-
Written By Harshita Sachdeva
-
Approved By
Shivam Rathore -
Updated on September 11th, 2026
Why Can’t I Highlight Text in PDF? Fix Highlighting, Text Selection, Copy-Paste & Annotation Problems
Fact-checked and reviewed in accordance with our
Editorial Policy
Amily, an IT administrator from California, asked:
As a Microsoft Administrator, my job is to perform Microsoft tenant-to-tenant migration. For that, I occasionally highlight the requirements, permissions, and limitations of the same to let my colleagues understand the entire process. But now that I am trying to highlight text in a PDF that contains the migration details, it is not allowing me to do the same. How can I resolve the “can’t highlight text in PDF” issue in order to mark the important details?
Summary: In the above query, Amily tried to highlight the required PDF but failed to do so. There might be different reasons, like PDF restrictions, no OCR layer, or PDF corruption that disables users from editing their documents. Eventually, it leads to disruption of the business workflow and leaves an impact on the completion of the process to be completed. By the end of this blog, you will be well aware of all the possible solutions to this issue & learn to use the Aryson PDF Unlocker Tool. To get more insights, continue reading.
Why Can’t You Highlight Text in PDF
If you can’t highlight text in a PDF file, it can be because of several reasons. Among all of them, the most frequently encountered situations are mentioned below.
- Your PDF pages are stored in image format, rather than text form.
- Scanned PDFs need an OCR layer so that their text can be scanned properly.
- The PDF owner might have set restrictions on the PDF in order to protect its data.
- Even a PDF with read-only mode marked won’t allow editing or highlighting.
- Probably your PDF viewer doesn’t support editing or highlighting.
Consider the above-mentioned causes and the troubleshooting methods to resolve this issue.
How to Resolve “Can’t Highlight Text in PDF” Issue?
For each cause, there exists an associated solution. Make sure you first determine the reason for this problem and then read through the steps to resolve it. If none of the manual troubleshooting works and you are unable to highlight text in PDF, the issue is a PDF file restriction.
Fix 1: Check PDF Properties and Permission Settings
The PDF owner might have restricted annotations or commenting. Just check your settings – it will tell you if you are allowed to highlight this document.
- Open the needed PDF file in Adobe Acrobat.
- Then, click File >> Properties & open the Security tab.
- Verify the Document Restrictions Summary & verify the limits imposed.
- If highlighting isn’t allowed, have the required password or an unlocked copy of the document.
- Open the PDF again and try to highlight the text again.
Note: One should avoid circumventing the security restrictions of the PDF itself.
Fix 2: Enable the Highlighting Tool in Adobe Reader
In other instances, you might be unable to select and highlight text in PDF Adobe because the tool hasn’t been turned on the highlighting option. You can easily fix the “can’t highlight text in PDF” problem by turning it on.
- To start with, open the PDF in Adobe Reader on your PC.
- After that, click Comment and proceed with the Highlight Text Tool.
- In the next step, drag the pointer over the text you need to highlight specifically.
- If it still fails, the text might not be selectable.
If the process does not respond, your file may still be restricted or being scanned. So, you should apply the above methods to unlock it first.
Fix 3: Update or Switch To Another PDF Viewer
Sometimes the problem is not with the file. So, you should check the viewer that you usually use to view it. Old PDF viewers might not be compatible with newer PDF formats. Hence, they are not able to provide the highlighting feature. To resolve this issue, fix the update or switch the software:
- First, check if your existing PDF reader (such as Adobe Acrobat) has any updates.
- After that, restart the application and install any updates that are available.
- Download a different viewer, such as PDF-XChange Editor or Foxit Reader, if it still doesn’t work.
- Open your PDF after installing the new tool to see if the highlighting functions work.
Fix 4: Convert PDF to an Editable Format
You may try to convert the PDF document into another file type, such as Word or text. This way, you will be able to access the content completely, and the “can’t highlight text in PDF” issue will be resolved.
- To begin with, open your PDF using Adobe Acrobat or PDF Converter Software.
- Next, select the option to export or convert the PDF to Word.
- Now, just save the converted .docx file >> open it in MS Word.
- After conversion, download the file and open it in MS Word or Notepad.
- Now, easily select and highlight any part of the content.
Fix 5: Use OCR on Scanned or Flattened PDFs
When your PDF has been scanned – or indeed is image-based – you really can’t select and highlight any text since it doesn’t actually exist. Scanned or ‘flattened’ PDFs transform all your text into images, making it quite impossible to pick out. However, with OCR (Optical Character Recognition), you can turn that image-based content back into actual, editable text.
- Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro first.
- Then navigate to All Tools >> Scan & OCR >> select Recognise Text.
- Then select the pages and the language, and start the OCR process.
- Once it is done, save the PDF.
