How To Copy/Extract Text From PDF In Windows 11

Do you have a PDF file from which you need to copy the text? Is the PDF file from where you would like to copy text does not allow you to copy text because the file is protected? Would you like to copy/extract text from a PDF file on your Windows 11 PC without using additional software? If so, this guide should help you. 

Copying text from a PDF file is easy. You can open the PDF file with any web browser and use the available options in the web browser to copy the text. That said, not all PDF files allow you to copy context or text from them because they are protected or they have been created in such a way that the context or text cannot be copied. 

Luckily, if you are running the latest Windows 11 build, you do not need to use third-party apps or online services to copy or extract text from PDF files.  

You will be surprised to learn that the built-in Snipping Tool can do the job. And the best part is that the Snipping Tool can copy/extract text from PDF like any other good third-party app. 

Follow the given below directions to copy or extract text from PDF in Windows 11. 

Use the Snipping Tool to copy/extract text from PDF in Windows 11

NOTE: Snipping Tool can also be used to copy/extract text from picture files. We have documented the same in our previously posted how to copy text from images in Windows 11 guide. 

Step 1: The first step is to open the PDF file. All web browsers like Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome support opening PDF files. You can open the PDF file with any of them or any other software that you might have on your PC. 

Step 2: Once the PDF file is open on your screen, launch the Snipping Tool using Start or taskbar search. 

Step 3: In the Snipping Tool window, click the New button, select the Rectangle mode (once launched), and select the area of the PDF file page from where you would like to copy or extract the text. 

Step 4: Once the Snipping Tool captures the required area, you will see the following Snipping Tool window. Here, click the Text action icon (refer to the picture below) and then click the Copy all text button to copy all text to the clipboard.

Step 5: You may now open Notepad or any other text editing app and paste the copied text using Ctrl + V hotkey. If required, you may save the file now. That’s it! 

If you have more than one PDF page, please repeat the above steps to copy all text from the PDF file. 

Our how-to save scanned files as PDFs on Windows 11 PCs guide might also interest you.