How do I copy text from a PDF?

Drop your PDF into the tool. Once the text appears in the output area, click the Copy button to put the entire content on your clipboard, then paste it anywhere you need.

Why use this instead of copying inside a PDF viewer?

Selecting long passages inside a PDF viewer can miss columns, headers, or break across pages. This tool reads every page in order so you can copy the whole document with one click.

Does the copied text include images?

Only the text layer is copied. Images, signatures, and other visual elements are not included. For visual content, use a PDF to image tool instead.

Is my PDF uploaded anywhere when I copy?

Your PDF stays on your device. The Copy action only writes to your local clipboard; our servers are not involved at any point.

Can I copy text from a password-protected PDF?

Password-protected and encrypted PDFs cannot be read by the tool until they are unlocked. Open the PDF in a viewer that supports the password and save a decrypted copy first.

Copy Text from PDF

Get the full text content of a PDF on your clipboard in one click. Drop the PDF, review the extracted text in the output box, and copy or download it. All processing runs in your browser.

Drop a PDF here or click to browse

How it works

pdfjs-dist reads every page of your PDF in the browser and calls getTextContent() to grab the text layer, including content that spans columns, headers, and footers that a manual selection can easily miss. The joined output appears in the box, and a single click on Copy writes the whole string to the clipboard via the Clipboard API so you can paste it straight into your editor, email, or note app.

Processing runs in your browser

All text extraction happens locally in your browser tab. The PDF is loaded into memory, parsed by pdfjs-dist, and the extracted text is written into the output area. Our servers are not involved at any point. You can inspect this yourselfin your browser's DevTools Network tab.

Frequently asked questions

How do I copy text from a PDF?: Drop your PDF into the tool. Once the text appears in the output area, click the Copy button to put the entire content on your clipboard, then paste it anywhere you need.
Why use this instead of copying inside a PDF viewer?: Selecting long passages inside a PDF viewer can miss columns, headers, or break across pages. This tool reads every page in order so you can copy the whole document with one click.
Does the copied text include images?: Only the text layer is copied. Images, signatures, and other visual elements are not included. For visual content, use a PDF to image tool instead.
Is my PDF uploaded anywhere when I copy?: Your PDF stays on your device. The Copy action only writes to your local clipboard; our servers are not involved at any point.
Can I copy text from a password-protected PDF?: Password-protected and encrypted PDFs cannot be read by the tool until they are unlocked. Open the PDF in a viewer that supports the password and save a decrypted copy first.

Copy Text from PDF

How it works

Processing runs in your browser

Frequently asked questions

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