There are a few different ways to extract text from a PDF, depending on what you need: copy and paste it directly, use AI to pull out the key points, or convert the file into an editable, text-based format using tools like Google Docs or Microsoft Word.
PDF text extraction can help with searchability throughout your document and make it easy to process, analyze, access, edit, and store.
The extraction process may seem challenging for individuals who have never done it before. That’s why we show you the different ways to extract text from PDFs, discuss the common uses of text extraction tools, and share the best practices for properly conducting this process.
Key Takeaways
- You can copy and paste text out of any PDF that already has real, selectable text; no extra tools needed.
- For just the key points instead of the whole document, AI generates a quick summary.
- To turn an entire PDF into an editable, text-based file, tools like Google Docs or Microsoft Word get the job done.
- Scanned or image-based PDFs need to go through OCR software before their text can be extracted.
- Password-protected PDFs need to be unlocked first since none of these methods work on a locked file.
When Do You Need to Extract Text From a PDF?
You should extract text from PDFs because this can help you expand the scope of its use when necessary and increase overall productivity.
Let’s thoroughly examine the most important factors that PDF extraction provides:
#1. Make Text Usage Go Beyond PDF Limits
Extracting text from PDFs will result in new formats (e.g., raw format), which you can use for various purposes. This way, you can transfer text more easily, making it simpler to share and access.
Editing text in PDF format may also be demanding and lengthy at times. Because of this, extracting text and placing it in a more text-friendly format will not only facilitate the editing process but will also make it quicker for you.
Finally, using the search option in PDFs may not always work smoothly or be possible in some cases (if using non-searchable PDFs). Text extraction can remove these limitations, as you can insert the same text into other document types with more user-friendly search features.
#2. Handle Everyday Data Tasks
Your PDF documents may not feature organized content, at least not in the way you want. However, you can extract text from them and make the content more coherent or adapt it to your needs. For example, creating and conducting reports or analyses is much easier when the text is organized in a more concise manner.
#3. Enhance Academic and Business Performance
Text extraction is especially important for students and educators, as it allows them to take notes and create study materials more effortlessly. For example, by extracting references and citations for permanent use, they can make the academic writing process smoother and simpler in the long run.
In addition, professionals such as lawyers can use text extraction to find important information in legal documents, allowing them to present it efficiently in court. Similarly, business marketers can extract text containing market research or customer feedback from PDFs for straightforward analysis, structuring, and report-making.
3 Ways to Extract Text From a PDF
Now that we’ve covered when extracting text from PDF is useful, let’s see how to actually do it. Here’s how each of the three methods works, step by step:
#1. Copy and Paste From a Selectable PDF
If your PDF already contains real text rather than a scanned image, you can extract it using a PDF reader:
- Open your PDF.
- Click and drag your cursor over the text you want to copy. If you’re using a desktop app, press Ctrl+A on Windows, or Cmd+A on a Mac, to select the entire document.
- Copy the selected text and paste it into a Word document, an email, or wherever you need it. Copy the selected text
This is the fastest option for grabbing a paragraph, a page, or a short section, though it can get tedious for longer documents.
#2. Use AI to Pull Out Key Points
If you don’t need every word, just the main takeaways, an AI Summarizer can do the work for you. Here’s how to do it with pdf.net:
- Go to our AI PDF Summarizer and upload your document.
- Type in your prompt to chat with PDF, or use the preset one.
- Review your summary and download it once it’s ready.
This works well for long reports, research papers, or contracts when you want the gist without reading the whole file. However, keep in mind it produces a summary, not a word-for-word copy of the original text.
#3. Convert Your PDF Into a Text-Based File
If you need the entire document as editable, selectable text rather than just an excerpt or a summary, you can use a PDF to text converter or built-in options like Google Docs or MS Word.
Google Docs
To extract text from PDF with Google Docs, upload your PDF to Google Drive, right-click the file, and choose Open with > Google Docs.
Google Docs converts it into an editable document automatically. Plus, it runs OCR on scanned or image-based pages as part of that process, so this option works even if your PDF isn’t text-based to begin with.
Microsoft Word
To extract text from PDF with MS Word, follow these steps:
- Go to File > Open.
- Select the PDF you want to open.
- Word automatically converts it into an editable document.
This works well for standard, text-based PDFs, however, it won’t recognize text on scanned or image-only pages.
PDF to Text Converter
To extract text from a PDF, you can use an online PDF to text converter like pdf.net. Here’s how to do it:
- Upload your PDF file to our PDF to text converter.
- Let the tool convert your file into a plain text (.txt) document.
- Copy the content or download the TXT file once it's ready.
3 Essential Tips for Extracting Text From a PDF
Here are three things worth knowing before you get started:
#1. Make Sure the PDF Isn’t Password-Protected
If someone password-protects a PDF, you might not be able to open or use it, which automatically prevents text extraction as well. Additionally, there may be restrictions on PDFs that make them non-editable, which means that you cannot copy text from such files or print them.
The solution to this problem is to use an unlock tool, which can remove the PDF password and restrictions. This method works if you have the authorization credentials. Afterward, you can either copy and paste the text from the document or use a converter to streamline this process automatically.
#2. Watch Out for Non-Standard Fonts and Formatting
PDFs with non-standard fonts, unusual layouts, or graphic-heavy designs can cause copied text to come out garbled, out of order, or missing characters entirely. This usually happens because some fonts aren’t fully embedded or use custom character encoding that your browser can’t interpret correctly during copy and paste.
If you run into this, try converting the PDF into a text-based format instead, since conversion tools tend to handle non-standard formatting more reliably than a manual copy-paste.
#3. Double-Check Any Scanned or Image-Only Pages
Some PDFs mix real text with scanned pages or embedded images, for example, a signed contract with one scanned signature page. If you copy, summarize, or convert the whole file, those scanned pages won’t come through as text, if your reader doesn’t support OCR.
Check your document page by page, and if you spot a scanned or image-based page, run the file through Google Docs or other OCR software before trying to extract its content.
Final Thoughts
Extracting text from a PDF doesn’t have to mean forcing every file through the same process. Copying and pasting is quickest for a short excerpt, an AI Summarizer is the better call when you only need the key points, and converting the file to a text-based format makes the most sense when you need the entire document as editable text.
Whichever method fits your situation, check the tips above first, a password-protected file, an unusual font, or a scanned page can each get in the way if you don’t catch them early.
How to Extract Text From a PDF FAQs
#1. What’s the difference between copying text and using the AI Summarizer?
Copying and pasting gives you the exact, unedited text from your PDF, word for word. The AI Summarizer instead reads the whole document and gives you a condensed overview of its key points, which is faster to read but isn’t a verbatim copy of the original text.
#2. Can I extract text from just part of a PDF?
Yes. Copying and pasting lets you grab just the section, paragraph, or page you need. The AI Summarizer works on the whole document by default, so if you only need a summary of one section, save that section as its own PDF first.
#3. Is it free to extract text from a PDF with pdf.net?
pdf.net’s copy-paste extraction method is free to use in your browser. The AI Summarizer is free to start, however, downloading the summary requires a paid plan.
#4. Can I extract text from a PDF on my phone?
Yes. Copying and pasting works the same way in a mobile browser's PDF viewer as it does on desktop; tap and hold to select text, then copy and paste it. As for pdf.net, it’s browser-based, so it works on any device, while Google Docs and Word both have mobile apps.
#5. Why does the text I copy come out with extra line breaks or strange spacing?
This usually happens with PDFs that have multiple columns or complex layouts. Pasting into a document and using Find & Replace to clean up the extra breaks is the quickest fix, or try converting through Google Docs or Word instead.