Highlighty Documentation

Complete guide to every Highlighty workflow, setting, and shortcut.

Start with the basic search flow, then move through each setting, behavior, and account feature in a systematic order. Videos are included where we have them, but the written guide is the primary reference.

On this page

Start at the top for the full workflow, or jump directly to any setting and use the written guide first. Videos are supplementary where available.

Getting Started
  1. Before you begin
  2. Understand the popup layout
  3. Run your first search
Core Workflow
  1. Add, edit, and remove queries
  2. Choose colors and text decoration
  3. Use RegExp mode
  4. Understand automatic rescanning on dynamic pages
Basic Settings
  1. Compact view of query list
  2. Invert query box click action
  3. Disable query box clicks
  4. Minimum 2 character limit
  5. Focus input on startup
  6. Scrollbar markers
  7. Query found alert
  8. Query not found alert
  9. Found sum on badge
  10. Manual search mode
  11. Switch off hotkey
  12. Highlight on select
  13. Navigation bar
  14. Quick disable hotkey
Advanced Settings
  1. Grow found query size
  2. Import excel or sheets file
  3. Load or save query list from file
  4. Saved query lists
  5. Allowed websites
  6. Disallowed websites
  7. Case sensitivity
  8. Diacritic sensitivity
  9. Split search
  10. Complete phrase search
  11. iFrame search
  12. Highlighty X-Ray
  13. Backup and restore
Analytics
  1. Search analytics
Account & Subscription
  1. Create an account and sign in
  2. Verify email and reset password
  3. Upgrade to PRO and manage subscription
  4. Delete my data and sign out
Limits & Troubleshooting
  1. Free plan limits vs PRO
  2. When results look wrong or incomplete
  3. Performance expectations on heavy pages

Contents

Follow the guide section by section or jump straight to a setting.

Getting Started

Before you beginUnderstand the popup layoutRun your first search

Core Workflow

Add, edit, and remove queriesChoose colors and text decorationUse RegExp modeUnderstand automatic rescanning on dynamic pages

Basic Settings

Compact view of query listInvert query box click actionDisable query box clicksMinimum 2 character limitFocus input on startupScrollbar markersQuery found alertQuery not found alertFound sum on badgeManual search modeSwitch off hotkeyHighlight on selectNavigation barQuick disable hotkey

Advanced Settings

Grow found query sizeImport excel or sheets fileLoad or save query list from fileSaved query listsAllowed websitesDisallowed websitesCase sensitivityDiacritic sensitivitySplit searchComplete phrase searchiFrame searchHighlighty X-RayBackup and restore

Analytics

Search analytics

Account & Subscription

Create an account and sign inVerify email and reset passwordUpgrade to PRO and manage subscriptionDelete my data and sign out

Limits & Troubleshooting

Free plan limits vs PROWhen results look wrong or incompletePerformance expectations on heavy pages

Videos are used as supporting material. The written guide is the primary reference.

Highlighty Documentation

Complete guide to every Highlighty workflow, setting, and shortcut.

Start with the basic search flow, then move through each setting, behavior, and account feature in a systematic order. Videos are included where we have them, but the written guide is the primary reference.

Documentation Section

Getting Started

Start here if you are new to Highlighty. These entries explain what to do after installation, how the popup is organized, and what the default search flow looks like.

Feature 01

Before you begin

Free

What it does

Highlighty works on the currently open webpage. After installing or updating the extension, refresh tabs you already had open so the extension can attach to them.

Where to find it

Browser toolbar and the active webpage

How to use it

  1. Install Highlighty and pin it to the browser toolbar if you use it often.
  2. Refresh tabs that were already open before installation or update.
  3. Open a webpage with normal text content, then click the Highlighty icon to open the popup.

Keep in mind

  • Core searching, highlighting, and saved lists run locally in the browser and are stored locally on the device.
  • Install-level trial rules, account trial access, checkout, and deletion flows still involve Highlighty services or external payment/support pages.
  • Large pages, many active queries, or many open tabs can increase CPU usage on older computers.

