Highlighting text on your Android device is a surprisingly versatile feature, useful for everything from annotating ebooks to quickly referencing important information in documents. The method, however, varies depending on the app you're using. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the most common scenarios and provide solutions for highlighting text in different Android applications.
What Apps Can I Use to Highlight Text on Android?
The ability to highlight text isn't a universal Android feature built into the operating system itself. Instead, it's a function offered by individual apps. Many popular apps include this feature, including:
- Google Docs: A staple for document creation and editing, Google Docs offers robust highlighting capabilities.
- Microsoft Word (Mobile): Another popular document editor with excellent highlighting options.
- Adobe Acrobat Reader: Ideal for highlighting PDFs.
- E-reader Apps (Kindle, Kobo, etc.): Most dedicated e-reader apps allow you to highlight passages in ebooks.
- Note-Taking Apps (Google Keep, OneNote, Evernote): Many note-taking apps also include text highlighting.
How to Highlight Text in Different Apps
The specific steps for highlighting text vary slightly depending on the app. However, the general principle remains consistent: long-press, select, and highlight. Let's explore some common examples:
How to Highlight Text in Google Docs
- Open your Google Doc: Launch the Google Docs app and open the document containing the text you want to highlight.
- Select the text: Long-press on the text you want to highlight. This will bring up selection handles. Drag the handles to select the desired portion of text.
- Highlight the text: Once the text is selected, a toolbar will appear. Tap the highlighter icon (usually a colored marker or highlighter). Choose your desired color.
How to Highlight Text in Microsoft Word (Mobile)
The process is very similar in Microsoft Word:
- Open your Word document.
- Select the text: Long-press and drag to select the text you wish to highlight.
- Highlight the text: A toolbar will appear. Look for the highlighter icon (often a marker). Tap it to choose a highlight color.
How to Highlight Text in Adobe Acrobat Reader
Adobe Acrobat Reader, designed for PDFs, offers a similar method:
- Open your PDF.
- Select the text: Long-press and drag to select the text.
- Highlight the text: A menu will usually appear. Look for a highlight tool. You may need to tap a "comment" or "annotation" button first.
How to Highlight Text in E-reader Apps (Kindle, Kobo, etc.)
E-reader apps typically have a built-in highlighting feature. The exact location of the highlight button varies, but it's usually easily accessible after selecting text. Look for icons representing a highlighter or a marker.
How Do I Change the Highlight Color?
Most apps offer a range of highlight colors. After selecting the text and initiating the highlighting process, you'll typically see a palette of colors to choose from. Simply tap on your preferred color to apply it to the selected text.
Can I Delete or Edit Highlights?
Yes, nearly all apps that support highlighting also allow you to edit or remove highlights. Often, a long press on the highlighted text will bring up options to change the color or delete the highlight entirely. Refer to the app's help section if you encounter difficulty.
What if My App Doesn't Have a Highlight Feature?
If the app you're using doesn't offer built-in highlighting, you might consider taking a screenshot and using a different app, like a note-taking app or image editor, to add highlights to the screenshot. This is less convenient than direct highlighting but is a viable workaround.
This guide should help you effectively highlight text on your Android device. Remember that the exact steps may vary slightly depending on the specific app and its version, so refer to your app's help section if you need further assistance.
