Limited options in Mac System Prefs --can't make highlighting color (used in Word, Calendar, etc) dark enough to SEE what I just selected/highlighted in a doc!

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Limited options in Mac System Prefs --can't make highlighting color (used in Word, Calendar, etc) dark enough to SEE what I just selected/highlighted in a doc!

This is NOT a new problem; in EVERY Mac OS since I've owned my current Mac (early 2015), the System Preferences are faulty because they do not allow the user to make the accent color-- which is ALSO the color the system uses to highlight selected words/paragraphs etc. in Word-- DARK enough so I can see what I JUST highlighted/selected in the document.

I assumed it was a MS problem at first; but in careful Help forum discussions with a MS Support person, they pointed out that for Macs, the problem is that the System Pref available colors are so limited. These are under APPLE\systemprefs\general.

The choices that LOOK dark in the menu ARE NOT DARK on the normal (white background) screen on my MBP screen, NOR on my second monitor screen, in Office documents!

I checked Accessibility options in Prefs--there is NO way I found to address this issue.

I tried to increase contrast, did not help; but I didn't see ANY other ways to address this other than be in Dark mode all the time. And then the highlights are distracting, and I simply don't like reading off the dark background.

*** Weirdly, if I am using other apps-- Gmail, Pages, or on the web, the highlight shade (same one I chose in Sys Pref) is FINE-- barely viewable dark red on docs in Office is VERY visible in gmail; on websites (like just now when I highlighted a phrase to move it in this doc); and in Pages.

I could try to switch to Pages; BUT I have used Word for 20+ years, and tried to switch but found the differences challenging to learn.

I fail to understand why no one has created an add-on to adjust this. With all the innovative features Apple keeps rolling out, why can't this seemingly simple one be adjusted?

This is such an obstacle to me, that when I soon have to purchase a replacement for my MBP which is slowing down, I MUST consider non-Macs -- and I've been using Macs for 15 yrs, and it is otherwise SO superior to WIndows, that doing that upsets me a lot..

** Thank you in advance for any ideas or solutions you may have.

Thanks!

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 11.6

Posted on Oct 7, 2021 9:40 AM

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Answer 1

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VikingOSX

Community+ 2024

Level 10

116,789 points

Oct 7, 2021 10:42 AM in response to NJpsychout

No one here is going to fix an issue that has been ongoing for years with MS Word, and is apparently fine with Apple applications. We are fellow users, and Apple product teams do not read, nor participate here.

It is up to Microsoft to make their products compatible with the versions of macOS that they support, or effectively communicate with Apple if they encounter issues in the operating system that need to be corrected. If the highlighting was poor in Apple applications (and you report that it is not), that would suggest something that Apple would need to fix. Since it is not, I suspect Microsoft support was pointing fingers at Apple just to get you off their support ticket.

If you have updated MS Office to the current 16.53.1 (2021-09-16) version without highlight resolution on macOS 11.6, and without any Word preference setting to improve the highlighting experience, I suggest that you push back on Microsoft. You can, however, submit feedback directly to the macOS Product team. This will not fix Microsoft problems, nor result in a fix to Big Sur at this late date.

Try this: Download the trial version of Softmaker Office 2021 for Mac, and determine if the highlighting saturation is sufficiently dark for your needs. If it is, then it truly is a Microsoft problem.

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Answer 2

Oct 30, 2021 10:16 AM in response to NJpsychout

Sometimes, a gray area unsupported vendor device may regain support via Apple's built-in AirPrint support, where the device can be connected via Ethernet or Wi-Fi.

I recommended Softmaker Office 2021 primarily because it now opens Microsoft documents in their native mode (no translation), and that the interface is more Microsoft in appearance. Softmaker does offer a free trial of their product, though it may not be as fully featured as the paid version, which is less expensive than MS Office.

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Answer 3

NJpsychout Author

Level 1

10 points

Oct 29, 2021 10:10 AM in response to VikingOSX

I acknowledge your firm response.

In past year, I have tried to get extensive help from Apple support and MS support.

And as a long time user, you must know that there are situations that fall in the gray area -- not unlike the frustrating situation for years when printer co's simply shrug like when Apple switched to 64 bit processing, and Samsung/HP, Epson, et al, shrugged and said just that their printer driver no longer supports Apple computers using 64 bit.

But thanks for taking the time to answer; I would need to know more about why you are recommending Softmaker Office 2021 for Mac before trialing it-- we moderately experienced users need that sort of detail.

Cheers.

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Limited options in Mac System Prefs --can't make highlighting color (used in Word, Calendar, etc) dark enough to SEE what I just selected/highlighted in a doc!

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