The purpose of highlighting text is to help distinguish essential details from irrelevant information.
However, this is only possible if the PDF editor allows you to highlight text.
Are you having trouble selecting or highlighting text in a PDF document?
Don’t fret; it’s simple to fix.
Why Can’t You Select or Highlight Text in a PDF?
So, let’s discuss how to find the root cause and fix it.
Sometimes, scanned images are bundled and merged into a PDF file.
Such a file can be described as a scanned PDF.
They differ from standard PDFs in that editing them is usually not possible.
How can you tell whether a copy was scanned?
Simply put, you’re free to easily recognize scanned PDFs because their appearance isn’t deceptive.
Is the PDF file you’re able to’t select or highlight text in a scanned copy?
If so, use OCR to convert it into a regular file.
Here’s how:
3.
So, confirm whether the PDF’s author has placed certain restrictions on it.
If he has, request an unrestricted version of the PDF file.
Alternatively, you could remove the restrictions set on the PDF on your own.
Several online tools allow you to remove constraints, such asOnline2pdf.
To confirm this, open up a different PDF and grab the text to highlight.
If it doesn’t work on the other file, too, it’s a software issue.
Try opening the same PDF in another PDF viewer to verify the issue further.
Can’t decide what to choose?
We have compiled a guide on thebest PDF readersto assist you in this endeavor.
Download any of the programs we cover and bring up the PDF file with it.
If it runs perfectly, this is the final confirmation that the problem lies with your software.
Once the primary problem with the software is resolved, the feature will resume working normally.
Reinstall the PDF Viewer Software
Did switching the PDF viewer sort out the issue?
If so, there is a problem with your primary software.
To fix the unforeseen problem the software is experiencing, you should uninstall and reinstall it.
Reinstalling the software may undo any customizations you have already made.
So, keep that in mind before you do that.
Need help uninstalling software?
Refer to our guides onuninstalling software on Windows 11andWindows 10.
Highlight Your PDF Text Again on Windows
Being unable to highlight text can seriously affect our productivity.
When nothing works, there will always be the option to switch PDF viewers.
