How to Copy Text from a Secured PDF? – A Quick Guide

Getting text out of a locked PDF can be a difficult task, but it’s not impossible. Users often run into this problem when they want to copy text from a secured PDF. Luckily, there are ways around it. You can use special software, and tools online, to unlock the text simultaneously. 

The portable document format is the most preferred online document, because of its robust security measures or restrictions. Sometimes, the restrictions become frustrating if you forget your password or your password gets lost. So, let’s check out the ways to get text from locked PDFs. 

User’s Query: 1

I have a PDF document containing important information, but I’m unable to select and copy text from it due to security restrictions. Could you please provide step-by-step instructions or suggest any reliable tools or methods that would allow me to extract or copy the text from this secured PDF document? I appreciate any help you can offer. Thank you!

User’s Query: 2

“Is there a way to copy text from a secured PDF document when the usual method of selecting and copying doesn’t work due to security restrictions? I’m trying to extract some text for a project, but the PDF seems to be protected against copying. Are there any reliable methods or tools that can help me bypass these restrictions and copy the text I need?”

Methods to Copy Text from Protected PDF

Numerous approaches can help to copy text from a secured PDF, but we will learn only about the credible ones. So, do you understand the need to remove password protection from portable document formats? 

• It’s useful for copying and printing things from a PDF.
• You can also remove encryption to move data from a PDF to MS Word.
• This helps if you forget the password for an old password-protected PDF.
• You can also change settings to copy and use images from a scanned PDF.
• If you’re using an e-book for a presentation, you can easily find important points.

After understanding the removal of protection benefits, we will move to the instructions to copy text from protected PDF efficiently.

#Approach 1. Smart Solution to Copy Text from a Secured PDF

If you want to execute the task effortlessly, then it is highly recommended by the experts to opt for PDF Unlocker Software, offered by SysTools. This is self-sufficient to unlock multiple PDFs simultaneously, which any manual solution lacks. You just have to download it for free and follow the guidelines given below:

Step 1. Install and launch the PDF software on any Windows or Mac system.

Step 2. Select the PDF files with copying issues by clicking the Add File button.

Step 3. Use the Unlock button to convert non-copyable PDFs to copyable files.

Step 4. Once processed, you can now effortlessly copy text from these previously unsecured PDF documents.

After using this tool, I don’t think that you need any other utility. Plus, you won’t find any reliable solution like this anywhere. Still, if you need to copy text from a secured PDF manually, then they are described in the next part of the phase. 

#Approach 2. Capture an Image of the PDF Document

Copying the data from a portable document format can be done by taking a screenshot or an image of the documents. This can be a lengthy task for a large volume of data, so it is recommended to opt for this technique only for small information. Otherwise, you find this a hassle. Let’s take a quick look at the guidelines of the same:

1. First, Capture a picture of the text you want to copy from the PDF and save it.
2. Go to Google Drive>click New>File Upload>Choose the picture you saved.
3. Right-click on the image in Google Drive, and click Open With>Google Docs.
4. Now, you’ll see your picture and the text in one document.
5. You can copy the text and use it however you want.

#Approach 3. Copy Text from a Secured PDF Via Google Chrome

The use of Google Chrome to proceed with the task can be a wise decision, don’t know why let’s understand:

1. Start by right-clicking on the PDF file and choose ‘Open with’ then pick ‘Google Chrome’.
2. When the PDF opens, use your mouse to select the text you want. Right-click on the text and select ‘Copy’.
3. Now, you can paste the text wherever you want.

So, using these above-mentioned approaches you can easily copy text from protected PDF hassle-free. But, remember after removing the password protection using the specified solution. You need to add security measures with the help of  PDF Lock Software to safeguard your crucial data from unauthorized access. 

So There You Have it

With the above explanation, we understood how to copy text from a secured PDF and the reasons behind it. For the same, we explore the three best solutions to copy text from protected PDF. But, we can’t deny that the mentioned automated solutions are the most reliable approach as compared to any manual techniques.