Changing Specific Highlight Colors in Microsoft Word Without Affecting Others

1. Quick Replacement Program
Method 1: Find Replace Function
Press Ctrl+H to open the Replace dialog box
Click “More” → “Format” → “Highlight”
Select the current highlight color (e.g. yellow)
Repeat steps 2-3 at “Replace With” to select a new color.
Method 2: Style Replacement (recommended)
Select the target highlighted text
Start tab → Style pane → “New Style”.
Name it (e.g. “Custom Highlight”) → Set background color.
Apply this style directly
2. Advanced Color Management
 Modify the highlighting color palette:
Go to File > Options > Advanced
Find “Show Document Content” → Click “Highlight Color” drop-down menu.
Select “Other Colors” to add a custom color value.
VBA Batch Modification (Precise Control)
vba
Sub ChangeSpecificHighlight()
    Dim rng As Range
    For Each rng In ActiveDocument.StoryRanges
        If rng.HighlightColorIndex = wdYellow Then 'Change yellow highlighting only.
            rng.HighlightColorIndex = wdPink
        End If
    End If
End Sub
(Press Alt+F11 to insert code, F5 to run)
3. Tips to avoid color clashes
Use a theme color instead:
Design tab → Colors → Customize Theme
Modify the “Hyperlinks” or “Visited Hyperlinks” color value.
Select theme color when highlighting
Transparent Color Tip:
Insert a rectangular shape to overlay text
Set the shape:
Fill Color: Custom Color + 50% Transparency
Outline: None
4. Maintaining Color Across Documents
 Create a template document:
After setting the custom highlight style
File → Save As → Word Template (.dotx)
Select this template when creating a new document