Changing the Default Highlighting Color

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 11, 2024)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021

On the Home tab of the ribbon, the default color for the Text Highlight tool is yellow. Larry wonders if there is a way to change the default so that it is, instead, "No Color."

The answer depends on what you mean by "default color." If you mean that the highlighting will be something other than yellow (including "No Color") when you first start Word, then the answer is no. There is no built-in ability to specify a default color according to this definition.

However, if your definition of "default color" means that what Word uses the next time you use the Text Highlight tool, then the answer is yes. You see, if you use the drop-down color selector next to the tool, whatever color you pick (including, again, "No Color") becomes the "default" color for all subsequent uses of the tool during your current session in Word.

Of course, you can change the highlight color when you first start Word by using an AutoExec macro to set the color. The macro using this special name, when stored in your Normal template, runs whenever you start Word, so it is a great place to specify the color you want. Here's how such a macro would look:

Sub AutoExec()
    Options.DefaultHighlightColorIndex = wdNoHighlight
End Sub

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the WordTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (144) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Displaying Fields

Fields (sometimes called field codes) allow you to insert dynamic information in your documents. If you want to see the ...

Discover More

Transposing and Linking

Sometimes it is helpful to look at data that is rotated 90 degrees. Excel allows you to use Paste Special to transpose ...

Discover More

Breaking Into Sentences

Macros allow you to easily extend what you can do with Word. If you have a common editing task, that task can often be ...

Discover More

The First and Last Word on Word! Bestselling For Dummies author Dan Gookin puts his usual fun and friendly candor back to work to show you how to navigate Word 2013. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2013 For Dummies today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Formatting Page Numbers

Need to format the page numbers you added to your document? Word makes it easy, using the same techniques you use to ...

Discover More

Making Bottoms of Pages Line Up

Want to make your text look good on the finished page? This tip discusses a common speed bump in this quest--making the ...

Discover More

Margins for All Documents Changing

Have you had the margins in a group of documents change without you knowingly doing anything? This tip explores some ...

Discover More

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is five more than 0?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.