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An Easy Way to Color Code and Organize Ideas in a Google Doc

2 minute read

Docs Blue1

If you want to color code ideas or themes in Google Docs, the highlighter tool is useful. But at the end of the day, you’re either left with a messy rainbow-colored document, or you have to do a lot of copying and pasting to organize all your ideas.

Luckily, there’s a great way to highlight and color code specific ideas and then export them to another document, so that your ideas are all instantly and neatly organized for you.

  • Head to the top of your Docs screen and click on Add-ons > Get add ons. 
  • Search for Highlight Tool, and then install the add on. Allow the add-on permission to access your Docs. 
  • Head back up to the Add-ons menu in Docs and choose the Highlight Tool. Click on Start, and a menu will open up on the right-hand side.
  • You can create your own highlighters by clicking on the Create highlighters button at the bottom of the screen. You can label your highlighter and then choose a different color for it. To add another highlighter, click the plus icon at the bottom of the screen. Once you’re done, click Create.

Highlight screenshot

  • To highlight a section of text in your document, highlight it with your mouse as normal, then head over the right side of the page and click on the color label that you’d like to apply.

Highlight screenshot 3

  • Now, head down to the Export Highlights section of the pane. Choose “Export by color,” which brings up a window. If you’re just making a few notes you can export them to the bottom of the current document, but you can also export them to a new document instead.

Highlight screenshot 4

  • Then, click on “Link to document” to open up a new window that contains your highlighted notes, organized by color in a neat and organized document. This is a great way to create a study guide of any document, and the tool is great for anyone who needs to isolate key information in a document.

Highlight screenshot 2

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