Documentation Section

Core Workflow

These entries cover the everyday Highlighty workflow: creating queries, styling them, editing them, and understanding how matches are refreshed on live pages.

Feature 01

Add, edit, and remove queries

Free

What it does

Each submitted query becomes a color-coded box in the active query list. From there you can edit, delete, or focus it for navigation.

Where to find it

Popup > bottom query list

How to use it

  1. Type a query and submit it with Enter or the plus button.
  2. By default, left click deletes a query and right click loads it back into the composer for editing.
  3. When the Navigation bar feature is enabled, use the aim icon on a query box to make that query the focused navigation target.

Keep in mind

  • Duplicate query names are blocked inside the currently selected list.
  • If Invert query box click action is enabled, edit and delete are swapped.
  • If Disable query box clicks is enabled, you must turn that setting off before editing or deleting from the list.

Feature 02

Choose colors and text decoration

FreePROVideo
Free with PRO color toolsDefault: Background highlight

What it does

Every query can have its own visual style. You can use a background highlight, or switch to underline, overline, line-through, dotted, wavy, or double underline styles.

Where to find it

Popup > bottom query composer

How to use it

  1. Create or edit a query so the color and decoration controls appear.
  2. Use the free color slider, opacity slider, or Randomize to pick a highlight color.
  3. With PRO, switch to the full color picker or palette for more precise color selection.
  4. Open Text Decoration to choose the decoration type and thickness, then submit the query.

Keep in mind

  • Background highlight is the default style for new queries.
  • Text decoration types and thickness controls are available without PRO.
  • Text decoration styles are useful when background color is too heavy or when you want an accessibility-friendly visual cue.

Video walkthrough

Use the clip as a visual companion to the written guide.

Feature 03

Use RegExp mode

FreePROVideo
Free with PRO limit increaseDefault: Off

What it does

RegExp mode lets you search with regular expressions instead of plain text so you can match patterns, variants, or structured strings.

Where to find it

Popup > bottom query composer > Is RegExp

How to use it

  1. Toggle Is RegExp before submitting the query.
  2. Type the pattern you want to match, then submit it like any normal query.
  3. Adjust case sensitivity if you need stricter matching.

Keep in mind

  • Free accounts can use RegExp, but the pattern length is limited to 40 characters.
  • RegExp is best for advanced matching such as prefixes, suffixes, numeric patterns, or repeated structures.

Video walkthrough

Use the clip as a visual companion to the written guide.

Feature 04

Understand automatic rescanning on dynamic pages

Free
Default: On when automatic search is active

What it does

Highlighty can watch supported pages for DOM changes and re-run searches so newly loaded content is highlighted without a full refresh.

Where to find it

On-page behavior

How to use it

  1. Keep the extension enabled and leave Manual search mode off if you want automatic rescanning.
  2. Browse a dynamic site such as an endless feed or a live search result page.
  3. When new content is added to the page, Highlighty re-checks the current queries and updates the results.

Keep in mind

  • This is useful on dynamic pages, but it can add overhead on very active or very large pages.
  • Some pages are intentionally excluded from observer behavior, and not every site updates the DOM in a way that can be tracked cleanly.

Documentation Section

Basic Settings

Basic settings cover the popup layout, page notifications, and the main hotkeys. These are the controls most users will touch first.

Feature 01

Compact view of query list

FreeVideo
Default: Off

What it does

Shrinks the query list into denser full-width rows so more queries fit into the popup at once.

Where to find it

Popup > settings > Basic > User-interface settings

How to use it

  1. Turn it on when you want to manage many queries with less scrolling.

Keep in mind

  • This changes only the popup layout and does not change webpage highlights.

Video walkthrough

Use the clip as a visual companion to the written guide.

Feature 02

Invert query box click action

FreeVideo
Default: Off

What it does

Swaps the default edit and delete mouse actions on query boxes.

Where to find it

Popup > settings > Basic > User-interface settings

How to use it

  1. Turn it on if you want left click to edit and right click to delete instead of the default behavior.

Keep in mind

  • Useful if you edit much more often than you delete and want the safer action on right click.

