Fix Cannot Select or Copy Text Correctly in Acrobat Pro DC
Question details
The user is unable to accurately copy text from PDF files, resulting in garbled or incomplete data when pasting.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat Pro DC
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Attempting to select and copy text from PDF invoices to paste into another document or application.
- Observed behavior
- The copied text pastes as incomplete words, scrambled letters, or gibberish symbols due to scanning or font encoding issues.
Test copying text from an older PDF file that previously worked to determine if the issue is specific to recently created invoices or affects the entire Acrobat application.
Run Optical Character Recognition (OCR) on the Document
If the PDF was generated from a scanner or contains unrecognized font encoding, running OCR will convert the images into standard, selectable text.
PDF invoices are often scanned or exported using third-party tools that do not properly embed font encoding. Acrobat may see the text as an image or misinterpret the characters. Using the built-in OCR tool can reconstruct the text layer.
Open the problematic PDF in Acrobat Pro DC. Go to the 'Tools' tab and select 'Scan & OCR'.
Click on 'Recognize Text' in the toolbar and select 'In This File' from the dropdown menu.
Click the 'Recognize Text' button to let Acrobat process the document. Once completed, highlight the text and attempt to copy it again.
Print as a New PDF to Fix Font Encoding
Re-saving the document through the 'Print to PDF' feature can bypass unusual font encoding that causes gibberish text.
Repair the Acrobat Pro DC Installation
If the copying issue occurs across all PDF files, including older ones that used to work, your Acrobat installation might be corrupted.
Copy and Edit PDF Text Seamlessly with WPS Office
Bypass Acrobat's encoding issues by using WPS Office. WPS PDF offers advanced OCR and powerful text extraction tools that easily convert scanned documents into selectable text without scrambled characters.
- 1. Install WPS Office: Download and install WPS Office on your computer or mobile device.
- 2. Open the PDF: Launch WPS PDF and open the problematic invoice or document.
- 3. Run the OCR Tool: Navigate to the 'Tools' tab and select 'OCR' to recognize and reconstruct the text layer.
- 4. Copy the Text: Once processed, highlight the required information, right-click, and select 'Copy' to extract it perfectly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does copied text from a PDF paste as weird symbols or gibberish?
This usually happens when the PDF creator used non-standard fonts without embedding their unicode mapping, or if the document is actually a scanned image. The clipboard cannot recognize the characters properly, resulting in gibberish.
Does printing a PDF to a new file always fix copying issues?
Not always, but it forces the software to 'flatten' and re-render the fonts. If the original encoding was corrupted or unusually layered, 'Print to PDF' might bypass the issue, allowing you to select standard text in the new file.
How can I copy text from a secured or restricted PDF?
If the PDF has security permissions preventing content copying, you will generally need the owner password to unlock it. You can go to Document Properties > Security to check if copying is explicitly restricted.
Is it better to convert the PDF to Word to copy the text?
Converting a PDF to a Word document can be highly effective, as the conversion tool will actively try to map the PDF characters to standard fonts. If direct copying fails, using an export to Word feature is a reliable workaround.
