Learn How to Copy Text from a Secured PDF Document Easily

Summary: Learn effective methods to copy text from secured PDF, whether it is password-protected or has restrictions. Discover user-friendly solutions to copy protected PDF documents with ease.

Secured PDF files are excellent for protecting sensitive information. However, they can pose a challenge when users need to copy text from them. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore various techniques to copy text from a secured PDF with & without a password.

How to Copy Text From a Locked PDF Having Password?

If a user is dealing with a password-protected PDF and wants to copy text, then he must know the password beforehand. Do understand that the password is a document-open password. It prevents the PDF from opening.

Anyhow, only if the password is known, the user can remove it and convert secured PDF to unsecured to copy text. There are two ways to unlock PDFs for copying. Both the solutions are discussed below.

Method 1: Copy Text from a Secured PDF Using SysTools

SysTools PDF Unlocker is a dependable tool for copying text from password-protected PDFs. If the document is protected with a permissions password, then the software will directly bypass the PDF permissions password.

But here we are talking about a document-open password. In this case, the tool can unlock it with a password and then the user can easily copy data with any PDF editor.

• Launch the application and click on the Add File(s) button to select the password-protected PDF you want to copy text from.
• Choose the destination location for the PDF file.
• Enter the open password of the document.
• Click the “Unlock” button to remove copy protection from PDF.
• Once unlocked, open the PDF using any standard PDF reader, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader.
• Select the text you want to copy, right-click, and choose Copy from the context menu.
• You can paste the copied text into your desired application, such as a Word or Text editor.

Method 2: Copy Password-Protected PDF Using Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat Pro DC can also be used to copy text from password-protected PDFs. Of course, even in this case, the user must know the password. Here’s a simple guide:

• Open the password-protected PDF file using Adobe Acrobat.
• Enter the password when prompted to unlock the PDF.
• Once the PDF is open, navigate to the page containing the text you want to copy.
• Use the text selection tool (usually an icon that looks like a cursor arrow) to highlight the text.
• Right-click on the highlighted text and choose “Copy” from the context menu.
• You can now paste the copied text into your desired application.

Alternatives: The only other way to remove encryption from PDF files without a user password is to use a third-party application to decrypt them.

How To Copy Text From a Secured PDF Having Restrictions?

If users are faced with a PDF that has restrictions preventing text copying, there are multiple solutions. It depends on whether the user knows the password or not.

If the user knows the restricted password, any PDF editor like Adobe Acrobat can copy text from secured PDF files.

If the user does not know the permission password, then SysTools and other indirect methods can be used to copy a protected PDF document. All of these are explained below.

Also Read: Learn How to Convert Read Only PDF to Editable PDF – Quick & Reliable Solution

Method 1: Copy a Protected PDF Using SysTools

The above-mentioned software can help you copy text from a secured PDF without a password.

Here is the complete process.

• Download and install SysTools PDF Unlocker on your computer.
• Launch the application and click on the Add File(s) button to select the restricted PDF you want to copy text from.
• Choose the destination location for the unlocked PDF file.
• Click the Unlock button to remove restrictions from the PDF document.
• Once unlocked, open the PDF using any standard PDF reader.
• Select the text you want to copy, right-click, and choose Copy from the context menu.
• Paste the copied text into your desired application.

Method 2: Copy a Locked PDF Using Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat Pro DC offers a solution to copy a protected PDF document. However, the user needs to know the password beforehand. To do this, follow these steps:

• Open the restricted PDF file using Adobe Acrobat.
• Right-click on the protected PDF document and select Properties.
• Choose Security > No Security and enter the password; click OK.
• Save the PDF file. Then, navigate to the page containing the text you want to copy.
• Use the text selection tool to highlight the text.
• Right-click on the highlighted text and choose Copy from the context menu.
• Paste the copied text into your desired application.

Method 3: Take a Screenshot

If other methods fail, taking screenshots of the text is a quick workaround. Here’s how to copy protected PDF content using images:

• Open the secured PDF and navigate to the page with the text you want to copy.
• Take a screenshot of the page by pressing the Print Screen (PrtScn) key on your keyboard.
• Open an image editing program like Microsoft Paint or Adobe Photoshop.
• Paste the screenshot into the program and crop it to include only the desired text.
• Save the cropped image.

Method 4: Convert PDF to a Copyable Word Document

Another way to copy text from a secured PDF is to convert the PDF to an editable Word document. Here’s how to make a copyable PDF by converting it to Word:

• Use an online PDF-to-Word converter or a PDF editing tool like Adobe Acrobat to convert the PDF to a Word document (DOC or DOCX).
• Once converted, open the Word document.
• Select the text you want to copy, right-click, and choose Copy.
• Paste the copied text into your desired application.

Conclusion

When a user needs to copy text from a secured PDF, it is achievable with the right tools and methods. Whether your PDF is password-protected or restricted, the user has multiple methods to do this. By following the step-by-step instructions outlined in this guide, you can effortlessly copy a protected PDF document and use it as needed.

Can’t Copy from Secured PDF – Here are Some Answers

Q) Can I copy text from any secured PDF?

Yes, you can copy text from most secured PDFs using the methods mentioned in this guide.

Q) Why can’t I copy text from some PDF even if it has no password?

Some PDFs have text copy restrictions imposed by the document’s creator or owner. In such cases, the user thinks that there is no password but the copy restriction is still there. A password is still present. It’s just that this is a permission password and not a document-open password. So some users are unaware of it.