This article explains how to copy the content of a PDF file and paste it into another document which can then be edited. The easiest way to do this is to use Google Drive, because it can convert almost any PDF file (even those generated by scanning a paper document and then appearing in the form of an image) into a text document that can be copied or edited directly. If you simply need to copy a piece of text from a PDF to paste it into another program on your computer, you can use the Preview app on a Mac or Adobe Acrobat Reader on a PC.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Using Google Drive
Step 1. Visit the URL https://drive.google.com using your computer's browser
If you are already signed in to your Google account, the Google Drive web interface will appear.
- If you are not logged in yet, click on the button Go to Drive and log in using your Google account.
- With this method, you will normally be able to copy both text and images and you will also have the option of converting a PDF file into a normal document which you can then edit with any text editor. Google Drive can convert PDFs created by scanning a paper document into a text document, as well as those that are protected by the author against copying data.
Step 2. Click on the + New button
It is located in the upper left corner of the page. A drop-down menu will appear.
Step 3. Click on the File Upload menu item
The computer operating system file manager window will appear.
Step 4. Select the PDF file to be processed and click the Open button
The chosen file will be imported to Google Drive. When the data upload is complete, you will see a confirmation message ("Upload completed") appear at the bottom right of the page.
Step 5. Click on the PDF file you just uploaded with the right mouse button, then select the Open with item
The PDF file will appear in the list of files stored on your Drive account. A context menu will be displayed.
Step 6. Click on the Google Docs option
The PDF file will be automatically converted to a Google Docs compatible text document. The conversion process should take a few moments, after which you will be able to view the PDF content within Google Docs.
- The Google Drive OCR software is not perfect, so some errors may be present within the resulting text document or, in the worst case, some parts of the content may not have been converted.
- Now that the PDF has been imported into Google Docs, you will be able to edit the content according to your needs. Any changes you make will be automatically saved by Google Docs. The resulting text file will have the same name as the PDF file and will be stored in your Google Drive account.
Step 7. Download the converted file (optional)
If your goal is to create an editable document from the selected PDF that also includes the original images and formatting, you won't need to copy the contents into a new file. At this point, you will simply have to save the current text document and download it to your computer so that you can edit it as you wish. Follow these instructions:
- Click on the menu File, located in the upper left corner of the Google Docs page, then choose the option Download.
- Choose the format Microsoft Word (.docx). You can open these types of documents using Microsoft Word, Pages for Mac, WordPerfect, LibreOffice, OpenOffice, and virtually any popular and popular text editor.
- Select a destination folder and click on the button Save. At this point your work is done!
Step 8. Select the piece of content you want to copy
If you need to transfer part of the PDF content into another program, start by dragging the mouse cursor over the content you want to copy to select it.
Step 9. Click on the Edit menu and select the Copy item
This way, the selected content will be copied to your computer's system clipboard.
Step 10. Paste the data you copied into a new document
For example, you can open a program like Microsoft Word. Alternatively, you can create a new Google Docs document by clicking on the menu File of the program's web interface, by choosing the item New one and selecting the option Document. To paste the copied content into the new document, follow these instructions: click on the desired point in the document with the right mouse button and choose the option Paste from the context menu that will appear.
Method 2 of 3: Use Preview on Mac
Step 1. Open the PDF file under review using your Mac's Preview Editor
The easiest and fastest way to perform this step is to click on the file icon with the mouse button (if you are using a one-button mouse, hold down the Ctrl while clicking), choose the option Open with from the menu that will appear and select the item Preview.
Step 2. Click on the Tools menu
It is located at the top of the screen.
Step 3. Click on the Text Selection option to copy the text portion of your interest
In this way, you will have the possibility to copy the text contained in the PDF and paste it inside another document, where you can then modify it as you wish. Remember that this way you won't be able to copy and paste the images in the PDF as well.
- If you want to adopt a method similar to that which allows you to take screenshots and copy the information into a new document as an image, choose the option Rectangular selection.
- If you need to have the images in the PDF also available, you can use Google Drive to convert the file into a Google Docs document. This way you can also copy and paste images.
Step 4. Drag the mouse cursor over the portion of the PDF content you want to copy
The selected text will appear highlighted.
If the content of the document is not highlighted, it means that the PDF was most likely created by scanning a paper document and therefore is an image. In this case, its content will not be editable. It is possible that the author of the PDF has inserted copy protection for the content. Try using Google Drive to find out how to convert a PDF into a text document that can be copied or edited
Step 5. Click on the Edit menu and choose the Copy option
This way the selected information will be copied to the Mac system clipboard.
Step 6. Open the document where you want to paste the copied content
For example, if you want to paste text into a Word document, start Microsoft Word and create a new document.
Step 7. Click on the place in the document where you want to paste the copied content with the right mouse button, then choose the Paste option from the menu that appears
The copied information will appear within the new document and will be editable.
If you copied the contents as an image, they will always be pasted into the new document as an image
Method 3 of 3: Use Adobe Acrobat Reader
Step 1. Launch Acrobat Reader
Adobe Acrobat Reader DC is a free program, created and distributed by Adobe, which allows you to view the content of a PDF file. Depending on the type of PDF file you need to work on, you may be able to directly select and copy the text in the document.
If you haven't installed Adobe Reader on your computer yet, download and install it now. This is a free product
Step 2. Open the PDF file you need to work on
Access the menu File, choose the item You open, select the PDF file and click on the button You open.
If Adobe Reader is your computer's default program for opening PDF files, you can simply double-click the file icon to automatically open it with Acrobat Reader
Step 3. Right-click anywhere in the document and choose the Selection Tool option
In this way you will have the possibility to select the text present in the PDF. Remember that it is not possible to copy both text and images in the PDF.
Step 4. Drag the mouse cursor over the content you want to copy
Selected text should appear highlighted in blue, but images will not be included in the selection.
- If you want to select the entire content of the PDF (excluding images) with a single action, click on the menu Edit and choose the option Select all. This way, all text in the PDF, except images, will be automatically selected. If the whole document turns blue, it means that it was created by scanning a paper document and therefore it is an image. In this case, use Google Drive to solve the problem.
- If you need to copy the images in the PDF as well, you can use Google Drive to convert the document into a Google Docs file. This way you can select and copy images as well.
Step 5. Click on the Edit menu and choose the Copy option
The selected text will be copied to the clipboard.
If you used the "Select All" function and the PDF consists of more than one page, you will need to copy the contents of one page at a time after pasting the contents of the first
Step 6. Paste the copied information into another document
For example, if you want to paste text into a Word document, start Microsoft Word and create a new document. At this point, click on the point in the document where you want to paste the copied content with the right mouse button and choose the Paste option from the menu that will appear. The information copied from the PDF will appear within the new document.
If you wish, you can also use another text editor, such as "Notepad" or "TextEdit", but in this case the formatting with which the PDF text was created will not be preserved
Advice
- When you want to convert a PDF file to text using Google Drive, the document's font will have a huge impact on the program's ability to correctly detect the characters in it. You'll only get the best results for PDFs that use a well-defined, crisp, and easy-to-read font.
- You will most likely not be able to copy the contents of all PDF files you need to work on. In some cases, PDFs are protected by a password, so without knowing it, you won't have the ability to access their content.
