Quick Highlighter
Highlight faster with a preset color — select text to save instantly on web pages and in the PDF viewer.
What is Quick Highlighter?
The Quick Highlighter is a fast highlighting mode. Pick one color, turn the mode on, then select text to save a highlight immediately — no color picker on every selection. Your last color is remembered for the next session.
Use it when you are reading sequentially and want one consistent mark color (for example yellow for key facts).
Turn Quick Highlighter on or off
| Method | Where |
|---|---|
| Keyboard | Alt+U — toggle on or off |
| Toolbar button | Sidebar top bar (web pages) or PDF viewer toolbar |
| Floating pill | Click × on the pill to exit the mode |
The sidebar empty-state guide also lists Alt+U.
Customize the shortcut at chrome://extensions/shortcuts — see Keyboard shortcuts.
When Quick Highlighter is on, a compact floating pill appears at the bottom-right of the page.
Choose a highlight color
By default the pill is collapsed:
- Click the highlighter icon (with a small ink dot showing the current color).
- The pill expands to show five color swatches — yellow, green, blue, pink, red.
- Tap a swatch to select it; the pill collapses again.
Your choice is saved and reused the next time you activate Quick Highlighter on any tab.
The toolbar button shows a matching color dot and a pressed state while the mode is active.
Highlight on web pages
Prerequisites: Install the extension and use a supported page.
- Turn on Quick Highlighter (
Alt+Uor the sidebar button). - Drag to select text on the page.
- The highlight is saved with your preset color — the usual floating color toolbar does not appear.
While active, the page uses a text-selection cursor to indicate highlighting mode.
Existing highlights
- Click an existing highlight — opens the normal annotation toolbar so you can change color, add a note, copy, or delete.
- Quick Highlighter does not interfere with editing saved highlights.
Sidebar and Quick Highlighter
Quick Highlighter and the sidebar cannot stay open together:
- Activating Quick Highlighter closes the sidebar.
- Opening the sidebar turns off Quick Highlighter.
This keeps the reading area clear while you highlight quickly.
Exit the mode
- Press
Alt+Uagain - Click × on the floating pill
- Press
Escape - Open the sidebar
Plain clicks on the page (without selecting text) hide the annotation toolbar but keep Quick Highlighter active.
Highlight in the PDF viewer
Quick Highlighter works in the PDF extension viewer the same way:
- Open an online PDF in the ZetaMarker viewer.
- Click the Quick Highlighter button in the PDF toolbar or press
Alt+U. - Select text on a single page — the highlight saves immediately.
The floating pill appears at the bottom-right of the viewer. Color picking and collapse behavior match the web page version.
PDF-specific notes
- One page per selection — you cannot span multiple pages in one highlight (same as normal PDF highlighting).
- Existing PDF highlights — click a highlight to use the standard toolbar for color, comments, or delete.
- Sidebar — same mutual exclusion: opening the PDF sidebar deactivates Quick Highlighter, and vice versa.
Escapeexits Quick Highlighter when no comment editor is open.
Local file PDFs (file://) use the dashboard upload flow — see Highlight local PDF files.
Cloud sync and limits
Highlights created in Quick Highlighter mode are normal ZetaMarker highlights — they save locally immediately and sync to the cloud when you are signed in. See Local highlighting vs cloud sync.
If sync is blocked (for example during initial sync), new highlights may show a toast until sync is ready — same as standard highlighting.
Quick Highlighter is not available on pages where the extension cannot inject (for example Google Drive and Google Docs).