- Lastly, attempt to highlight the converted text.
Note: When a PDF has some restrictions applied to it, users can’t highlight text in PDF. In order to still mark the required text, you can use the professional PDF unlocker tool. Read through the details of the software below & perform the required steps as required.
Best Alternative: Use Aryson PDF Unlocker Tool to Enable Text Highlighting Easily
Sometimes, the reason you can’t highlight text is simply that the PDF file is locked with certain restrictions. In such situations, the Aryson PDF Unlocker Tool can be an effective solution. This utility removes security settings from locked PDFs. So, anyone can edit and highlight PDF text without changing the original formatting. Moreover, it can unlock files protected by owner- or user-level passwords and restore full access. Additionally, it is embedded with a simple interface. Also, it provides wide compatibility with all PDF versions. The same software also allows users to enable the print option in PDF. So, download this easy-to-use software and unlock a PDF file to highlight the text in PDF within a few clicks.
Follow these steps to unlock PDFs & fix the “Can’t Highlight Text in PDF” issue
- Open the Aryson PDF Unlocker Tool on your system after installation.
- Next, add the PDF file that you’re unable to highlight from the location.
- Then, select the required function, like unlock, repair, or edit, as per your issue.
- Along with that, you can also pick the option to save the attachment in a subfolder.
- Click on the Unlock button to begin the PDF unlocking process for further use.
For users who cannot highlight text in Adobe PDF, these steps will surely work well and let them highlight the PDF.
In order to get more insights into the entire process and access the relevant features and filters of the Aryson PDF Unlocker Tool, you may refer to the Detailed Documentation. This will lead you to effortlessly remove the PDF limitations and highlight the required text.
Conclusion
If you are going through the ways to resolve “Can’t Highlight Text in PDF”, the above-mentioned steps would be quite helpful. As we discussed in this blog, it could be due to read-only settings, file restrictions, corruption, or even image-based content. Although there are multiple ways to fix the issue, disabling read-only mode enables the highlight tool, using OCR tools, or updating your PDF reader. And when the manual tricks don’t work, tools like Aryson PDF Unlocker offer a hassle-free way to remove restrictions and make your file fully editable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Why can’t I highlight text in PDF?
Ans: You may be unable to highlight text because the PDF is scanned, restricted, corrupted, or opened in a viewer that does not support annotations properly. These causes are commonly encountered.
Q.2 How to enable highlighter in PDF?
Ans: To enable the highlighter in a PDF, open the file in a PDF editor such as Adobe Acrobat, select the Highlight Text tool, and drag over the text you want to mark. If the option is unavailable, the PDF may be restricted, scanned, or missing a text layer. To remove these restrictions, you can use the Aryson PDF Unlocker tool and highlight text as required.
Q3. Can PDF security restrictions prevent highlighting?
Ans: Yes, PDF security restrictions can prevent highlighting when commenting or annotation permissions are disabled. Check the Security tab before attempting any changes to the document or settings there. If you are unable to unlock the PDF, it is better to use the Aryson PDF Unlocker Tool to unlock the PDF document.
Q4. Can OCR fix highlighting problems in scanned PDFs?
Ans: A scanned PDF usually contains images instead of selectable text. OCR recognises those images and creates a text layer, allowing you to select and highlight content directly within the document.
Q5. What should I do if my PDF viewer cannot highlight text?
Ans: Update your PDF viewer first, then reopen the document. If highlighting still fails, test the same PDF with another trusted viewer that supports annotations and comments correctly on your computer.
Q6. Can I convert a PDF to Word to highlight its text?
Ans: Converting a PDF to Word can help when direct highlighting fails. However, conversion may change formatting, layout, fonts, links, or other document elements during processing and require manual editing afterward.
Q7. Can Aryson PDF Unlocker help with restricted PDFs?
Ans: Yes, the Aryson PDF Unlocker can remove certain PDF security restrictions that prevent editing or annotations. Use it only when you have authorisation to modify the document safely and legally for work.
Q8. How does Aryson PDF Unlocker help highlight restricted PDF text?
Ans: Open Aryson PDF Unlocker, add the restricted PDF, choose the unlocking option, and save the unlocked file. Then reopen it and test text highlighting again in your chosen viewer immediately.
Q9. Can read-only mode prevent PDF highlighting?
Ans: A Windows read-only attribute does not normally control PDF highlighting. Check the PDF’s permissions and viewer settings instead, because annotations may be restricted by document security settings entirely by permissions.
About The Author:
Harshita Sachdeva, a professional technical writer at Aryson Technologies, specialize in delivering clear, hands-on documentation for data management, migration, and recovery solutions. With a meticulous, reader-first approach, I break down complex technical processes into simple, actionable content - helping IT professionals and decision-makers tackle challenges efficiently.
Related Post
