Mastering Highlights: Adobe Acrobat on iPad

Highlighting text in Adobe Acrobat on your iPad allows you to draw attention to important sections of a PDF, making it easier for others to understand your point of view. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you highlight text effectively in Adobe Acrobat using your iPad.

Before we dive into the process, ensure that you've updated your Adobe Acrobat app to the latest version. This will grant you access to all the available features and improvements.

Accessing the Highlighting Tool

To begin highlighting, you'll first need to locate the highlighting tool in the Adobe Acrobat toolbar on your iPad.

The toolbar may vary depending on your device's screen size. If you're unable to find the highlighting tool, tap on the 'View' icon at the top of your screen, then select 'Tools'. This will display all the available tools, making it easier to locate the one you need.

Identifying the Highlighting Tool

The highlighting tool is represented by a pen icon with a colored underline. If you're uncertain, hover over each tool to view a small pop-up displaying its name. Once you've found the highlighting tool, tap on it to activate it.

For quick reference, the highlighting tool is usually located at the bottom of the toolbar, often placed near the 'Search', 'Comment', and 'Tool' icons.

Configuring the Highlighting Color

By default, the highlighting tool applies a bright yellow color to the selected text. If you wish to change the highlighting color, tap the small colored box adjacent to the highlighting tool's icon. This will open a color palette, allowing you to choose from various highlight colors.

To close the color palette, simply tap anywhere outside of it. The selected color will now be your active highlighting color, and it will remain set until you change it again.

Highlighting Text

Now that you've accessed the highlighting tool and configured your preferred color, it's time to start highlighting text in your PDF.

Begin by tapping and holding your finger on the text you wish to highlight. A small, translucent box will appear around the text, indicating that it's selected. To highlight multiple words or an entire sentence, drag your finger across the text while holding it down.

Adjusting the Highlight Box

If the selected text box is too large or too small, you can adjust its size by tapping and holding on any of its corners. A small cross will appear, allowing you to resize the box precisely. Once you're satisfied with the box's dimensions, lift your finger to apply the highlight to the selected text.

If you accidentally selected too much or too little text, you can always tap and drag the box's edges to refine your selection before applying the highlight.

Managing Highlighted Text

Once you've highlighted text, you can interact with the highlights in various ways. To select a highlight, tap and hold on it until it's selected. You can then drag the highlight to a new location, copy the highlighted text, or change its color.

To delete a highlight, tap and hold on it, then tap the 'Trash' icon that appears. This will remove the highlight from the text without deleting the actual text itself.

Additional Highlighting Features

Adobe Acrobat offers more than just simple text highlighting. You can also use the highlighting tool to add comments and make notes on your PDFs.

After applying a highlight, tap on it to view the comment toolbar. This toolbar allows you to add sticky notes, draw shapes, and even create freehand signatures. To access these additional features, first, ensure that you've enabled the 'Comment' tool in the toolbar by tapping on the speech bubble icon.

Adding Sticky Notes

To add a sticky note to your highlighted text, tap on the highlighted text to select it, then tap on the 'Sticky Note' icon in the comment toolbar. This will create a yellow note containing the selected text, allowing you to add additional comments or context.

To move the sticky note, drag it to your desired location. You can also resize the note by dragging its corners or adding more text using the 'Add Text' button.

Drawing Shapes and Signatures

Adobe Acrobat also allows you to draw shapes and create freehand signatures on your PDFs. To access these features, tap on the 'Draw' icon in the comment toolbar. This will display a palette of drawing tools, including lines, rectangles, and ovals.

To create a freehand signature, tap on the 'Signature' icon. This will allow you to sign the PDF using your finger or an Apple Pencil for those with compatible devices.

With these tips and tricks, you're now equipped to effectively highlight text, add comments, and annotate your PDFs using Adobe Acrobat on your iPad. Happy annotating!