Changing Colors

Color can emphasize text. There are two ways to use color:

• Change the color of the text (Font color).
  
  
• Highlight the text with a different color (Text Highlight color).

Changing the Color of Text

When you change the color of text, you are physically displaying a different color for each letter. Normally, Word displays text in black, but you can change the color to anything you want, such as bright red or dark green. If you choose a light color for your text, it may be hard to read against a white background. To change the color of text, follow these steps:

1. Click the Home tab and then select the text you want to color.
   
   
2. Click the downward-pointing arrow to the right of the Font Color icon. A color palette appears.
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Click a color. Word displays your selected text in your chosen color.

After you choose a color, that color appears directly on the Font Color icon. Now you can select text and click directly on the Font Color icon (not the downward-pointing arrow) to color your text.

Highlighting Text

Highlighting text mimics coloring chunks of text with a highlighting marker that students often use to emphasize passages in a book. To highlight text, follow these steps:

1. Click the Home tab and then select the text you want to highlight.
   
   
2. Click the downward-pointing arrow to the right of the Text Highlight Color icon. A color palette appears.
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Click a color. Word highlights your selected text in your chosen color.
   
   
4. Press Esc (or click the Text Highlight Color icon again) to turn off the Text Highlight Color command.

To remove a highlight, select the text and choose the same color again.
If no text is selected and the Text Highlight Color currently displays a color you want to use (such as gray), you can click the Text Highlight Color icon (not its downward-pointing arrow). This turns the mouse pointer into a marker icon. Now you can select and highlight text in one step.