How to Efficiently Select All the Text in a PDF Document

PDF download Download Article
PDF download Download Article

Selecting all of the text in a PDF document seems like it would be a fairly straightforward process, right? Sometimes it is, but things get tricky when a PDF has more than one page. If you've attempted to select all of the text in a PDF document but are only grabbing one page at a time, you're not alone. Fortunately, this issue can be resolved in Adobe Acrobat Reader and Apple Preview, the two most popular PDF readers, with just a couple of quick tweaks.

Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Using Adobe Acrobat Reader

PDF download Download Article
  1. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/4\/49\/Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-1-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-1-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/4\/49\/Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-1-Version-3.jpg\/aid17193-v4-728px-Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-1-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    If you already have Acrobat Reader installed, ensure that you have the latest version. To do this, click “Check for Updates.” If an update is available, click “Install.” If no updates are necessary, proceed to the next step.
    • If you don't have Acrobat Reader, point your web browser to get.adobe.com/reader. [1] Remove the checkmarks next to the two “Optional Offers” (McAfee Security and TrueKey), then click “Install Now.” When the “Finish” button turns green, click it to complete the installation.
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/cd\/Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-2-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-2-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/cd\/Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-2-Version-3.jpg\/aid17193-v4-728px-Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-2-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":346,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":547,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Double-click the PDF file to open it in your updated version of Acrobat Reader.
    Advertisement
  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/7\/77\/Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-3-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-3-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/7\/77\/Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-3-Version-3.jpg\/aid17193-v4-728px-Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-3-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    [2] Open the View menu and select “Page Display.” There should not be a check next to “Single Page View.” If there is, remove it by clicking “Enable Scrolling.” In order to select the entirety of the document (rather than just one page), this step is crucial.
  4. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/f\/fc\/Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-4.jpg\/v4-460px-Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/f\/fc\/Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-4.jpg\/aid17193-v4-728px-Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Click somewhere in the document, then press Ctrl + A (Windows) or ⌘ Command + A (Mac) to select all text in the document.
  5. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/0\/08\/Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-5.jpg\/v4-460px-Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-5.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/0\/08\/Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-5.jpg\/aid17193-v4-728px-Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-5.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Once the text is selected, you can copy it by pressing Ctrl + C (Windows) or ⌘ Command + C (Mac). Another way to do this is to open the Edit menu and select “Copy File to Clipboard.”
  6. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/d\/d9\/Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-6.jpg\/v4-460px-Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-6.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/d9\/Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-6.jpg\/aid17193-v4-728px-Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-6.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    To paste the text into another program, click where you'd like to add the text and press Ctrl + V (Windows) or Ctrl + V on Mac.
    7. Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Using Apple Preview

PDF download Download Article
  1. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/3\/34\/Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-7.jpg\/v4-460px-Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-7.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/34\/Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-7.jpg\/aid17193-v4-728px-Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-7.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":349,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":552,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    [3] Double-click the PDF to open it in Preview. If the PDF opens in software other than Preview, drag the PDF file to the Preview icon in the dock.
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/cd\/Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-8.jpg\/v4-460px-Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-8.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/cd\/Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-8.jpg\/aid17193-v4-728px-Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-8.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Click the Edit button (a small square with a pencil icon) to display the editing toolbar.
  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/9\/94\/Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-9.jpg\/v4-460px-Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-9.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/9\/94\/Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-9.jpg\/aid17193-v4-728px-Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-9.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    [4] To ensure that all text in the document can be selected (not just the current page), click the View menu (the top left of the document, signified by a small box with a downward-facing arrow to its right) and place a check next to “Continuous Scroll.”
  4. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/2\/20\/Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-10.jpg\/v4-460px-Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-10.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/2\/20\/Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-10.jpg\/aid17193-v4-728px-Efficiently-Select-All-the-Text-in-a-PDF-Document-Step-10.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    First, enable text selection by clicking the editing toolbar icon signified by the letter A next to a cursor. Now, click somewhere in the document, then press ⌘ Command + A to select all text in the document.
    • To copy the selected text, press ⌘ Command + C .
    • To paste the selected text into another document, click in the desired paste location and press ⌘ Command + V .
    5. Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Tips

      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
      Advertisement

      You Might Also Like

      How to
      View a PDF Document in Full Screen View
      3 Easy Ways to Attach a File to a PDF
      How to Crop the Pages of a PDF Document
      How to
      Organize Your PDF Documents
      How to Open and Edit a PDF in Microsoft Word: 3 Easy Methods
      How to Open and Read PDFs on an iPad
      3 Simple Ways to Copy a Secured PDF
      How to Copy and Paste an Image from PDF to Word
      How to
      Copy and Paste PDF Content Into a New File
      How to
      Highlight Text in a PDF Document
      How to Search for a Word or Phrase in a PDF Document
      How to
      Rotate Pages in a PDF Document Using Adobe Acrobat
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ https://get.adobe.com/reader/
      2. ↑ https://talkingpdf.org/tip-selecting-text-in-a-pdf/
      3. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201740
      4. ↑ http://www.macworld.com/article/2045686/editing-and-annotating-pdf-files-with-preview.html

      About This Article

      In other languages
      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 221,066 times.

      Is this article up to date?

      Advertisement