How To Copy Text From A PDF

Copying text from a PDF can be very useful when you need to quote information, save notes, prepare documents, or share specific details without typing everything manually. Although PDF files are designed to preserve formatting, most of them still allow easy text selection and copying. The steps vary slightly depending on the device and the type of PDF, but the process is generally simple once you know where to look. With a few basic actions, you can extract text cleanly and use it wherever you need it.

1. Open the PDF in a Reader That Supports Text Selection
   Start by opening your PDF using a reader such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, your default phone viewer, or a browser like Chrome. Most modern PDF viewers allow text selection, but some scanned PDFs behave like images and may require extra steps. Once the file opens, scroll to the section you want.
2. Select the Text You Want to Copy
   On a computer, click at the beginning of the text, hold down the mouse button, and drag across the portion you want to highlight. On a phone, tap and hold on a word until selection handles appear, then drag the handles to highlight the full section. Make sure the text is actually selectable—if dragging doesn’t highlight anything, the PDF might be image-based.
3. Copy the Highlighted Text
   Once the text is selected, right-click and choose Copy on a computer, or tap Copy on your phone’s pop-up menu. This stores the text on your clipboard. If the text includes formatting, such as bullet points or line breaks, the copied version may include them as well, which you can edit later.
4. Paste the Text into Another App
   Open the document, note app, message, or email where you want the text to appear. Click or tap in the writing area, then use Ctrl+V on a computer or tap Paste on a phone. The copied text should appear instantly. You can edit, format, or reorganise it after pasting.
5. If the PDF Is Scanned and Text Cannot Be Copied
   Some PDFs are scanned images rather than typed documents. In such cases, you won’t be able to highlight words. To extract text from these, open the PDF in a viewer with OCR (Optical Character Recognition), such as Adobe Acrobat (full version), Google Drive OCR, or online OCR tools. These tools convert images into selectable text.

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