4 Ways to Cut Copy and Paste Text in PDF Files

Copying and pasting text from PDF files can be a challenging task, especially when dealing with complex or scanned documents. However, with the right tools and techniques, you can efficiently extract and use the text you need.

Using Adobe Acrobat Reader

Adobe Acrobat Reader is one of the most popular PDF viewers and offers a straightforward method for copying text from PDFs.

• Open your PDF: Launch Adobe Acrobat Reader and open the PDF file you want to extract text from.
• Select the Text: Click the "Select Tool" button (usually an arrow icon) in the toolbar to enable text selection. Click and drag to select the text you want to copy. You can select text across multiple pages if necessary.
• Copy the Text: Right-click the selected text and choose "Copy" or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+C (Windows) or Command+C (Mac).
• Paste the Text: Use Ctrl+V (Windows) or Command+V (Mac) to paste the text into your target document.

This method works well for simple PDFs but may struggle with complex layouts, such as those with multiple columns, images, and text on colored backgrounds. For such cases, the copied text may lose formatting and require manual cleanup.

Using Microsoft Word or Google Docs

Microsoft Word and Google Docs can also be used to extract text from PDFs, especially if you need to edit the content.

• Open the PDF in Microsoft Word: You can open a PDF directly in Microsoft Word, which will convert the PDF into an editable Word document. This allows you to copy and paste text easily.
  • Steps: Open Microsoft Word, go to "File" > "Open," and select your PDF file. Word will convert the PDF, allowing you to edit and copy the text.
• Open the PDF in Google Docs: Similarly, you can upload your PDF to Google Drive and open it in Google Docs.
  • Steps: Upload your PDF to Google Drive, right-click the file, and select "Open with" > "Google Docs." Google Docs will convert the PDF, enabling you to copy and paste the text.

Using Online PDF Converters and OCR Tools

For scanned or image-based PDFs, you need to use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) tools to extract the text.

• PDFgear OCR Tool: PDFgear offers an OCR tool that can recognize text within images.
  • Steps: Download and install PDFgear, open the scanned PDF, select the "OCR" button, and choose the area you want to extract text from. You can then copy the text to the clipboard or save it as a text file.
• Wondershare PDFelement: Wondershare PDFelement also provides an OCR feature to convert scanned PDFs into editable text.
  • Steps: Open PDFelement, select the scanned PDF, and use the OCR feature to convert the image into editable text. You can then copy and paste the text as needed.

Using Specialized PDF Editing Software

Specialized PDF editing software like Soda PDF and Wondershare PDFelement offer advanced features for copying and pasting text from PDFs, including those with complex layouts or security restrictions.

• Soda PDF: Soda PDF allows you to cut, copy, and paste text within the PDF itself or to other applications.
  • Steps: Open the PDF in Soda PDF, select the text using the "Edit" menu, right-click to copy, and then paste the text into a new text box or another application.
• Wondershare PDFelement: This software can handle both standard and scanned PDFs, as well as password-protected files.
  • Steps: Open the PDF in PDFelement, select the content you want to copy, right-click to copy, and then paste the content into another application. For scanned PDFs, use the OCR feature to convert the image into editable text.

Each of these methods has its own advantages and is suited to different types of PDF files and user needs. By choosing the right tool, you can efficiently copy and paste text from PDFs, even from complex or scanned documents.