Municipality of Emerson-Franklin

Sometimes, it becomes necessary to open files in PDF format in a text editor. In order to convert a PDF file into an editable document and get text from pdf one should find out how to open it in a text editor like Microsoft Word, or Pages on Mac. Check the simplest methods below.

Four Ways on How to Extract Text from a PDF File

Have a look at the retrieval methods you can use if you need to work with the text from PDF.

• Using Google Docs. In order to convert PDF documents using Google Docs, it is necessary to do a few simple manipulations. First, you need to go to Google Docs and log in using your Google account. Next, click on the Download button and select the desired PDF file. After that you need to save it in text format. To do this, call the pop-up menu and click on the item "Download as ...". In the second window that opens, select the desired format. Microsoft Word in this list will be the first. As a result, the converted file will appear on the Mac in the specified folder and it can be edited at your discretion.
• Copy text from a PDF document. Few people know that text from a PDF document can be simply copied and pasted into a text editor. For this, you will need to make the following steps: open PDF file on Mac in Preview. Using the mouse cursor, select the text to be copied and press the key combination Command + C. Open a text editor, be it Microsoft Word, Pages, or any other, at your discretion and press the key combination Command + V. In order to copy all the text in a PDF-document, you can use the key combination Command + A.
• Export a PDF file in text format using Adobe. Adobe offers paid, but one of the easiest and most understandable solutions for converting various formats. Its web application allows you to convert PDF files to DOC, DOCX, RTF, or Excel XLSX on mac OS, iOS, Windows and even Linux. However, despite all the comforts, the price per year looks rather high. And if the user does not need to convert files several times a day, it is worth thinking twice before subscribing.
• Extract text from a PDF file using a special online tool for macOS. This method implies a convertion of a PDF file into a text document. A specially designed program will help you to extract text from a PDF document in RTF or TXT format, which you can then manually save to Word DOC or DOCX. To extract text from a PDF, you will need to open the chosen program on Mac and create a new workflow, program, or service. Find in the task list “Extract text PDF” and drag it to the workspace. Next, a dialog box opens with the ability to set various parameters for text extraction and saving. At this stage, you can select the option of the saved text - plain or formatted (RTF). Drag the required PDF file into the workspace and click the Start button at the top of the application window. After a few seconds, a text document with the extracted text appears in the folder specified for saving.

You are recommended to check the document carefully. Re-read and review it to make sure that the system hasn't skipped some letters, or mistypted them.