Fix PDF Text Pasting as Square Boxes in Acrobat on Mac
Question details
The user needs to resolve an issue where text copied from a self-created PDF appears as square boxes when pasted into another document on macOS.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat DC
- Device & OS
- macOS
- Scenario
- Copying text from a PDF and pasting it into another document or application.
- Observed behavior
- The text displays correctly within the PDF but turns into unreadable square boxes upon pasting.
Ensure the source PDF displays all text correctly without visual errors and confirm whether you are pasting into another PDF or a different application like Microsoft Word.
Enable Local Fonts in Acrobat Preferences
Adjust Acrobat's rendering settings to utilize system fonts, which often resolves font embedding conflicts during copy-paste operations on Mac.
When a PDF is created with non-standard or improperly embedded fonts, copying the text may result in missing character encodings. By forcing Acrobat to use the local fonts installed on your Mac, you can bypass the embedded font errors and successfully copy the actual text characters.
Launch Adobe Acrobat DC on your Mac. In the top Apple menu bar, click on 'Adobe Acrobat DC' and select 'Preferences'.
In the left-hand Categories pane of the Preferences window, select 'Page Display'.
Locate the 'Rendering' section on the right side of the window. Check the box next to 'Use Local Fonts'.
Click 'OK' to save the changes. Open your PDF document, copy the text again, and paste it into your desired application to verify the square boxes are gone.
Extract and Copy PDF Text Without Errors in WPS Office
Avoid font rendering issues and unreadable square boxes by using WPS Office. Its robust PDF engine ensures text is extracted, copied, and edited with high fidelity across all platforms.
- 1. Open PDF in WPS Office: Launch WPS Office and open your PDF document using the built-in PDF viewer.
- 2. Select the Text: Use your cursor to highlight the text you wish to extract from the document.
- 3. Copy and Paste: Right-click and select 'Copy' (or press Cmd+C). You can now paste the text directly into a Word document or another application without font errors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my copied PDF text turn into square boxes or gibberish?
This usually happens when the PDF does not have its fonts properly embedded, or the system lacks the original fonts used to create the document. Without standard font encoding, the system clipboard copies the raw, unrecognizable character codes instead of readable text.
Does enabling 'Use Local Fonts' change how my PDF looks?
It may cause minor visual differences. By enabling this setting, Acrobat will prioritize the fonts installed locally on your Mac to render the text, which might slightly differ from the original embedded fonts but ensures character readability.
What if the text still copies as square boxes after changing preferences?
If the issue persists, the font encoding in the document might be custom, or the text might actually be flattened as an image. You can try exporting the PDF to Word or using an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) tool to recognize and extract the text cleanly.
