If you lot want to copy text from a PDF file to add to a Word document, paste a formula onto an Excel spreadsheet, or insert into PowerPoint slides for a presentation, information technology tin exist as easy equally using the Re-create and Paste function.

However, that may not necessarily work for all PDF files attributable to security and other permissions, but in that location are other ways you lot tin can fulfill the same chore.

How to Copy Text From a PDF

Before you lot can copy text from PDF to another application, you lot need to confirm that it doesn't have security settings that disallow copying, otherwise you won't be able to copy anything.  This may be indicated past a grayed out or dimmed copy characteristic in Reader.

If the PDF you received is protected by a countersign, utilise the designated password combination to open information technology, and then cheque the security settings to confirm that content copying is immune.

  • To do this, right-click the document and select Document Properties.
  • Click the Security tab and wait at the Document Restrictions Summary to see if content copying is allowed or not.

Note: A PDF with content restrictions ordinarily has the discussion "Secured" next to the file name at the top.

  • Open the PDF in whatsoever reader and and then copy the text yous want using whatsoever of the methods below.

There are several ways of copying text from a PDF file that we'll cover in this guide.

Copy & Paste Function

This is the de-facto method of copying text from near documents or files, non merely PDFs. You tin use the CTRL+C keyboard shortcut to copy the text yous want and so apply CTRL+V to paste it onto the other document.

If you're using a Mac, press Command-C to re-create the text and Control-Five to paste the contents of the Clipboard into the electric current certificate or app.

Alternatively, you tin can employ your mouse or touchpad's right-click button and click Select tool.

Select the text you want to copy on the PDF certificate by dragging your mouse to highlight the portion y'all'd like to copy, correct click on the selected text, and select Copy.

You tin can also become to the carte du jour tab, and click Edit>Copy. Once information technology's copied, go to the certificate onto which yous'd similar to paste the copied text, correct click on the space you'd similar to identify it, and select Paste, or click Edit>Paste.

Snapshot Or Screenshot Tool

The Snapshot tool in your PDF reader helps you select the text you want as a screenshot or graphic, and then paste information technology onto some other document without affecting the formatting. If you choose this method, you'll go exactly the portion of text you want, but it won't be editable.

To do this, open up the PDF document, click Edit > Accept a snapshot.

Alternatively, select the PDF window'southward championship bar and press Alt+PrtScn on your keyboard to capture the screen, and then crop based on the portion you want.

If you're using a Mac, press Control+Shift+iv and apply the cursor on the screen to drag and select the text you lot'd similar to capture.

Online PDF Reader

You tin can copy text from a PDF document in your browser or online reader.

To do this, open up the PDF in your browser past right clicking on the file and selecting Open up With > (choose browser) or drag information technology to an open window on your browser.

Select the text yous want. Press CTRL+C to copy the text and paste it on another document using CTRL+V. Yous can too right-click your mouse or touchpad and select Copy, and then right-click once again on the other document and select Paste.

PDF Extraction Software

A tertiary-party PDF extraction tool can also help yous excerpt text for use in a different awarding such as Discussion, PowerPoint presentation or desktop publishing software.

Y'all can use a tool similar ExtractPDF, upload your PDF and click Outset. The tool will excerpt images, text or fifty-fifty fonts if you lot want, later which y'all can re-create what you desire from the extracted content and paste it onto another application.

There are many third-party extraction tools for PDF files that convert them to HTML, while preserving the layout of the folio. They likewise extract and convert the content in the PDF certificate to vector graphics formats you tin utilise in other applications.

PDF Converter

A PDF converter allows you to convert a PDF document into an editable certificate, subsequently which you can copy your text and use it in another application.

1 of the popular PDF converters is SmallPDF, considering it's an online tool then information technology doesn't require any installation, and it's easy to use. To utilise it, open SmallPDF on your browser, select the output format, for example PDF to Word.

Click Choose file to upload the PDF you lot want to convert.

Click Download to save the converted file on your device. Next, open the converted Word certificate, and copy the text you lot want.

OCR Tool

An Optical Graphic symbol Recognition (OCR) tool lets y'all convert your PDF file to an editable Word document, copy text from PDF files and scanned images to editable text formats.

Information technology's particularly helpful if you received a scanned document in PDF format as information technology turns such files into editable PDFs instantly, with custom fonts and editable text that look simply like those in the original document.

Adobe Acrobat works as a text converter with OCR as it extracts text automatically from scanned images or paper documents, and converts them into PDFs.

The best function is your PDF volition match the original printout thanks to the automatic custom font generation, and you tin use it with other Role applications by cut and pasting or exporting to MS-Office. It likewise allows you to preserve the document's verbal wait and feel, and restrict content editing.

Note: To use these steps, you lot need Adobe Acrobat, not Adobe Reader, as the latter is only for viewing PDFs and doesn't take the OCR tool.

To use the native OCR tool in Adobe Acrobat, open the PDF containing the scanned text or image in Acrobat for PC or Mac and click Edit PDF.

Acrobat volition automatically apply OCR to the PDF and convert it into a fully editable copy. Select the text you want to copy, and click Edit>Copy, then paste it onto another application.

You can click File > Relieve As to relieve the editable document for use after.

Alternatively, open the scanned document or epitome yous want to use the OCR reader with, click Tools at the top right side of the toolbar and select Recognize Text > In This File.

Yous'll run into a popup showing your electric current Full general Settings such every bit OCR linguistic communication, PDF output manner and resolution. Click OK to get the text recognized.

If you want to change the settings, click Edit, and then click OK in one case you're washed.

Once the text is recognized from the scanned page, you lot can select and re-create the text you want with detected formatting, though it's not as authentic equally the text recognition.

If all yous accept is Adobe Reader, and you lot don't want to get a re-create of Acrobat, there are costless OCR tools similar OneNote's OCR for PC, which is free to use, or Tesseract OCR library for Mac.

Note: If you have Adobe Acrobat, you can OCR multiple documents at once. Just open up whatsoever document in Acrobat, click Recognize Text in the Tools sidebar and select In Multiple Files. Drag the PDF files you lot want to OCR  and Acrobat volition recognize the text for you.

Practice you lot have any other tricks you use to copy text from a PDF file? Tell us nearly information technology in a annotate below.