EDIT PDF
Free Highlight PDF online
Highlight matching text in your PDF.
Highlight PDF is a free browser tool that lets you highlight matching text in your PDF. Drop your PDF into Highlight PDF, choose your settings, and save the finished file. Highlight PDF works on your device only, so no file or text is ever uploaded.
- Free to use
- No signup
- No uploads
- Works offline
Why use Highlight PDF
- highlight matching text in your PDF without installing software
- Your PDF is processed on your device by Highlight PDF, never uploaded
- Highlight PDF needs no account, email address or payment details
- Highlight PDF is batch-friendly: reuse it immediately on the next file
- Highlight PDF is keyboard accessible and screen-reader friendly
- Highlight PDF is free forever, with no watermark on the result
Highlight PDF runs entirely inside your browser. Your PDF is never uploaded, stored or shared, and nothing is retained once you close the tab.
How to use Highlight PDF
- Add your PDF Drag your PDF onto the drop zone or pick it from your device.
- Adjust the options Set the options that control how Highlight PDF handles your input.
- Run the tool Highlight PDF works instantly on your device, with no queue and no upload wait.
- Download the result Save the finished file straight to your device, then reuse the tool as often as you like.
Benefits
Private by design
Your PDF stays on your device while Highlight PDF works. Highlight PDF never sends it to a server, so confidential work stays confidential.
Instant results
Highlight PDF finishes most jobs in under a second because the work happens on your own hardware.
No signup, no limits
Use Highlight PDF as many times as you want. Highlight PDF asks for no account, adds no watermark and keeps no paid tier gating the output.
Works offline
Once the page has loaded, Highlight PDF keeps working without a connection, which helps on flights and locked-down networks.
Who it is for
For students
Students use Highlight PDF to hand in coursework without installing software: highlight matching text in your PDF on a shared or locked-down machine.
For freelancers
Highlight PDF helps freelancers send client deliverables quickly, since your PDF never leaves the laptop it was created on.
For HR and admin teams
Highlight PDF helps HR and admin teams process paperwork quickly, since your PDF never leaves the laptop it was created on.
How it works
Highlight PDF loads your PDF into memory, applies the change you requested to the underlying data rather than to a screenshot of it, and writes a fresh copy for download. Your original stays untouched on disk, and every step of Highlight PDF happens inside your browser sandbox.
Frequently asked questions
Is Highlight PDF free to use?
Yes. Highlight PDF is completely free with no account, no trial and no usage cap. Every feature on this page is available on the first visit.
Does Highlight PDF upload your PDF to a server?
No. Highlight PDF processes your PDF inside your browser, so it never reaches a DocTools server. That also means the tool keeps working if your connection drops mid-task.
Is there a file size limit?
The practical ceiling is your device's available memory rather than a server quota. Files up to roughly 100 MB work comfortably on a typical laptop in Highlight PDF.
Do I need to install anything to use Highlight PDF?
No installation is needed. Highlight PDF runs in Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari, on desktop and on mobile, with no extension or plugin.
Can I use Highlight PDF on a phone or tablet?
Yes. The Highlight PDF interface adapts to small screens and supports touch input, though very large jobs are faster on a desktop browser.
What happens to your PDF when I close the tab?
It is discarded. Highlight PDF keeps everything in temporary browser memory, so closing the tab removes every trace of the session.
Related tools
- OCR PDF | Make scanned PDFs searchable with OCR
- Add Watermark | Stamp text across every page of your PDFs
- Edit PDF | Edit text and images in your PDF
Last updated: 2026-09-07