Applies to:
- Revu 20
- Revu 2019
- Revu 2018
Jump to other versions:
Problem
The Highlight and Select Text
tools select text you don’t want.
If your highlights are opaque and conceal your drawing or text, see this article.
Cause
Text in a PDF is stored in individual lines instead of blocks or paragraphs. As a result, dragging the cursor downward to select multiple lines of text might select text on the other side of the page.
Solution
Here are a couple alternative methods you can use to accurately select and highlight text. You may find each method to be helpful in different circumstances.
Click and drag
Holding down the Ctrl key while using the Select Text tool releases its snap-to-text function, allowing you to draw a rectangle around the text you want to select.
- Go to Edit > PDF Content > Select Text
(Shift+T) or click the Select Text
button in the Navigation Bar.
- Hold down the Ctrl key, then click and drag to draw a rectangle around the text. The selected text will have a temporary blue highlight.
- Right-click on the selected text and click Highlight Selected Text.
Draw a freehand highlight
You can manually activate the Highlight tool’s freehand mode by holding down the Ctrl key. This disables the snap-to-text function, allowing you to draw a freehand markup over text (similar to the Pen tool).
- Click Tools > Markup > Highlight
(H).
- Hold down the Ctrl key and draw a line over the text you want to highlight. Draw a straight line by holding down the Ctrl and Shift keys.
Other versions of this article
Revu 2017 and older
Problem
The Highlight and Select Text
tools select text you don’t want to select.
Why is this Happening?
Text in a PDF is stored in individual lines instead of blocks or paragraphs. As a result, dragging the cursor downward to select multiple lines of text might select text on the other side of the page.
Solution
Here are a couple alternative methods you can use to accurately select and highlight text. Each is a little different and may be helpful in different circumstances.


Using the Select Text tool and the Context Menu
Holding down the Ctrl key while using the Select Text tool releases its snap-to-text function, allowing you to draw a rectangle around the text you want to select.
- Go to Edit > Select
> Select Text
(Shift+T) or click the Select Text
button in the Navigation Bar.
- Hold down the Ctrl key, then click and drag to draw a rectangle around the text. The selected text will have a temporary blue highlight.
- Right-click on the selection text and click Highlight Selected Text.

Using a Freehand Highlight
You can manually activate the Highlight tool’s pen mode by holding down the Ctrl key. This disables the snap-to-text function, allowing you to draw a freehand markup.
- Click Markup > Pen
> Highlight
(H).
- Hold down the Ctrl key and draw a line over the text you want to highlight. Draw a straight line by holding down the Ctrl and Shift keys.