Video walkthrough

Use the clip as a visual companion to the written guide.

Feature 03

Disable query box clicks

FreeVideo
Default: Off

What it does

Prevents edit and delete actions on query boxes so accidental clicks do not change your active list.

Where to find it

Popup > settings > Basic > User-interface settings

How to use it

  1. Turn it on if you want a safer read-only query list while browsing.

Keep in mind

  • When this setting is on, query boxes can no longer be edited or removed until you switch it back off.

Video walkthrough

Use the clip as a visual companion to the written guide.

Feature 04

Minimum 2 character limit

FreeVideo
Default: On

What it does

Blocks very short one-character queries, which helps reduce noise and unnecessary page work.

Where to find it

Popup > settings > Basic > User-interface settings

How to use it

  1. Leave it on for normal use if you want better performance and fewer meaningless matches.
  2. Turn it off only when single-character search is genuinely useful for your workflow.

Keep in mind

  • This limit is enforced when you submit a query from the popup.

Video walkthrough

Use the clip as a visual companion to the written guide.

Feature 05

Focus input on startup

FreeVideo
Default: On

What it does

Places the text cursor in the query input when the popup opens so you can start typing immediately.

Where to find it

Popup > settings > Basic > User-interface settings

How to use it

  1. Keep it on if you mostly open Highlighty to type a new query quickly.

Keep in mind

  • This changes only the popup behavior and does not affect the webpage itself.

Video walkthrough

Use the clip as a visual companion to the written guide.

Feature 06

Scrollbar markers

Free
Default: On

What it does

Shows small markers on the page scrollbar where matches are located, making long documents easier to scan.

Where to find it

Popup > settings > Basic > Notification settings

How to use it

  1. Leave it on if you want a quick visual map of match positions on long pages.
  2. Turn it off if you prefer a cleaner page chrome or if markers feel distracting.

Keep in mind

  • Scrollbar markers are especially useful when many hits are spread across a long article or results page.

Feature 07

Query found alert

FreeVideo
Default: On

What it does

Shows a green on-page alert for newly found queries after Highlighty finishes a search pass.

Where to find it

Popup > settings > Basic > Notification settings

How to use it

  1. Keep it on if you want immediate feedback about which queries were found on the page.

Keep in mind

  • The alert appears only when there is a meaningful state change, not on every tiny page event.

Video walkthrough

Use the clip as a visual companion to the written guide.

Feature 08

Query not found alert

FreeVideo
Default: On

What it does

Shows a red on-page alert for newly missing queries so you know what did not appear on the page.

Where to find it

Popup > settings > Basic > Notification settings

How to use it

  1. Keep it on if missed queries matter to your workflow and you do not want to inspect the page manually.

Keep in mind

  • Found and not found alerts work well together when you scan long or repetitive pages.

Video walkthrough

Use the clip as a visual companion to the written guide.

Feature 09

Found sum on badge

PROVideo
Default: Off

What it does

Shows the total number of found highlights on the extension icon badge for the current tab.

Where to find it

Popup > settings > Basic > Notification settings

How to use it

  1. Turn it on if you want a quick tab-level count without reopening the popup.

Keep in mind

  • This setting is available in Chrome builds of the extension.
  • Each tab keeps its own badge count based on its active results.

Video walkthrough

Use the clip as a visual companion to the written guide.

Feature 10

Manual search mode

FreeVideo
Default: Off

Shortcut

Shift + F

What it does

Turns off automatic search updates so Highlighty only runs when you trigger it with the keyboard.

Where to find it

Popup > settings > Basic > Hotkey features

How to use it

  1. Enable it when automatic searching is too noisy for a specific workflow.
  2. Press the shortcut whenever you want Highlighty to refresh the page results.

Keep in mind

  • This mode also stops automatic search when you add a new query or change the active query list.

Video walkthrough

Use the clip as a visual companion to the written guide.

Feature 11

Switch off hotkey

PROVideo
Default: Off

Shortcut

Shift + T

What it does

Lets you toggle the entire extension on or off while browsing without opening the popup.

