[7 Options] How to Remove Highlight from PDF Files

PDF highlights have many benefits such as marking crucial data for later reading, yet sometimes you need to delete them completely.??

• You might require a clean copy for various reasons including preparing your document’s last version before collaborating with others.?
• But your major concern would be to know how to remove highlight from PDF without affecting the original content.
• Luckily, for this purpose, there are numerous editors that can delete highlights from your PDF files, both paid and free options

In this guide, we’ll share 7 options for removing highlights in PDF documents and will explain their application methods. Alongside, we’ll also mention the main advantages and drawbacks of each method!

Part 1: How to Remove Highlight From PDF - Getting Started

Part 2: How to Remove Highlight from PDF?

Here’s how to erase highlight in PDF with the following 7 methods. Pick any based on your preferences:

Method 1: How to Remove Highlight From PDF [Not Affect the Original Text]

If you want to learn how to remove all highlights in PDF at once without affecting the original content Tenorshare PDNob is the best choice to have. It can not only remove highlights but can also add them. The tool can also help add comments, annotations, watermarks, backgrounds, etc. Here are its advantages:

Advantages of Using Tenorshare PDNob PDF Editor

• Add or remove highlights, underlines, shapes, stamps, and more.
• Convert scanned PDFs into editable and searchable text with 99% accuracy while keeping the original formatting.
• Insert, replace, or modify images easily.
• Edit or convert multiple PDFs at once, no matter the file size.
• Modify text, images, watermarks, backgrounds, and links. You can also merge, compress, and secure PDFs.
• Convert PDFs to and from Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Text, Images, EPUB, and more without losing quality.
• Get fast assistance whenever you need help.
• Take screenshots while editing.
• Supports 16+ languages, including English, Chinese, and French.
• Get quick answers, summaries, and insights from PDFs, whether short documents or large reports.

Using Tenorshare PDNob PDF Editor to Remove Highlights

Here’s how to remove highlight from PDF with Tenorshare PDNob PDF Editor:

Step 1: Open Tenorshare PDNob on your computer. Then, choose “Open PDF” to upload the document from which you wish to remove highlights.

Step 2: Tap the highlighted text and the pop-up will open. Choose the “trash” icon to erase the highlight.

Step 3: Then, head to “File.” Next, choose “Save as” to export the edited PDF file to your computer.

Method 2: How to Remove Highlight From PDF in Adobe Acrobat?

Adobe Acrobat offers 3 ways to remove highlights based on your need. You can use the Clear All option, Edit menu, or Properties window. If you delete a highlight by mistake, the Undo function lets you restore it. In addition, Adobe Acrobat offers a Find tool to locate specific highlights, and the Select tool to remove multiple highlights at once.?

Other than that, you can edit text, images, and other content in your PDFs, create interactive forms, and secure documents with encryption, passwords, and digital signatures. Here’s how to remove highlight from PDF in Adobe Acrobat:

Step 1: Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat. Then, tap “Edit.” Next, choose “Edit PDF.”

Step 2: Head to the “Comments” tab. After this, click the “Highlight” tool.

Step 3: Select the highlight to remove. Then, press “Delete.”

Pros:

• Offers various methods to remove highlights.
• Provides collaboration with comment features, change tracking, and review options.?
• You can collect e-signatures, and convert PDFs to formats like Word or Excel.
• Can organize pages by adding, deleting, or rearranging them.
• Removes highlights quickly without altering the document.
• Keeps documents looking clean and professional.

Cons:

• Highlights added by other programs may be locked in Adobe.
• Full features are only available with the paid software.
• New users may need time to learn the tools and methods.

Method 3: How to Remove Highlight From PDF in Foxit Reader?

Foxit PDF Reader enables users to delete various highlights from PDF documents at the same time and provides PDF viewing along with annotation features. The application allows you to highlight textual content as well as add annotations and modify all aspects of the PDF document elements including text, images, and objects.?

You can also take advantage of its text-to-speech function together with high-contrast modes. Furthermore, the tool can secure documents by using digital signatures for signing documents in addition to encryption and redaction techniques for protecting sensitive content. Here’s how to remove highlight from Foxit PDF Reader:

Step 1: Open the PDF in Foxit Reader. Then, click the “Comments” tab on the left to see the highlights. Sort comments by type.

Step 2: Next, double-click the comment type to expand highlighted comments. Click the last highlight.

Step 3:? Then, hold “Shift.” Next, tap the first highlight to select all. Right-click the selected highlights. Hit “Delete.”

Pros:

• Fast and efficient performance.
• Supports various PDF tasks like viewing, editing, and signing.
• Regular updates for security and new features.
• Allows you to select multiple highlights at once.

Cons:

• You can’t select multiple highlights at once in the Mac version.
• The method to remove highlights is not straightforward.
• Issues opening PDFs created with Foxit’s printer.
• The mobile version lacks some desktop features.
• Crashes can occur, especially on older systems.

Method 4: How to Remove Highlight in PDF-XChange Editor?

If you want to learn how to delete highlights in PDF with an alternative to Foxit, the PDF-XChange Editor also offers this feature. The tool can also modify text and photographic and geometrical content in PDFs while providing functions to insert annotations along with highlighting capabilities. You can also transform text in scanned documents into editable text through OCR. Furthermore, it enables you to fill interactive forms, create digital document signatures and transform PDF documents into Word or Excel files. Here’s how to remove highlight from PDF-XChange Editor:

Step 1: Open PDF-XChange Editor. Then, head to “File.” Next, “Open” to load your PDF.

