How to Copy and Paste Text from a PDF Document

Ever so often, you need to extract information from a PDF for editing. And the most straightforward way is to copy the texts/images and paste them into another file. However, this is not as easy as it may seem. Some PDFs might prevent you from copying due to protection concerns. So does it mean you can never copy and paste text from PDF? That’s not true. There are always solutions to get around the restriction and copy the information you need.

In this article, you will learn how to copy and paste from a PDF with 3 useful solutions. All of them are free and easy methods that work for plain and restricted documents. Don’t miss out.

Firstly, let’s see how to copy and paste from a PDF that is not restricted. Today most web browsers allow you to view PDF content directly, which makes it an effective solution for copying content from PDF files. If your PDF allows for copying, you can copy content from a PDF with a browser, be it Chrome, Firefox, or Edge.

There is no need to install a PDF reader beforehand, and you can copy texts and images directly by opening the PDF document with a browser. Here’s how to copy and paste from a PDF with Chrome.

Step 1. Right-click on the PDF and open it with Google Chrome.

Step 2. Select the texts and images you want to copy. Right-click on the highlighted text and choose “Copy.”

Step 3. Your browser has copied the content to your clipboard and you can paste it anywhere you prefer.

That’s how to copy and paste from a PDF file with Chrome. If you are not allowed to copy the texts and images you selected, it is either the PDF is copy-protected or there is a bug in the Chrome PDF reader. But worry not, you can left-click anywhere on the page of the PDF before selecting content or press CTRL + A and CTRL + C to copy the text.

However, it’s worth noting that Chrome might add some extra space in the copied text, which results in poor formatting. You will need to adjust the format carefully afterward. In addition, this solution works for unrestricted PDF only. So how to copy and paste PDF text that is restricted? Just check out the next part.

When you can only select certain parts of the PDF, it means the document is copy-protected. And there is no way you can copy and paste from this PDF directly. But worry not, iTop PDF is here to help. With this powerful PDF editor, you can copy and paste text from a PDF without hassles.

What makes iTop PDF a must-have software?

• Edit PDF smoothly without hassle
• Convert PDF to any format in high quality
• Split and Merge PDF files easily and quickly
• Add e-signature effortlessly to your PDF

Free Download

As a one-stop PDF solution for Windows PC, iTop PDF allows you to open, view and edit PDF files despite copy-protected restrictions. Before introducing how to copy and paste from a PDF with iTop, just have a look at its main features.

Full PDF Content Editing

With iTop PDF, there is no need to edit PDF in Word. You can not only copy and paste text from PDF but also edit the original content, add text and images, and insert links/watermarks as per your needs. In addition, the PDF editor allows you to add annotations, such as notes, comments, and highlights for much easier digital reading.      

Efficient PDF File Editing

iTop PDF allows you to compress PDF files without reducing quality. With its highly sophisticated algorithm, you can easily compress PDF online or offline while maintaining good quality. You can also seamlessly convert files between PDF and a wide range of file formats such as Word, Image, Excel, PPT, Text, etc. with a few clicks!

Handy PDF Page Editing

iTop PDF is also a handy PDF merger and combiner, which lets you combine multiple PDF pages into a PDF or split one PDF document into several PDFs effortlessly. You can also rotate, delete, insert, extract, replace, and crop PDFs as per your needs.

Secure PDF File Protection

iTop PDF is not only the best free PDF editor but also a useful protection tool, which allows you to encrypt PDF files with a password or redact sensitive content to avoid information leaks. You can also protect your copyrighted PDF file by adding a watermark.

How to Copy and Paste from a PDF with iTop PDF

Step 1. Free download and install iTop PDF on your PC.

What makes iTop PDF a must-have software?

• Edit PDF smoothly without hassle
• Convert PDF to any format in high quality
• Split and Merge PDF files easily and quickly
• Add e-signature effortlessly to your PDF

Free Download

Step 2. Click on the “Open PDF” to add a PDF document.

Step 3. Select the text you want to copy. Right-click on the highlighted content and select “Copy” to paste the copied content anywhere you like.

iTop PDF is not only the best tool to copy and paste from a PDF but also a powerful PDF editor to use. It’s the go-to choice that allows you to edit PDFs without Adobe. So what is the third solution? That is, instead of copying texts from a PDF and pasting them to Word, you can just convert the PDF to Word directly for better editing!

Here you may try iTop Online PDF to Word Converter, which can easily convert unlimited PDFs to Word, Excel, or Images for free. Once you change the PDF to Word, you can copy and paste not only texts but also everything such as images/tables without losing format.

Here’s how to copy and paste from a PDF with iTop Online PDF to Word Converter.

Step 1. Click on “Select PDF files” to upload a PDF.

Step 2. Click on “Start Conversion” to convert the PDF to a Word document.  

Step 3. Download the Word document when the conversion is done. Now you can copy and paste everything on the converted Word document.

That’s how to copy and paste from a PDF easily with iTop’s web-based converter. There is no need to worry about privacy leaks because your files will be deleted 30 minutes after uploading. Compatible with all platforms and browsers, the web-based converter is the simplest tool that can help you convert PDF to Word fast and free. But if you want to enjoy more PDF editing features, then iTop PDF is exactly what you need!

Conclusion

How to copy and paste from a PDF? Here are 3 useful methods to help you out. As you can see, iTop PDF is the most recommended solution because it can manage any type of PDF document, which even allows you to copy and paste texts from a PDF that is restricted. You can copy everything on your PDF for future editing with only a few clicks. In addition, it’s the best Adobe Acrobat alternative to create and edit PDFs with ease. The PDF editor is free to use, just give it a try and edit PDFs without hassles now.