Where to find it

Popup > settings > Basic > Hotkey features

How to use it

  1. Enable it if you often need to pause Highlighty temporarily on a page.
  2. Use the shortcut again to restore the extension state.

Keep in mind

  • Turning the extension off clears current highlights, badge counts, and X-Ray from the page until it is turned back on.

Video walkthrough

Use the clip as a visual companion to the written guide.

Feature 12

Highlight on select

PROVideo
Default: Off

Shortcut

Shift + L

What it does

Adds the currently selected phrase to the active query list and highlights it immediately.

Where to find it

Popup > settings > Basic > Hotkey features

How to use it

  1. Select a word or phrase on the webpage.
  2. Press the shortcut to add the selection as a new query.
  3. Optionally change the Bright highlight color toggle inside the setting to influence the generated color style.

Keep in mind

  • If the selected phrase already exists in the active list, Highlighty skips adding a duplicate.

Video walkthrough

Use the clip as a visual companion to the written guide.

Feature 14

Quick disable hotkey

PROVideo
Default: Off

Shortcut

Shift + D

What it does

Temporarily disables the generated highlight styles on the current page without removing the query list.

Where to find it

Popup > settings > Basic > Hotkey features

How to use it

  1. Enable the feature, then use the shortcut on the page whenever you need a clean look for a moment.
  2. Use the shortcut again to restore the highlight styles.

Keep in mind

  • This works per page and is useful when highlights interfere with reading, copying, or screenshots.

Video walkthrough

Use the clip as a visual companion to the written guide.

Documentation Section

Advanced Settings

Advanced settings focus on precision, bulk input, scoped searching, data portability, and the new X-Ray context tools.

Feature 01

Grow found query size

PROVideo
Default: Off

What it does

Increases the font size of found matches to a fixed 25px so they stand out more strongly on the page.

Where to find it

Popup > settings > Advanced

How to use it

  1. Turn it on when normal highlighting is still too subtle on dense pages.

Keep in mind

  • Because it changes text size, it can shift the surrounding page layout more than a normal highlight does.

Video walkthrough

Use the clip as a visual companion to the written guide.

Feature 02

Import excel or sheets file

FreePRO
Free with PRO limit increase

What it does

Imports many queries from a single .xlsx column so you do not have to enter them one by one.

Where to find it

Popup > settings > Advanced > Query list features

How to use it

  1. Upload an .xlsx file.
  2. Choose the source column and optionally the from and to row range.
  3. Process the file to append new queries to the current selected list.

Keep in mind

  • Duplicate queries are skipped and imported entries receive automatically assigned colors.
  • Very large imports can slow the browser while the page is being rescanned.
  • Free plans still obey the query count limit of the current list.

Feature 03

Load or save query list from file

FreePROVideo
Free with PRO limit increase

What it does

Exports the current selected query list to JSON or imports a previously saved list back into the current list.

Where to find it

Popup > settings > Advanced > Query list features

How to use it

  1. Download the current list when you want a reusable JSON backup of that list only.
  2. Use Download example if you want the expected import format.
  3. Upload a JSON file to append compatible queries to the currently selected list.

Keep in mind

  • Import expands the existing list instead of replacing it.
  • The JSON export/import format is meant for a single query list, while Backup and restore is the full-extension migration tool.
  • Duplicate queries are skipped during import.

Video walkthrough

Use the clip as a visual companion to the written guide.

Feature 04

Saved query lists

FreePROVideo
Free with PRO limit increaseDefault: Default list only

What it does

Lets you keep separate named query sets and switch between them from the popup.

Where to find it

Popup > settings > Advanced > Query list features

How to use it

  1. Create a new named list when you want a different search set for another workflow.
  2. Switch the selected list from the dropdown before searching.
  3. Edit or delete list names from the same control block.

Keep in mind

  • Free plans support two lists total: the default list plus one additional list.
  • Switching the selected list changes which queries are active on the current page.

Video walkthrough

Use the clip as a visual companion to the written guide.

Feature 05

Allowed websites

FreeVideo
Default: Off

What it does

Restricts Highlighty so it works only on URLs that contain the domains or fragments you define.

