diff --git a/src/hooks/useBackdropHighlight.ts b/src/hooks/useBackdropHighlight.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 5c7f194b2..000000000
--- a/src/hooks/useBackdropHighlight.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,57 +0,0 @@
-import useResizeObserver from '@react-hook/resize-observer'
-import { useEffect, useState } from 'react'
-
-interface Rect {
-  top: number
-  left: number
-  height: number
-  width: number
-}
-
-/**
- * Takes an element id and uses React refs to create a CSS clip-path rule to apply to a backdrop element
- * which excludes the element with the given id, creating a "highlight" effect.
- * @param highlightId
- */
-export function useBackdropHighlight(target: string): string {
-  const [clipPath, setClipPath] = useState('')
-  const [elem, setElem] = useState(document.getElementById(target))
-
-  // Build the actual clip path string, cutting out the target element
-  function buildClipPath({ top, left, height, width }: Rect) {
-    const windowWidth = window.innerWidth
-    const windowHeight = window.innerHeight
-
-    return `
-        path(evenodd, "M0 0 l${windowWidth} 0 l0 ${windowHeight} l-${windowWidth} 0 Z \
-            M${left} ${top} l${width} 0 l0 ${height} l-${width} 0 Z")
-        `
-  }
-
-  // initial setup of clip path
-  useEffect(() => {
-    if (!elem) {
-      const newElem = document.getElementById(target)
-      if (newElem === null) {
-        throw new Error(
-          `Could not find element with id "${target}" to highlight`
-        )
-      }
-      setElem(document.getElementById(target))
-      return
-    }
-
-    const { top, left, height, width } = elem.getBoundingClientRect()
-    setClipPath(buildClipPath({ top, left, height, width }))
-  }, [elem, target])
-
-  // update clip path on resize
-  useResizeObserver(elem, (entry) => {
-    const { height, width } = entry.contentRect
-    // the top and left are relative to the viewport, so we need to get the target's position
-    const { top, left } = entry.target.getBoundingClientRect()
-    setClipPath(buildClipPath({ top, left, height, width }))
-  })
-
-  return clipPath
-}
diff --git a/src/routes/Onboarding/CodeEditor.tsx b/src/routes/Onboarding/CodeEditor.tsx
index 0f3c9d8ff..8ce8e188f 100644
--- a/src/routes/Onboarding/CodeEditor.tsx
+++ b/src/routes/Onboarding/CodeEditor.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import { OnboardingButtons, useDismiss, useNextClick } from '.'
 import { onboardingPaths } from 'routes/Onboarding/paths'
 import { useStore } from '../../useStore'
-import { useBackdropHighlight } from 'hooks/useBackdropHighlight'
 
 export default function CodeEditor() {
   const { buttonDownInStream } = useStore((s) => ({
@@ -12,14 +11,6 @@ export default function CodeEditor() {
 
   return (
     <div className="fixed grid justify-end items-center inset-0 z-50 pointer-events-none">
-      <div
-        className="fixed inset-0 bg-black opacity-50 dark:opacity-80 pointer-events-none"
-        style={
-          {
-            /*clipPath: useBackdropHighlight('code-pane')*/
-          }
-        }
-      ></div>
       <div
         className={
           'z-10 max-w-xl border border-chalkboard-50 dark:border-chalkboard-80 shadow-lg h-3/4 flex flex-col justify-center bg-chalkboard-10 dark:bg-chalkboard-90 p-8 rounded' +
diff --git a/src/routes/Onboarding/InteractiveNumbers.tsx b/src/routes/Onboarding/InteractiveNumbers.tsx
index 2838cbce9..d3daa40ef 100644
--- a/src/routes/Onboarding/InteractiveNumbers.tsx
+++ b/src/routes/Onboarding/InteractiveNumbers.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import { OnboardingButtons, kbdClasses, useDismiss, useNextClick } from '.'
 import { onboardingPaths } from 'routes/Onboarding/paths'
 import { useStore } from '../../useStore'
-import { useBackdropHighlight } from 'hooks/useBackdropHighlight'
 import { bracketWidthConstantLine } from 'lib/exampleKcl'
 
 export default function InteractiveNumbers() {
@@ -13,14 +12,6 @@ export default function InteractiveNumbers() {
 
   return (
     <div className="fixed grid justify-end items-center inset-0 z-50 pointer-events-none">
-      <div
-        className="fixed inset-0 bg-black opacity-50 pointer-events-none"
-        style={
-          {
-            /*clipPath: useBackdropHighlight('code-pane')*/
-          }
-        }
-      ></div>
       <div
         className={
           'z-10 max-w-xl border border-chalkboard-50 dark:border-chalkboard-80 shadow-lg h-3/4 flex flex-col justify-center bg-chalkboard-10 dark:bg-chalkboard-90 p-8 rounded' +
diff --git a/src/routes/Onboarding/ParametricModeling.tsx b/src/routes/Onboarding/ParametricModeling.tsx
index c0f292e8b..4f3ccda6c 100644
--- a/src/routes/Onboarding/ParametricModeling.tsx
+++ b/src/routes/Onboarding/ParametricModeling.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import { OnboardingButtons, useDismiss, useNextClick } from '.'
 import { onboardingPaths } from 'routes/Onboarding/paths'
 import { useStore } from '../../useStore'
-import { useBackdropHighlight } from 'hooks/useBackdropHighlight'
 import { Themes, getSystemTheme } from 'lib/theme'
 import { useSettingsAuthContext } from 'hooks/useSettingsAuthContext'
 import { bracketThicknessCalculationLine } from 'lib/exampleKcl'
@@ -29,14 +28,6 @@ export default function ParametricModeling() {
 
   return (
     <div className="fixed grid justify-end items-center inset-0 z-50 pointer-events-none">
-      <div
-        className="fixed inset-0 bg-black dark:bg-black-80 opacity-50 pointer-events-none"
-        style={
-          {
-            /*clipPath: useBackdropHighlight('code-pane')*/
-          }
-        }
-      ></div>
       <div
         className={
           'z-10 max-w-xl border border-chalkboard-50 dark:border-chalkboard-80 shadow-lg h-3/4 flex flex-col justify-center bg-chalkboard-10 dark:bg-chalkboard-90 p-8 rounded' +