Highlite is published on addons.mozilla.org and goes through Mozilla's add-on review before every release. It gives Firefox a toolbar to highlight text, place sticky notes, draw, add arrows, and take screenshots of any webpage. The add-on declares to Firefox that it collects no data, and it keeps that promise: annotations are written to your Firefox profile and never uploaded. Like every add-on, it stays off in private windows until you allow it.
Features
- Reviewed and published on addons.mozilla.org
- Text highlighting in any color
- Sticky notes and comments
- Drawing, arrows, and shapes
- Full-page screenshots to download or copy
- Declares no data collection to Firefox
Installation Steps
- 1Open Highlite on addons.mozilla.org
- 2Click 'Add to Firefox'
- 3Review the permissions and click 'Add'
- 4Pin the icon to the toolbar and start annotating
Updated
What Highlite does on Firefox
Highlite for Firefox is built from the same code as the Chrome version. Click the toolbar icon on any page to highlight text, place sticky notes and text boxes, draw, add arrows and shapes, in any color and four sizes, with undo and redo. Annotations are saved in Firefox, tied to the page URL, and restored on your next visit. Capture the viewport, the full scrollable page or a selected area, then download the PNG or copy it to the clipboard.
Premium on Firefox
The Firefox build supports a Highlite account and the full Premium plan, as on Chrome: send an annotated screenshot to Slack, Discord or your own webhook from the toolbar and export the annotations of a page as Markdown or as a JSON file. Importing a JSON file is free on every browser.
Installed from Firefox Add-ons
The add-on is published on addons.mozilla.org and goes through Mozilla review. Install it from there, accept the permissions it lists (access to the active tab, local storage, downloads, and the sign-in window if you use an account), and it is ready without any configuration.
No data collection, declared to Firefox
Firefox asks every add-on to declare what data it collects, and shows the answer before you install. Highlite declares none. Annotations stay in your Firefox profile, and Highlite makes no network call while you annotate, so Enhanced Tracking Protection has nothing to block. The only data that leaves the browser is the email you sign in with if you take Premium.
Using Highlite in private windows
Firefox does not run add-ons in private windows unless you allow it, and Highlite is no exception. To annotate in a private window, open about:addons, select Highlite, and set Run in Private Windows to Allow. You can switch it back off at any time from the same screen.
Limitations on Firefox
- Highlite cannot run on browser-internal pages (about:) or on extension store pages; the icon is grayed out there.
- Annotations are stored in this browser profile only. They are not synced to another device or another browser, and uninstalling the extension deletes them.
- Annotations are positioned on the page as it was laid out when you made them. A page that renders differently later, or content generated dynamically, can shift or lose an annotation.
- Highlite does not run in private windows until you allow it in about:addons.
- Firefox for Android is not supported: Highlite is a desktop extension.
Also Available For
Highlite for Chrome
Install Highlite on Google Chrome. Highlight text, add sticky notes, and annotate any webpage directly in your Chrome browser.
Highlite for Edge
Install Highlite on Microsoft Edge. Highlight text, add sticky notes, and draw on any webpage — free, and no account needed.
Highlite for Brave
Highlite runs on Brave through the Chrome Web Store, with nothing extra to configure. Highlight text, add sticky notes, and draw on any webpage — free.
Guides from the blog
Best Free Private Web Annotation Tools
Most annotation tools upload your pages to their servers. If privacy matters, here are free web annotation tools that keep your data in your browser.
How to Annotate Any Webpage (Without Installing Heavy Software)
You're reading an article, spot something important, and… copy-paste it into a doc? There's a faster way. Here's how to annotate any webpage in seconds.