Pages where highlighting may not work
Why ZetaMarker shows "Can't highlight here" on some websites and what you can try instead.
Most websites work with ZetaMarker. A few use page structures that prevent reliable highlighting — the extension shows a clear message instead of failing silently.
The message
When you try to highlight on an unsupported structure:
Can't highlight here (page structure issue).The toast appears for about 6 seconds. Tap Learn more on the toast to open this article. This is not a bug in ZetaMarker — the page layout cannot anchor a highlight safely.
Why some pages fail
To save a highlight, ZetaMarker records a precise path to your selected text in the page HTML — like an address for that passage. If the page uses element names the browser cannot describe, deeply nested widgets, or content outside normal HTML, that path cannot be built and highlighting is blocked.
These situations often trigger the message:
- Heavy single-page apps that re-render content constantly
- Text inside canvas, shadow DOM, or iframes ZetaMarker cannot access
- Reader modes or custom viewers that replace normal HTML
- Sites that block or replace selected text programmatically
- Unusual PDF embeds inside web pages (use the PDF URL directly instead)
This is different from Why some highlights are not shown — that article covers highlights that saved but fail to reappear after reload.
What to try
- Refresh the page and activate ZetaMarker again (
Ctrl+Shift+K/Cmd+Shift+K). - Try the site's print view or reader mode if available — sometimes the simplified HTML works.
- Copy important text manually and paste into page notes if highlighting is impossible.
- For PDFs, open the PDF URL directly or upload to the dashboard.
Google Drive and Google Docs
Drive and Docs are not supported in the extension at all — you are redirected to an upload prompt. See Google Drive and Google Docs.
Report a site
If you believe a normal article page should work, use Bug report in the extension Options menu — see Report bugs and send feedback. Include the page URL.