How to Highlight Text Without Using a Background Color

If you need to mark important text in a Word document but cannot use the standard yellow background highlight, you may be looking for alternative methods. The traditional Highlight tool applies a background color that can interfere with printing, accessibility, or document formatting. This article explains how to use font formatting, borders, underline styles, and other built-in Word features to emphasize text without adding a background fill. You will learn several practical techniques that keep your document clean while still drawing attention to key passages.

Understanding the Difference Between Highlighting and Shading

Word offers two primary ways to add background color to text: the Highlight tool on the Home tab and the Shading button inside the Borders and Shading dialog. The Highlight tool applies a translucent color behind selected text, similar to a marker on paper. Shading fills the entire paragraph background with a solid color. Both methods add a background color that may not print well, can conflict with document themes, and may be inaccessible to users with visual impairments. When you cannot use a background color, you need to rely on font-level formatting, borders, or special characters that do not alter the text area behind the letters.

Methods to Highlight Text Without a Background Color

Method 1: Use Font Color and Bold

1. Select the text you want to emphasize
   Click and drag over the word, phrase, or paragraph you want to highlight.
2. Change the font color
   On the Home tab, in the Font group, click the Font Color arrow. Choose a color that contrasts strongly with the document text, such as dark red, blue, or green. Avoid light colors that are hard to read.
3. Apply bold formatting
   Press Ctrl+B or click the Bold button in the Font group. Combining a distinct color with bold weight makes the text visually prominent without any background fill.
4. Optionally increase font size
   To make the text even more noticeable, increase the font size by one or two points. Select the text and press Ctrl+Shift+> to grow the font.

Method 2: Apply a Colored Underline

1. Select the text
   Highlight the text you want to underline.
2. Open the Underline options
   On the Home tab, in the Font group, click the arrow next to the Underline button (it looks like a U).
3. Choose an underline style and color
   From the drop-down list, select a thick underline style such as Thick or Double Underline. Then click Underline Color and pick a bright color like red or orange. The underline sits below the text and does not affect the background area.
4. Adjust underline spacing if needed
   For even more emphasis, add a space after the underlined text and format that space with the same underline. This creates a longer colored line that draws the eye.

Method 3: Add a Text Border

1. Select the text or paragraph
   For a single word or phrase, select it. For a whole paragraph, place the cursor anywhere in that paragraph.
2. Open the Borders menu
   On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click the Borders arrow (it looks like a window with four panes).
3. Choose Borders and Shading
   At the bottom of the drop-down menu, click Borders and Shading.
4. Set a box border with a color
   In the Borders tab, under Setting, select Box. Choose a line style, color, and width. Click OK. The text now appears inside a colored box with no background fill. To remove the background fill, make sure the Shading tab shows No Color.

Method 4: Use a Special Character or Symbol as a Marker

1. Place the cursor before the text you want to mark
   Click at the start of the word or phrase.
2. Insert a symbol
   Go to Insert > Symbol > More Symbols. In the Symbol dialog, choose a character like an arrow, bullet, or star from the Wingdings or Segoe UI Symbol font. Click Insert and then Close.
3. Format the symbol
   Select the symbol and change its font color to a bright shade. The symbol acts as a visual marker without altering the text background.
4. Repeat for other highlighted sections
   Copy and paste the symbol before each piece of text you want to emphasize.

Method 5: Use a Comment Instead of Inline Highlighting

1. Select the text you want to comment on
   Highlight the passage.
2. Insert a comment
   Go to Review > New Comment. A comment balloon appears in the margin.
3. Write your note
   Type a short note explaining why the text is important. The text itself remains unformatted, but the comment marks it for review.
4. Use comment highlighting for clarity
   You can also change the comment balloon color by right-clicking the comment and selecting Comment Color. This method is ideal for collaborative editing where background color is not allowed.

Common Mistakes and Limitations

Font Color Alone Is Not Enough for Some Readers

Using only font color to highlight text may not be accessible to colorblind readers. Always combine color with another formatting change such as bold, underline, or italic. This ensures the emphasis is conveyed even without color perception.

Borders Can Disturb Paragraph Spacing

When you apply a box border to a paragraph, Word adds extra space around the text inside the border. To fix this, right-click the border, select Borders and Shading, and adjust the spacing in the Options button. Set the Top, Bottom, Left, and Right margins to 0 pt to keep the border tight around the text.

Underline Color May Not Print Correctly on Some Printers

Some inkjet printers struggle to print thin colored lines clearly. If you plan to print the document, test a sample page first. Alternatively, use a thicker underline style or switch to font color and bold for better print results.

Special Characters Can Shift if Fonts Change

If you insert a symbol from a decorative font like Wingdings, the symbol may change or disappear when the document is opened on a computer without that font. Use standard Unicode symbols (Insert > Symbol > Subset: Dingbats) for better cross-platform compatibility.

Font Color vs Underline vs Border: When to Use Each

Item	Font Color + Bold	Colored Underline	Text Border
Visual impact	Moderate	Low to moderate	High
Affects line spacing	No	No	Yes (adds space)
Print reliability	Excellent	Good	Excellent
Accessibility for colorblind	Good (with bold)	Fair (underline adds shape)	Good (thick border visible)
Ease of application	One click per format	Two clicks	Multiple dialog steps

Now you have five practical methods to highlight text in Word without using a background color. Start by trying font color combined with bold for quick emphasis. For a more distinctive marker, apply a thick colored underline or a box border. If you work in a collaborative environment, use comments to flag important passages. To save time, create a keyboard shortcut for your preferred method by going to File > Options > Customize Ribbon > Keyboard Shortcuts and assigning a key combination to the Font Color or Underline command.