Where to change text color on your iPhone

You can change text color in a few places on your iPhone, but the options depend on what app you're using. Apple's built-in apps like Notes, Mail, and Messages each have their own text formatting tools. Third-party apps like Word, Google Docs, and Pages also let you change text color, though the steps differ slightly from one app to another.

The most common place to adjust text color is in the Notes app, where you can highlight text and explore color to individual words or whole paragraphs. Mail lets you change text color when composing a message. If you're looking to change the color of system text across your entire phone — like the text in your Settings menu or on your home screen — that's a different process that involves accessibility features.

Key Takeaways

  • Notes, Mail, and Messages all have built-in text color options accessed through the formatting menu after you select text.
  • To change text color in Notes, select the text, tap the paintbrush icon, and choose a color from the palette that appears.
  • Third-party apps like Word and Google Docs have their own text formatting menus, usually found in a toolbar at the top or bottom of the screen.
  • If you want to change system text color across your whole phone, use Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Color Filters.

Changing text color in the Notes app

The Notes app is the easiest place to experiment with text color. Open Notes and create a new note or open an existing one. Type or select the text you want to color, then tap and hold until a menu appears with options like Cut, Copy, and Paste.

Tap the arrow on the right side of that menu to reveal more options. You should see a paintbrush icon — tap it. A color palette will appear at the bottom of your screen with options like yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, blue, green, and gray. Tap the color you want, and the selected text will change to that color. You can explore different colors to different parts of the same note.

Changing text color in Mail

When you're composing an email in Mail, select the text you want to color by tapping and holding it. The same menu will appear with Cut, Copy, and Paste options. Tap the arrow to expand the menu, then look for the paintbrush or formatting icon.

Tap it to open the color options. Choose your color from the palette. Keep in mind that when you send the email, the recipient will see the colored text only if their email client supports text formatting. Some older email programs or phones may display the text in black regardless of the color you chose.

Changing text color in Messages

The Messages app has limited text color options compared to Notes and Mail. You cannot change the color of individual words within a message. However, you can use the Memoji or effects features to add visual interest to your messages, and some third-party keyboard apps offer colored text options.

If you want colored text in Messages, your best option is to compose the message in Notes, change the text color there, then copy and paste it into Messages. The color will transfer when you paste it.

Changing text color in Word, Google Docs, and Pages

Microsoft Word on iPhone has a text color tool in the formatting menu. Open a document, select the text you want to color, then tap the paintbrush icon in the toolbar at the bottom of the screen. A color palette will appear with preset colors and an option to create a custom color.

Google Docs works similarly. Select your text, then tap the three-dot menu icon and choose "Text color." A palette appears with standard colors plus a custom color picker. Pages, Apple's word processor, uses the same approach — select text, tap the paintbrush icon in the toolbar, and choose a color from the options shown.

Changing system text color across your entire phone

If you want to change the color of text throughout your iPhone — in Settings, on your home screen, in notifications, and in system apps — you can use the Color Filters accessibility feature. This doesn't change individual text colors; instead, it applies a color overlay to your entire screen that can make text easier to read or change how colors appear overall.

Go to Settings, then tap Accessibility. Select Display & Text Size, then tap Color Filters. Turn on Color Filters and choose from options like Grayscale, Red/Green Filter, Blue/Yellow Filter, or Color Tint. You can adjust the intensity of the filter with a slider. This feature is designed primarily for people with color blindness or visual sensitivities, but anyone can use it.

Why colored text might not show up for others

When you send colored text in an email or message, the recipient may not see the color you chose. This happens because not all email clients and messaging apps support text formatting. Older phones, desktop email programs, and some web-based email services strip out formatting and display everything in black text.

If you need to may support someone sees colored text, take a screenshot of your message and send it as an image instead. This guarantees the color will appear exactly as you see it on your screen, though it uses more data and is less accessible to people using screen readers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change text color in iMessage?

iMessage does not have a built-in text color feature. You can compose colored text in Notes, copy it, and paste it into iMessage, and the color will carry over. Alternatively, use Memoji or message effects to add visual interest to your messages.

Will the person I text see the colored text?

It depends on their phone and app. If you send colored text via iMessage to another iPhone user, they will see the color. If you send it via SMS or to an Android phone, the color may not appear. Email recipients may not see color if their email client doesn't support formatting.

Can I make my own custom color or just use the preset palette?

In Notes and Mail, you're limited to the preset color palette. In Word and Google Docs, you can tap a custom color option to create your own color by adjusting a color wheel or entering a hex code.

Does changing text color work in all apps?

No. Text color options are available in Notes, Mail, Word, Google Docs, and Pages, but not in most other apps. Some third-party note-taking and writing apps may offer the feature, but it's not standard across all iPhone apps.

If I change the color of text, does it affect how Siri reads it?

No. Siri and other accessibility features read the text content, not the color. Changing text color is purely visual and does not change how the text is spoken or processed by your phone's accessibility tools.