This wikiHow teaches you how to copy the contents of a PDF file and paste it into another document so you can edit it. The easiest way is to use Google Drive because it can convert almost any PDF file (even text files embedded in images) to other formats that can be copied and edited directly. If you simply want to copy some text from a file to another program on your computer, you can use Preview (on Mac), or the free Adobe Acrobat Reader application (on Windows).
Step
Method 1 of 3: Using Google Drive
Step 1. Launch a web browser and visit
If you are logged in, Google Drive will be opened.
- If not logged in, click Go to Drive and sign in using a Google account.
- Apart from being able to copy text and images, this method also allows you to convert a PDF file to a document that can be edited in most word processing programs (even if the file is in the form of a scanned image and is even protected by the author).
Step 2. Click + New
It's in the upper-left corner of the page. A menu will be opened.
Step 3. Click File upload in the menu
The file explorer on your computer will open.
Step 4. Select the desired PDF file and click Open
The PDF file will be uploaded to Google Drive. A message saying "Upload Complete" will appear at the bottom right of the page once the file has finished uploading.
Step 5. Right-click the PDF file and select Open with
The PDF will appear in the list of files in Google Drive. This will bring up a menu.
Step 6. Click Google Docs
The PDF file will be converted to a format that can be read by Google Docs. The conversion process can take a while. When finished, the PDF file will open in Google Docs.
- Google Drive's OCR software isn't perfect, and there may be some errors or parts of the text that won't convert.
- Once the document is opened in Google Docs, you can edit it here. Any changes you make are automatically saved to a new Google Docs file with the same name as the PDF file on Google Drive.
Step 7. Download the converted document (optional)
If what you want is an editable PDF document (with images and formatting), you don't need to copy the contents into a new document. Just save the current document, then download it to your computer so you can edit it as needed. How to do it:
- Click File in the top left corner of Google Docs and select Download.
- choose Microsoft Word (.docx). This type of document can be opened and edited using Microsoft Word, Pages (on macOS), LibreOffice, WordPerfect, OpenOffice, and almost any other word processing program.
- Specify the storage location, then click Save. Your task has been completed.
Step 8. Highlight the piece of content you want to copy
If you want to copy the contents of a PDF file to another application, highlight the part you want to copy by clicking and dragging the mouse over the desired content.
Step 9. Click Edit, then select Copy
The section you highlighted will be copied to the clipboard.
Step 10. Paste the piece of content you copied into the new document
You can run Microsoft Word on your computer if you want. You can also create a new Google Doc by clicking File in Google Docs, choose New, and choose Documents. Paste the piece of content you copied by right-clicking the typing area and selecting Paste.
Method 2 of 3: Using Preview on Mac Komputer
Step 1. Open the PDF file with Preview on Mac computer
How to open it: right click (or Control-click) PDF file, click Open with, then click Preview.
Step 2. Click Tools
This menu is at the top.
Step 3. Copy the text by selecting Text Selection
By selecting this option, you can copy the text in the PDF file and paste it as editable text in another application. Note that you cannot copy and paste images that are in a PDF file.
- If you want to copy a screenshot-type PDF file and paste it as an image, select Rectangular selection.
- If you really want the images, you can also Use Google Drive to convert PDF files to Google Docs. This way, you can select and copy the image.
Step 4. Click and drag the mouse cursor over the content you want to copy
The content you selected will be highlighted.
If nothing is highlighted, the PDF may be a scanned file that was saved as an image and cannot be edited. It is also possible that the document is protected from being copied. Use the Google Drive method if you want to convert a file like this to a copyable format
Step 5. Click Edit, then select Copy
The content you selected will be copied to the clipboard.
Step 6. Open the document as a place to paste the content you copied
For example, if you want to paste the content into a Microsoft Word document, create a new document in Word.
Step 7. Right-click the typing area, then select Paste
The content you copy will appear in the new document in an editable format.
If the content you are copying is an image, this will paste the area you selected as an image
Method 3 of 3: Using Adobe Acrobat Reader
Step 1. Launch Acrobat Reader
Adobe Acrobat Reader DC is a free PDF file reader program made by Adobe. Depending on the type of PDF downloaded, you may be able to select and copy the text in the PDF file using this program.
Adobe Reader can be downloaded and installed for free if you don't already have it
Step 2. Open the PDF file
Do this by clicking File, choose Open, select the desired PDF file, then click Open.
If Adobe Reader is the default program for opening PDF files, double-click the PDF file you want to open in this program
Step 3. Right-click on any area in the document, then select Select Tool
Once you've done that, you can select the text that is in the PDF. You can't record both text and images at the same time-both are technically uncopyable.
Step 4. Click and drag the mouse over the text you want to copy
The text will be highlighted in blue, but parts of the image will not be highlighted as well.
- If you want to select the entire PDF content (without images) at once, you can click Edit at the top, then click Select All. If the entire text (excluding images) is highlighted, you can copy it. If the entire document turns blue (not just the text), it means that the document is actually an image. Use the Google Drive method to work around this type of file.
- If you really want an image, you can also use Google Drive to convert a PDF file to a Google Doc. This way, you can select and copy the image.
Step 5. Click Edit, then select Copy
The selected text will be copied to the clipboard.
If you use " Select All " and the PDF file has multiple pages, you may have to go back, and copy each page individually after pasting the contents of this page
Step 6. Paste the content you copied into another document
For example, if you want to paste it into a Microsoft Word document, create a new document in Word. After that, right-click the typing area, then select Paste to paste the copied PDF content.
You can also use a text-editing program such as Notepad or TextEdit. However, the formatting used in PDF files will not be preserved if you use this program
Tips
- When converting a scanned text PDF file to Google Drive, the font in the PDF file will play an important role in Google Drive's success in reading characters. Chances of success are high if the file uses a clear, easy-to-read font.
- You will most likely not be able to copy the text of all the PDF files you get. This is because some PDFs have been locked by the author (this means you must enter a password to access them).
