How to copy text from PDF that cannot be copied?

When text cannot be copied from a PDF, identify the cause before choosing a solution:

• Scanned or image-based PDF: Each page is an image with no selectable text layer. OCR is required.
• Copying restricted by security settings: The PDF contains text, but its permissions block copying. You need authorization and the appropriate permissions password.

When the PDF consists of images, use Windows 11 Snipping Tool for a short passage. For an entire scanned PDF, use an online OCR converter or a desktop application.

• No-download methods

Copy text from a scanned PDF with Snipping Tool

Windows 11 Snipping Tool can recognize text from a screenshot without installing another application. It is useful for a paragraph or one scanned page.

1. Open the PDF and zoom in until the text is clear.
2. Press Windows + Shift + S.
3. Drag over the section containing the text.
4. Open the screenshot in Snipping Tool.
5. Select Text actions > Copy all text.
6. Paste the extracted text into Word, Notepad, or another application.

This method does not make the original PDF searchable and is inefficient for a long document. Recognition can also be less accurate with blurry scans, handwriting, tables, or very small text.

Convert scanned PDF to editable Word online with PDFgear

PDFgear's online PDF-to-Word OCR tool can convert a scanned or image-based PDF into an editable Word document without installing software or creating an account.

1. Go to the PDFgear website.
2. From the top menu, select PDF Online Tools > PDF to Word.
3. Click Select PDF File and add the scanned PDF.
4. Select Advanced convert mode, then click Convert.
5. Click Download File to save the editable Word document locally.

This method is suitable when you want a free editable DOCX file without installing a desktop application.

• Desktop methods

Extract scanned PDF text with PDFgear Desktop

PDFgear Desktop is free and requires no account or sign-in. It can convert scanned PDFs into editable Word or TXT files, or apply OCR directly to make the original PDF searchable and copyable. The following steps show how to use OCR to make a scanned PDF searchable and copyable.

1. Open the PDF in the PDFgear desktop app.
2. From the top toolbar, select Home > OCR.
3. Enter or select the page range to process, then choose the language contained in the PDF.
4. Click Apply to start OCR.
5. After processing, search for or select the recognized text and copy it.
6. Save the OCR-processed PDF under a new name if you want to retain the searchable text layer.

PDFgear supports OCR in more than 30 languages. All features in the PDFgear desktop app run locally and can be used offline. Use Convert from PDF with OCR enabled to turn a scanned file into an editable Word document, and use the OCR tool in the menu to keep the PDF format while making its text searchable and copyable.

Make PDF text searchable with Adobe Acrobat Pro

Adobe Acrobat Pro is the paid professional option for applying OCR to an entire PDF and adding a searchable, selectable text layer.

1. Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro.
2. Select All tools > Scan & OCR.
3. Choose Recognize Text > In This File.
4. Select the correct document language and page range.
5. Select Recognize Text to run OCR.
6. Select and copy the required text from the searchable PDF.

Overall, if you do not want to install software, use the Snipping Tool or PDFgear Online for free. However, Snipping Tool is not practical for extracting text from a long PDF; for a full document, use PDFgear or Adobe Acrobat Pro to make PDF text searchable and selectable instead.

Do not use OCR to bypass intentional copying restrictions. If the PDF's security settings list Content Copying as Not Allowed, request an unlocked copy or the authorized permissions password from the document owner. For scanned PDFs, always proofread names, numbers, dates, punctuation, and tables after OCR.