Many Chrome users were recently confronted with a strange issue, finding it impossible to highlight text on many web pages. Sound familiar? While you may have thought those sites had implemented some sort of blocker to keep readers from copying text, this was simply a bug with the latest Chrome version, and Google has finally fixed the issue.
Update Chrome to Get Back to Highlighting
If you’re having trouble highlighting text on news platforms, X (formerly Twitter), or other websites while using Chrome, you should consider updating the browser. The issue and subsequent update apply to both Mac and Windows users.
Complaints about the bug first emerged on forums likeGoogle’s Supportpage andChromiumas early as November 12th, and were laterpicked up by The Verge. The cause of the frustration was actually Google’s misstep with a styling tool; technically, you could still grab text, copy, and paste it into another platform. However, you couldn’t see any visual indicator, such as a color block behind the text, to know exactly what you were getting.
Today,The Verge verifiedthat Google had confirmed a resolution, prompting users to update to the newest version.
How To Update Your Chrome
To verify you’re using the latest version of Chrome, simply close and reopen the app. Yes, it might actually be that easy. That said, we all know tech doesn’t always behave, so if you’re still facing a ghost highlighter, check the version number by selectingChrome>About Google Chrome.
The latest version of the app that you’re looking for is:
Other Solutions for a Flaky Browser
There’s no doubt we rely heavily on Google for our information, and I’ll admit I sometimes take an internet connection and browser performance for granted. The fact is, a browser like Chrome or Safari is no less fallible than any other app. It’s for this reason thatI often prefer to download web pages for offline use.
In a case like this one, a workaround could always be to download an article and open it in Microsoft Word or a PDF reader. Of course, you could also copy and paste the link into a different browser, if you have others downloaded.
As a general rule of thumb, it’s best to do some investigative testing to understand the root cause of a software bug. With the latest Chrome glitch, many thought that the issue was news sites changing permissions, and some even called out Elon Musk on X (formerly Twitter). Not that I don’t love a good Twitter battle, but before calling in the cavalry, you can always check a web page in another browser to isolate the source of the problem.
