diff --git a/Ghidra/Features/Decompiler/src/main/java/ghidra/app/decompiler/component/DecompilerPanel.java b/Ghidra/Features/Decompiler/src/main/java/ghidra/app/decompiler/component/DecompilerPanel.java
index 607fb667d0..5f24bc30dc 100644
--- a/Ghidra/Features/Decompiler/src/main/java/ghidra/app/decompiler/component/DecompilerPanel.java
+++ b/Ghidra/Features/Decompiler/src/main/java/ghidra/app/decompiler/component/DecompilerPanel.java
@@ -262,6 +262,11 @@ public class DecompilerPanel extends JPanel implements FieldMouseListener, Field
 			}
 		}
 
+		// exclude tokens that users do not want to highlight
+		if (token instanceof ClangSyntaxToken || token instanceof ClangOpToken) {
+			return;
+		}
+
 		ActiveMiddleMouse newMiddleMouse = new ActiveMiddleMouse(token.getText());
 		newMiddleMouse.apply();
 		activeMiddleMouse = newMiddleMouse;
diff --git a/Ghidra/Features/Decompiler/src/main/java/ghidra/app/decompiler/component/LocationClangHighlightController.java b/Ghidra/Features/Decompiler/src/main/java/ghidra/app/decompiler/component/LocationClangHighlightController.java
index 4d291b8d10..9453958baa 100644
--- a/Ghidra/Features/Decompiler/src/main/java/ghidra/app/decompiler/component/LocationClangHighlightController.java
+++ b/Ghidra/Features/Decompiler/src/main/java/ghidra/app/decompiler/component/LocationClangHighlightController.java
@@ -4,9 +4,9 @@
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
  * You may obtain a copy of the License at
- * 
+ *
  *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
- * 
+ *
  * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
  * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
  * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
@@ -20,8 +20,7 @@ import org.apache.commons.lang3.StringUtils;
 import docking.widgets.EventTrigger;
 import docking.widgets.fieldpanel.field.Field;
 import docking.widgets.fieldpanel.support.FieldLocation;
-import ghidra.app.decompiler.ClangSyntaxToken;
-import ghidra.app.decompiler.ClangToken;
+import ghidra.app.decompiler.*;
 
 /**
  * Class to handle location based highlights for a decompiled function.
@@ -47,10 +46,23 @@ public class LocationClangHighlightController extends ClangHighlightController {
 			return; // do not highlight whitespace
 		}
 
-		addPrimaryHighlight(tok, defaultHighlightColor);
+		if (tok instanceof ClangOpToken) { // e.g., '='
+			return;
+		}
+
 		if (tok instanceof ClangSyntaxToken) {
+
+			int type = tok.getSyntaxType();
+			if (type == ClangToken.GLOBAL_COLOR) {
+				// namespaces can fit this case sometimes
+				addPrimaryHighlight(tok, defaultHighlightColor);
+			}
+
 			addPrimaryHighlightToTokensForParenthesis((ClangSyntaxToken) tok, defaultParenColor);
 			addPrimaryHighlightToTokensForBrace((ClangSyntaxToken) tok, defaultParenColor);
 		}
+		else {
+			addPrimaryHighlight(tok, defaultHighlightColor);
+		}
 	}
 }