Where to find it

Popup > settings > Advanced > White/blacklist features

How to use it

  1. Enable the setting and enter comma-separated domains or URL fragments such as google.com,linkedin.com.
  2. Leave it off when you want Highlighty to run everywhere except sites you explicitly block.

Keep in mind

  • The match is based on whether the current URL contains the provided text.

Video walkthrough

Use the clip as a visual companion to the written guide.

Feature 06

Disallowed websites

FreeVideo
Default: Off

What it does

Prevents Highlighty from running on URLs that contain the domains or fragments you define.

Where to find it

Popup > settings > Advanced > White/blacklist features

How to use it

  1. Enable the setting and enter comma-separated domains or URL fragments you want to block.

Keep in mind

  • If a site is disallowed, Highlighty will not run there even if it also appears in the allowed list.

Video walkthrough

Use the clip as a visual companion to the written guide.

Feature 07

Case sensitivity

FreeVideo
Default: Off

What it does

Controls whether uppercase and lowercase characters must match exactly.

Where to find it

Popup > settings > Advanced > Searching options

How to use it

  1. Turn it on when case carries meaning, such as product codes, acronyms, or mixed-case identifiers.

Keep in mind

  • When off, Highlighty treats upper and lower case as equivalent for normal text queries.

Video walkthrough

Use the clip as a visual companion to the written guide.

Feature 08

Diacritic sensitivity

FreeVideo
Default: Off

What it does

Controls whether accented or diacritic variants must match exactly.

Where to find it

Popup > settings > Advanced > Searching options

How to use it

  1. Turn it on when accents and diacritics are semantically important in your text.

Keep in mind

  • When off, Highlighty is more forgiving and can match accented and non-accented variations.

Video walkthrough

Use the clip as a visual companion to the written guide.

Feature 12

Highlighty X-Ray

Free
Default: On

What it does

Shows a draggable context minimap with snippets around every match so you can skim dense pages and jump to the right result faster.

Where to find it

Popup > settings > Advanced > Searching options

How to use it

  1. Leave the feature enabled and run a search on a page with active results.
  2. Use the floating panel to review context snippets grouped by query.
  3. Click a snippet to jump to that result on the page, or collapse, close, and drag the panel as needed.

Keep in mind

  • X-Ray appears only when there are active matches on the page.
  • It can mark results as visible, covered, hidden, stale, or needing opening when the hit lives inside collapsed page UI.
  • The panel remembers its closed, collapsed, and dragged state in local storage.

Feature 13

Backup and restore

PRO

What it does

Exports a full JSON backup of your settings and lists, or restores that backup on the same or another device.

Where to find it

Popup > settings > Advanced > Backup & restore

How to use it

  1. Export a backup when you want to preserve your full setup or move it elsewhere.
  2. Import a backup JSON when you want to replace the current settings and lists with the saved state.

Keep in mind

  • Import replaces the active settings and list state rather than merging them.
  • This is the right tool for syncing a whole setup across devices, while list JSON export is better for a single list.

Documentation Section

Analytics

Analytics is a separate PRO tab that helps you review local hit history for pages where active queries produced results, then export that data when needed.

Feature 01

Search analytics

PROVideo
Default: Off

What it does

Stores recent page-level hit counts for your queries, then shows them as a compact local history view with relative bars, CSV export, and cleanup controls.

Where to find it

Popup > Analytics

How to use it

  1. Open the Analytics tab and switch analytics on.
  2. Browse pages with active query hits so Highlighty can collect local hit counts.
  3. Return to the Analytics tab to review visits, export CSV, show more history, or clear the stored data.

Keep in mind

  • Analytics entries store the URL, visit time, per-query hit counts, and total sum.
  • Pages with no highlights are not added to the analytics history.
  • Highlighty keeps the history locally and clips it to the most recent 50 entries.
  • CSV export contains query, URL, date, and found amount rows.

Video walkthrough

Use the clip as a visual companion to the written guide.

Documentation Section

Account & Subscription

The Account tab handles sign-in, registered trial access, paid subscription management, and account-related actions.

