Highlights, underlines and areas

Mark important sentences in color, underline them, or draw a box around a figure or an equation. They use the same eight colors as Mendeley and Zotero, and they sync.

Applies to Mendeley and Zotero editions Windows · Mac · iPad Partly included in the purchase

Highlight or underline text

  1. Select the text.
    • iPadPress and hold, then drag the handles.
    • Windows · MacDrag over the text with the mouse. Double-click selects a word.
  2. Choose Highlight or Underline:
    • Mac · iPadwith the Highlight or Underline tool in the toolbar, the H / U keys, or right-click on Mac.
    • Windowsin the bar that appears over the selection (click a color dot to highlight in that color), with the H / U keys, or by right-clicking.

You can also pick the tool first and then select the text.

Creating highlights, underlines and areas is included in the purchase. It is free during the 14-day trial and inside the sample paper. Seeing and copying the ones you already have is always free. See Trial and purchase.

Colors

There are eight colors, the same as in Mendeley and Zotero: yellow, green, red, blue, pink, purple, orange and gray.

  • Mac · iPadChoose the color with the Color tool (in the bar it shows as a dot of the current color).
  • WindowsClick one of the eight color dots in the selection bar.

To change the color of a highlight you already made, press it and choose another color.

Highlight an area

Use Area highlight to box a figure, a table or an equation.

  1. Choose the area highlight tool.
  2. Mark the area:
    • Mac · iPadLong-press on the page to place a frame. Choose the tool again to stop.
    • WindowsDrag a rectangle over the figure or table.

Trace text with the HL Pen

  • Mac · iPadChoose the HL Pen and draw over the text you want to highlight. It is handy with Apple Pencil.

In the Zotero edition the HL Pen also works on scanned PDFs.

Work with an existing highlight

Press a highlight (right-click on Mac and Windows) to:

Mac · iPadIf annotations are hidden, the first press shows them again; press once more to add.

Highlights sync to Mendeley or Zotero with your other annotations. See Annotation sync.

Updated September 20, 2026