how to stop highlighting in pdf

Highlighting text in PDF documents is marked as a useful feature. Similar to traditional marking pens, these highlighting tools on PDFs help to underline important notes, especially emphasizing valuable information. Many times sharing the document with multiple users causes a loss of original formatting and visuals. Here, you might be looking for how to stop highlighting in PDF to ensure that no one can highlight and select text in the PDF file.

This guide may help you to closely understand the different techniques to secure your document from unwanted changes including editing, text copying, and highlighting. It converts the data as can’t highlight text in PDF documents. So, let’s dive into it.

Why Stop Highlighting in PDF Document?

There are various reasons to disable highlighting content in PDF documents. It ensures the document's originality, preventing unauthorized changes or modifications when sharing the PDF file. Here are the common benefits of stopping the highlighting features in PDF files:

Prevent Unwanted Annotations: The reason to turn off the highlighting text in PDF mainly happens when need to stop unauthorized edits or annotations. In this way, the document remains originality, maintaining the structure.
Disable Content Copying and Extraction: There are many instances where viewers try to copy or extract the content from sensitive documents. Here, if you make PDF read only file, it certainly prevents users from highlighting or copying text from PDF.
Ensure Data Protection or Regulation: Whether you have research papers or financial reports, threat actors perform malicious actions to misrepresent the information. Here, stopping text highlighting in PDF tends to meet the Data Privacy or Protection Act.

Overall, these are the common reasons to disable highlighting in PDF documents. Now, if you’re seeking how to stop highlighting in PDF, let’s move to the section below.

#1 How to Stop Highlighting in PDF Using Adobe Acrobat

If you’re wondering how to turn off highlight in PDF, use Adobe Acrobat, one of the leading and trusted software for protecting the document with robust security. Using this tool, you can ensure data privacy and integrity, stopping unauthorized users from actions like highlighting, editing, modifying, printing, copying, and adding annotations. With this, you can mitigate the chances of data tampering and misuse over online platforms.

Moreover, the robust software effectively supports user or owner document security to restrict malicious actions. Using this amazing tool, you can easily disable the text highlighting in PDF documents. Here are the steps for how to stop highlighting in PDF using Adobe Acrobat Tool:

Launch and run Adobe Acrobat tool.
Find “Tools” > use the Protect feature.
Enable the restrictions such as editing, copying, etc.
Now, pick the OK button and then, use the Save option.

Acrobat is a go-to and highly recommended tool for limiting the text highlighting in the document. Moreover, the advanced features of this software perhaps fulfill the demands of different industries. Despite the robust functions, there are major drawbacks such as Acrobat tool not responding. Here are the other limitations of this software.

Cons of Using Adobe Acrobat Tool:

Acrobat comes with high monthly or annual subscription fees. For individual or small organizations investing the cost is quite difficult.
The wide range of advanced features can be confusing and overwhelming for novice or new users. Moreover, it takes time and manual labor at once.
Handling a large size PDF can slow down the performance. It is yet another reason to not depend only on Acrobat software.

#2 How to Stop Highlighting in PDF - SysTools Pro Solution

Compared to Acrobat, SysTools PDF Locker is one of the go-to and advanced options if you’re seeking how to turn off highlight in PDF documents. This pro software is designed for the Windows operating system, allowing you to protect your document from unwanted edits and annotations easily.

Moreover, this is feature-rich software that allows you to protect your document with password and other owner restrictions like editing, text copying, printing, commenting, etc. In this way, you can preserve the originality of the document and prevent highlighting. Besides this, it is a highly cost-effective and fast software solution compared to Adobe Acrobat tool.

So, download the demo version of this tool to stop highlighting in your PDF document. Now, let’s move down to learn the stepwise guide of this software.

Steps for How to Turn Off Highlight in PDF File

Run SysTools PDF Locking software on your system.
“Add Files” feature to browse your valuable document.
“Change” button to set the default saving location > Next.
“Apply Document Restrictions” > set desired permissions.
Lastly, press the Lock key to stop highlighting from PDF.

SysTools Pro software is one of the go-to choices for professionals. This tool offers simple and easy-to-navigate features so that new users can easily explore the functions. So, use the demo version and manage your PDF like a pro.

Final Words

In the following guide, we have shared 2 ways on how to stop highlighting in PDF documents. By implementing these methods, you can disable the highlighting in your PDF that makes the PDF unaltered after sharing it with multiple users. Since Acrobat offers certain challenges. Therefore, use the SysTools Pro utility to stop the highlighting feature in your PDF file. With this, you can ensure data protection and share your valuable information with ease.