Feature 01

Create an account and sign in

Free

What it does

Use the Account tab to register with email and password or sign back in to your existing Highlighty account.

Where to find it

Popup > Account

How to use it

  1. Open the Account tab and choose Register if you do not have an account yet.
  2. Accept the privacy and terms notice during signup.
  3. After registration, use the same tab later for normal login with your email and password.

Keep in mind

  • The popup switches between login, registration, and password reset flows in the same account area.
  • Registration does not keep you signed in. Sign-in is what unlocks the registered trial.

Feature 02

Verify email and reset password

Free

What it does

Sign-in is the step that unlocks the registered trial, and the account form also supports password reset.

Where to find it

Popup > Account

How to use it

  1. Check your inbox after registration to finish account setup.
  2. If you missed the email, try signing in again and Highlighty will resend it.
  3. If you forgot your password, use Forgot password from the login view.

Keep in mind

  • The popup warns you when sign-in still needs one more inbox step before the registered trial can start.

Feature 03

Upgrade to PRO and manage subscription

FreePRO

What it does

The subscription panel lets you upgrade to PRO at any time, refresh subscription status, and later modify or cancel an active paid plan.

Where to find it

Popup > Account

How to use it

  1. Install Highlighty to start the guest PRO window if it is currently enabled.
  2. Register and sign in to unlock the registered trial extension on your account.
  3. Open the subscription block in the Account tab and choose the monthly or yearly PRO plan when you are ready to upgrade.
  4. After purchase, use the refresh status control if you need to force a subscription re-check.
  5. If you already have an active subscription, use the management controls to modify or cancel it.

Keep in mind

  • The pricing page is linked from inside the subscription panel.
  • The UI distinguishes registered trial, active paid, canceled, and free states.

Feature 04

Delete my data and sign out

FreePRO

What it does

The Account tab includes sign out and a separate delete my data flow for permanent account removal.

Where to find it

Popup > Account

How to use it

  1. Use Sign Out when you only want to leave the current account session.
  2. Use delete my data only when you want to start the permanent removal flow.

Keep in mind

  • The delete action routes you to the support flow for permanent data removal.
  • Deleting account data is not the same as simply signing out of the popup.

Documentation Section

Limits & Troubleshooting

These entries explain the main free-plan limits and the most common reasons why page results may not look the way you expect.

Feature 01

Free plan limits vs PRO

FreePRO

What it does

The free plan already covers the core multi-highlight workflow, while PRO unlocks more scale, more storage, and several productivity upgrades.

How to use it

  1. Expect up to five active queries in the current selected list on free.
  2. Expect RegExp patterns up to 40 characters on free.
  3. Expect two lists total on free: the default list plus one additional list.

Keep in mind

  • Several popup features are visible with PRO labels so you can see what becomes available after upgrading.

Feature 02

When results look wrong or incomplete

Free

What it does

Most search surprises come from strict matching settings, manual mode, blocked sites, iframe limits, or page-specific rendering behavior.

How to use it

  1. Check whether the extension is turned on and whether the current site is blocked by allowed or disallowed website rules.
  2. If Manual search mode is active, trigger the search again with its shortcut.
  3. Review Case sensitivity, Diacritic sensitivity, Split search, and Complete phrase search if match counts seem too high or too low.
  4. Refresh the current tab after installing or updating the extension.

Keep in mind

  • iFrame search can still miss results on some embedded content because browser security limits access.
  • Navigation and visibility tools can be affected by hidden, covered, or collapsed page elements.

Feature 03

Performance expectations on heavy pages

FreePRO

What it does

Highlighty scans the page DOM and applies styles to every hit, so extremely large pages or high query counts can cost real CPU time.

How to use it

  1. Reduce the number of active queries if a page becomes slow.
  2. Keep the minimum character limit on unless you truly need one-character search.
  3. Use strict matching settings or allowed site scopes when you want to reduce unnecessary work.

Keep in mind

  • Large imports, dense pages, iframe search, and dynamic-page rescanning can all increase load.
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