In a nutshell:
Canva offers four ways to highlight text: the Background Effect (fastest option, inside the Effects menu), a colored shape placed behind your text, the Draw tool’s highlighter brush, and the native highlighter inside Canva Docs. All four methods work on the free plan , no Canva Pro subscription required.
Canva doesn’t have a button labeled “highlight text” anywhere obvious. That’s why so many people end up searching for it. The good news: there are four ways to get it done , and all of them work on the free plan.
In this guide, you’ll walk through each method step by step, learn when to use each one, and find out how to solve the most common frustration: highlighting just one word inside a text box.
In 30 seconds:
Select your text box → click Effects → choose Background → pick a color. Done. That’s the fastest way. Keep reading if you need to highlight a single word or want a different look.
Method 1: Background Effect (Fastest and Most Popular)
This is the method most people use , and for good reason. It’s fast, it looks clean, and it works on any design.
Step by step:
- Click on the text box you want to highlight.
- In the top toolbar, click Effects.
- In the panel that opens on the left, click Background.
- Choose a color. You can pick from the preset swatches or click the color icon to enter a hex code.
Available adjustments:
- Roundness: Controls whether the highlight edges are sharp or rounded. Zero = square corners. One hundred = pill shape.
- Spread: Increases or decreases the padding between the text and the highlight border.
- Transparency: Makes the highlight more or less opaque.
One important limitation: the Background Effect applies to the entire text box. If you need to highlight just one word, jump to the “How to Highlight Just One Word in Canva” section below.
Method 2: Shape or Rectangle Behind the Text
This method gives you more visual control. You place a shape behind the text and adjust it however you like.
Step by step:
- In the left sidebar, click Elements.
- In the search bar, type “rectangle.”
- Click a rectangle to add it to your design.
- Resize and position the rectangle over your text.
- With the rectangle selected, click the color icon (the colored square) in the top toolbar to change its color.
- To move the rectangle behind the text, right-click → Send backward, or use the Position option in the top toolbar.
- Select both the rectangle and the text box (Shift+click), then group them with Ctrl+G (Cmd+G on Mac). That way, both elements move together if you edit the design later.
When to use it: when you need a highlight with clean, defined edges , or when you want a shape other than a plain rectangle, like a diamond or a custom form.
Method 3: Draw Tool Highlighter
Canva has a drawing tool that includes a highlighter brush. It’s less precise than the other methods, but it creates a more hand-drawn, organic look.
Step by step:
- In the left sidebar, click Draw , the icon looks like a pencil.
- In the panel that opens, select the Highlighter brush , it looks like a real marker pen.
- Choose a color and adjust the size and transparency.
- Click and drag across the text to apply the highlight.
Pro tip: Hold Shift while dragging to keep the line straight. Even so, it takes a bit of practice to get it cleanly aligned with your text. Note: this shortcut works on desktop only , it won’t help on mobile.
When to use it: when you want a relaxed, handmade vibe , it’s popular in educational content, Instagram Stories, and informal presentation decks.
Method 4: Native Highlighter in Canva Docs
If you’re working in a Canva Doc , a text document, not a graphic design , Canva has a built-in highlight tool. It works just like the one in Google Docs.
Step by step:
- Open or create a Canva Doc (not a regular design).
- Select the text you want to highlight by clicking and dragging.
- In the toolbar that appears, click the Highlighter icon , it looks like a marker.
- Choose your color.
Important: this method only works inside Canva Docs. If you’re working on a regular graphic design , a presentation, social post, or flyer , use Methods 1, 2, or 3 instead.
One more thing worth knowing: Canva Docs is the only method that lets you highlight individual words inside a paragraph natively , no separate text boxes, no shapes required. If your goal is to call out a specific word within a block of text, Docs is the cleanest solution.
How to Highlight Just One Word in Canva
This is the question that comes up most in the comments , and most tutorials completely skip it.
The issue is that the Background Effect covers the entire text box, not individual words. To highlight just one word, you have two options.
Option A , Create a separate text box for that word:
- Delete the word from the original text box (or replace it with a space).
- Add a new text box with just that word.
- Apply the Background Effect to the new text box.
- Position it in the right spot within your text.
- Select both text boxes (Shift+click) and group them with Ctrl+G (Cmd+G on Mac) so the alignment stays intact when you move things around later.
It sounds like a lot of steps, but it takes under a minute.
Option B , Use a shape (Method 2) positioned over the word:
- Add a rectangle.
- Resize it to cover just that word.
- Move it behind the text with Send backward.
- Choose a color.
This is the quickest option if you just need to highlight one word in a graphic design.
Which Method Should You Use?
Use the table below to decide quickly:
| Situation | Recommended method |
|---|---|
| Quick highlight across a full text block | Background Effect (Method 1) |
| Precise control over position and size | Shape/Rectangle (Method 2) |
| Hand-drawn or organic look | Draw Tool (Method 3) |
| Working inside a text document | Canva Docs Highlighter (Method 4) |
| Highlighting just one word | Separate text box + Background Effect |
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes , all four methods in this guide work on the free plan. You don’t need a Canva Pro subscription to highlight text.
Not directly, in standard graphic designs. The Background Effect applies to the whole text box. The most practical workaround is to create a separate text box for that word and apply the effect to it.
Yes. The Canva mobile app includes the Draw tool. That said, applying the highlight precisely is tricky without a stylus. For mobile, the Background Effect (Method 1) is usually the easier option.
Yes. For the Background Effect: select the text box → Effects → Background → click the No color tile. For shapes: select and delete. For the Draw tool: press Ctrl+Z (Cmd+Z on Mac) to undo, or select the drawn stroke and delete it.
No. The native Canva Docs highlighter only works inside documents created with the Docs tool. For graphic designs, use the other methods covered in this guide.