Step 2: Click the “Comment” tool in the menubar. Scroll to find the highlighted text.

Step 3: Click on the highlight to select it. Press “Delete” or right-click and choose “Delete.’

Step 4: Save your document by heading to “File.” Then, tap “Save” or “Save As.”

Pros:

• Packed with features for editing and managing PDFs.
• Secure files with passwords and encryption.
• Apply custom stamps and add audio or video annotations.?
• A built-in spell checker ascertains accuracy in text-based PDFs.
• More affordable than Adobe Acrobat.
• Regular updates with new features.
• Responsive and helpful customer support.

Cons:

• The free version is available with watermarks.
• Less intuitive than Adobe Acrobat.
• Lacks some features found in Adobe Reader.

Method 5: How to Remove Highlight From PDF in Microsoft Edge?

If you want to know how to remove highlight from PDF without downloading a tool, use the Microsoft Edge browser. Since it’s free, there’s no cost to use this feature. The browser also allows basic editing, like adding comments and rotating pages. Here’s how to remove highlight from PDF Microsoft Edge:

Step 1: Right-click the PDF. Then, open it with “Microsoft Edge.”

Step 2: Right-click the highlighted text. Don’t select it. Then, pick “Highlight.” Hit “None” to remove the highlight from the text.

Pros:

• User-friendly, even for beginners.
• No extra software is needed.
• Free as a built-in browser feature.

Cons:

• Only offers basic browser security.
• Only basic PDF editing tools are available.
• No undo option for highlight removal.

Method 6: How to Erase Highlight in PDF on Mac (Preview App)?

If you want to learn how to erase highlight in PDF on Mac, then the “Preview” app is a good option to use. The Annotations Sidebar helps manage all highlights and notes. Besides highlight removal, you can also add text, shapes, and signatures. Here’s how to remove highlight from PDF in Preview:

Step 1: Right-click the PDF. Then, open it with “Preview.” Head to “View.” Then, choose “Highlights and Notes” to see annotations.

Step 2: Find and select the highlight in the sidebar. Press “Delete” to remove it.

Pros:

• Easy to use, no technical skills needed.
• Pre-installed on Macs, no extra downloads.
• Completely free.
• Quick highlight removal without extra apps.

Cons:

• Lacks advanced editing features.
• No option to remove all highlights at once.
• Only available on macOS.

Method 7: How to Remove Highlight From a PDF Online?

If you want to know how to delete all highlights in PDF without downloading software, Sejda PDF Editor offers an online version. It can perform bulk processing and clear highlights from multiple files concurrently. Sejda PDF Editor allows users to modify PDF elements by adjusting text as well as images and links. It also provides integration options with Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive so users can maintain smooth file management. Here’s how to remove highlight in PDF online with Sejda PDF Editor:

Step 1: Click “Upload PDF file” to upload your document. Then, select “Annotate” from the menu above.

Step 2: Pick the highlights to remove. Next, click the trash icon to delete them.

Pros:

• With OCR, you can extract and edit text from scanned documents.?
• Security features include password encryption and electronic signatures.
• Convert PDFs to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more.
• Easy to use, even for beginners.
• Delivers quick, high-quality results.
• Automatically deletes uploaded files for privacy.
• Offers various PDF editing tools.

Cons:

• Free users can edit only 3 PDFs per hour.
• The text editor can be unstable at times.
• Has trouble handling large PDFs with many pages.

Part 3: FAQs About How to Remove Highlight From PDF

1. How do I get rid of the yellow background in a PDF?

You can get rid of the yellow background in a PDF with Tenorshare PDNob Editor. Here’s how:

Step 1: Open the document in the tool. Then, choose “Edit” from the menu above.?

Step 2: Pick the “Background” option. Then, tap the “trash” icon displayed beneath the “Edit Background” option. The background will be removed from your PDF.?

2. What if I don’t have access to the original document, only the highlighted PDF?

If you don’t have the original document, you can remove highlights with an online tool like Sejda PDF Editor. Just upload your PDF, select the highlight, and click the trash icon to delete it.

3. What happens if I remove a highlight but the comment or note remains?

If you remove a highlight but the comment or note stays, the text will still be visible. You'll need to delete the comment separately to remove all annotations.

4. Are there any security concerns when removing highlights from a PDF using online tools?

Yes. When using online tools to remove highlights, be aware of security risks like data breaches or unauthorized access. Choose only trusted services with strong security measures to protect your documents such as Sejda PDF Editor which erases uploaded files for privacy. It also offers encryption and password protection.

Parting Words

We have investigated 7 solutions for you to learn how to remove highlight from PDF including desktop applications like Adobe Acrobat and Foxit Reader. We’ve also reviewed an online tool like Sejda, and built-in free tools such as Microsoft Edge and Mac Preview.?

These editors come with distinctive feature sets and both functional strengths together with their respective disadvantages. However, among them, Tenorshare PDNob stands out as the most friendly choice to remove highlights without affecting the original document. It comes with an abundance of features such as PDF editing & conversion, AI summarizer, etc.