content. Since it will be a colored shape with "Low opacity”, it will display as a highlighting effect when viewing PDFs.

With these two methods, you can very easily highlight any area in your PDFs. Similarly, UPDF makes other PDF tasks very simple and efficient for its users. To get a hands-on experience of UPDF you may download it on your Windows PCs, Macs, and smartphone/tablet devices for free. And you to know all the features that UPDF offers by watching the below video.

How to Highlight an Area in PDF with Foxit?

Foxit Phantom PDF offers a robust highlighting experience with its area highlight feature. It allows users to mark specific regions within PDFs effortlessly.

It is ideal for professionals needing precise control over document annotations, with customizable options like color and opacity, making it a powerful tool for detailed PDF editing.

Step 1:

Run Foxit Phantom PDF software on your computer by double-clicking its desktop icon. When the software starts click “Open File” from the left menu bar to select and open your desired PDF from your local storage. When your PDF opens in Foxit software, click “Comment" from the top and click the "Area Highlight" button from the top menu bar.

Step 2:

Now, click the "Comment Format" button from the top if you wish to change the "Color” or “Opacity" of the highlighter. Perform the "Click + Drag” operation over the area that you wish to highlight and the whole area will be highlighted with your selected color.

How to Highlight an Area in PDF with PDFelement?

PDFelement provides a smooth highlighting experience with its intuitive area highlight tool. It is  making it easy to mark specific sections in PDFs. It combines user-friendly design with advanced features like customizable colors and opacity, offering a balanced solution for users seeking effective and visually clear PDF annotations.

Step 1:

Run the PDFelement software on your computer and click the "Open PDF” button on its main screen. As the PDF opens you need to click “Comment" from the top and then click the "Area Highlight” tool from the top menu as well.

Step 2:

Now, you can highlight any area in your PDF by performing the same “Click + Drag” action with your cursor as with the other tools. If you want to change the “Color”, “Opacity”, or other properties of the highlighted area, right-click it and go to “Properties”.

Which Tool is Better to Highlight Area in PDF?

These 3 tools provide similar functionality of highlighting areas in PDF documents with slightly different experiences and features. That can get confusing when you have to pick one of them.

So, let's have a quick comparison of these 3 tools to decide which one is the best for your needs.

The comparison table makes it clear that when comparing the features, pricing, platforms, and other factors including ease of use and user interface, UPDF was the ultimate best option.

It is available on all your devices and the UPDF Cloud feature helps sync your files across your devices. So, if you want to efficiently use PDF features like highlighting and more then UPDF is the best choice.

Also Read: UPDF vs Foxit

Conclusion

Understanding how to highlight area in PDF documents can greatly improve your workflow. Among the three tools: UPDF, Foxit Phantom PDF, and PDFelement, UPDF stands out for its ease of use and cheaper price.

Choosing the right tool depends on your specific needs and budget. With the right tool, highlighting areas in PDFs becomes a quick and simple task, making your document management more efficient and effective.

So, if you are looking for a tool that solves all your problems with its features and provides a user-friendly experience then you must download and try UPDF free version without any trial period.