To highlight text in Canva Docs, type your content, select the desired text, click the “Highlight” option from the top menu, and choose any color — it works in just one click.
Highlighting text in your documents is one of the easiest ways to bring attention to important points.
Whether you’re drafting a blog outline, sharing feedback, or building a visual doc, you can now do it in one click in Canva Docs
In this step-by-step guide, you’ll learn exactly how to highlight text in Canva Docs.
How to Highlight Text in Canva Docs
This built-in feature is exclusive to Canva Docs, meaning it won’t work in Canva’s design tools like presentations or social media posts. Let’s walk through the process step-by-step.
Step 1: Log Into Canva and Open Docs
- Visit Canva Docs and sign in to your Canva account.
- On the homepage, go to the left-side panel and click Docs.
- Click + Create a new doc or select an existing doc to edit.
Step 2: Add or Select Text
- Type the text that you want to highlight.
- Select the portion of text you want to emphasize.
- Make sure only the specific part you want highlighted is selected, not the whole paragraph (unless that’s what you want).
Step 3: Click on the Highlight Color Tool
- Once your text is selected, look at the toolbar at the top of the doc editor.
- Click the Highlight icon — it looks like a small marker or color strip.
- This opens the color options for highlighting.
Step 4: Choose Your Highlight Color
- Select your preferred highlight color from the default palette or Brand Kit.
- If you want a custom color, click the color wheel or “+” icon to add your own.
- Your text will now appear with the selected background highlight.
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30-Day Free Access
Try out all Canva Pro features
- 1-Click Background Remover
- Create Designs in Bulk
- 1-Click Design Resize
- 100M+ Stock Content
- 600K+ Templates
- Transparent background PNG files
Step 5: Adjust or Remove Highlights (Optional)
- To change the highlight color, reselect the text and pick a new color from the toolbar.
- To remove the highlight completely, select the text and choose “None” or a blank color box.
That’s it! That’s how easy it is to highlight text in Canva Docs.
This is perfect for callouts, emphasis in collaborative docs, or quick editing notes.
Reminder: This one-click highlight option is only available inside Canva Docs.
If you’re working in Canva Presentations, Infographics, or Posts, you’ll need to use shapes or effects as a workaround.
Check out my full post on how to highlight text in Canva.
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