How to Remove Highlight in PDF in 5 Steps

Last Updated: 16 April 2026

By: Prokhor Sikder

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In 5 simple steps, this guide will show you how to remove highlights in a PDF using Adobe Acrobat.

This is helpful when highlighted text looks distracting or was left in the file by mistake.

So let’s dive in and clean up your PDF.

Steps:

  1. Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat
  2. Click on the highlighted text
  3. Remove the highlight from the quick toolbar
  4. Save the PDF
  5. Use the advanced method if the highlight won’t delete

Step 1: Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat

First, open the PDF file in Adobe Acrobat.

Make sure you are opening the correct file where the highlighted text appears.

A PDF is opened in Adobe Acrobat

Step 2: Click on the highlighted text

Now click directly on the highlighted text in the PDF.

When you click on it, Adobe Acrobat should show a small quick toolbar.

red arrow pointing to a small quick toolbar in Adobe Acrobat

Step 3: Remove the highlight from the quick toolbar

From the quick toolbar, click on the trash icon.

red arrow pointing to trash icon in Adobe Acrobat

This will remove the highlight from that selected text.

a PDF is showing after removing all the highlights

If your PDF has multiple highlighted sections, repeat the same process for each one.

Step 4: Save the PDF

After removing all the highlights, save the file.

This will keep the updated version of your PDF without the highlighted text.

Step 5: Use the advanced method if the highlight won’t delete

Sometimes, clicking on the highlight and pressing the trash icon does not work.

This usually happens when the highlight is not a normal annotation and is instead part of the PDF content itself.

In that case, you need to use Adobe Acrobat’s Print Production tools.

5.1 Go to “All Tools”

At the top right of Adobe Acrobat, click on “All Tools”.

red arrow pointing to “All Tools” in Adobe Acrobat

5.2 Select “Use Print Production”

Scroll down and click on “Use Print Production”.

red rectangle highlights “Use Print Production” in Adobe Acrobat

5.3 Click on “Edit Object”

Now select “Edit Object”.

This tool lets you select separate objects inside the PDF.

red rectangle highlights “Edit Object” in Adobe Acrobat

5.4 Select the text first

If you cannot click on the highlight behind the text, click on the text first.

red arrow pointing to text that are highlighted

Then press “Ctrl + X” on your keyboard to cut the text. It will appear only the highlighted color.

red rectangle highlights the highlighted color

5.5 Delete the highlight

Now click on the highlight object and press “Delete”.

This removes the highlight.

red rectangle highlights the clean part after removing the highlight color

5.6 Paste the text back

Press “Ctrl + V” to paste the text back into place.

red arrow pointing to the text after removing it’s highlight color

Repeat these steps for each highlighted section you want to remove.

a PDF is when it’s all highlights are removed

5.7 Save the PDF again

Once you are done, save the PDF.

That’s it!

That’s how to remove highlight in PDF using Adobe Acrobat.

In most cases, you just need to click the highlighted text and remove it from the quick toolbar. If that does not work, the Edit Object tool in Print Production should help you remove it manually.

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How to Remove Highlight in PDF in 5 Steps - Supatool