Word file does not allow highlighting, what should I do?

You want to highlight a certain paragraph in Word to select it and continue performing other tricks, but you can't? TipsMake will help you fix the error of Word file not highlighting with simple and effective measures. See now!

During the text editing process, highlighting is a frequently performed operation. Highlighting helps you select letters, words, sentences or paragraphs and continue with later operations such as deleting, copying, etc. Therefore, if the Word file does not allow highlighting , it will bring you a lot of trouble. Don't worry too much, TipsMake has found the reason and how to fix this situation.

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Find a way to fix Word files that don't highlight 100% effectively

Why can't I highlight in Word? For this condition, there are many causes. It may be because you are turning on Unikey as Administrator or running with Run as Administrator mode. At this time, users can only double-click the left mouse button to select text or outline the text, but cannot highlight it. In addition, it is also possible that because Word is in view-only or restricted protection mode, you cannot highlight it. The following are detailed troubleshooting steps.

1/ Turn off Unikey mode running under Admin

To fix the error of not being able to highlight in Word, you need to turn off Unikey mode running under admin rights if this mode is enabled.

1. Step 1 : First, you need to right-click on the Unikey icon under the taskbar > Select Finish .

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1. Step 2 : Then, on the Desktop, right-click the Unikey.exe software > Select Properties .

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1. Step 3 : A new window will appear > Click on the Compatibility tab .
2. Step 4 : Continue to uncheck the line Run this program as an administrator > Click OK to save. After that, go back to Word and check to see if you can highlight it.

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2/ Turn off Word's Protected View settings

Unable to highlight in Word Macbook/Windows may be due to Protected View mode being activated. To fix it, follow these steps:

1. Step 1 : In the open Word file, click the File tab > Select Options (version is More > Options).
2. Step 2 : Click the Trust Center tab > Continue clicking the Trust Center settings button .

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1. Step 3 : In the new window, click the Protected View tab in the list on the left > Next, uncheck all 3 lines of Enable Protected View > Click OK to save changes > Click OK again to close Options > Check again Word.

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3/ Some other solutions when not highlighting in Word

1. Note: If this is an online Word file you received from someone else, it is possible that they have not given you permission to edit, so they cannot highlight it. Or if you open it and see a text above > Click Enable to unlock it and then edit it.
2. Do not rule out the possibility that the current version of Word you are using has some problems. Especially when you install the crack version. Try uninstalling and reinstalling Microsoft Office.
3. Besides, you should check whether you have blackened correctly or not? Or is the blacked-out shortcut key combination, mouse, and keyboard paralyzed or damaged? Sometimes the cause of the error also comes from hardware.

Above are the top 3 solutions when Word files do not allow highlighting. TipsMake wishes you success and don't forget to check out our many other Word-related error correction tutorials!

Jessica Tanner

Update 11 December 2023