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Can’t select text in a PDF? How to make a scanned PDF editable
If you can’t select text in a PDF, it’s usually a scan: a picture of each page with no real text inside. First check that your viewer’s text-selection tool is on and that the PDF doesn’t need a password. If it’s a scan, run OCR (text recognition) to get the words out as an editable file, for example with Google Drive or Docmend’s OCR PDF tool, from the team behind the Docmend Chrome extension, or embed a text layer to make the PDF itself searchable with Preview on a Mac.
One thing to know up front: getting the text out and making the PDF searchable are different results. Docmend’s OCR PDF gives you a Word or text file, not a searchable PDF. Pick the fix by what you actually need: a few lines copied, an editable document, or a PDF you can search and select in.
Why you can’t select the text
It’s a scan or a photo
A scanned PDF is a picture of each page. You can see the words, but to your PDF viewer they’re just pixels, the same as a photo of a sign. OCR reads the picture and turns it into real text.
The text-selection tool is off
In Preview on a Mac, Apple’s troubleshooting page says the Text Selection tool may not be selected. Choose Tools → Text Selection.
The PDF needs a password
The same page says some PDFs require a password before you can select or copy text. In Preview, choose Tools → Show Inspector, then enter the password. If you don’t have it, ask whoever sent the file.
Quick test
A tip, not an official rule: press Ctrl+F (or Cmd+F on a Mac) and search for a word you can see on the page. If a page full of words gives no matches, the PDF is very likely a scan.
Just need a few lines? Copy text from a picture
iPhone or iPad: Live Text
Take a screenshot of the page or open a photo of it. In Photos, touch and hold a word, move the grab points to adjust the selection, then tap Copy, or tap Select All for everything. Apple’s Live Text article says you need an iPhone XS, iPhone XR or later with iOS 15 or later.
Mac: Live Text in Preview
Open a photo or image that shows text in Preview, drag to select the text, Control-click your selection and choose Copy Text. Apple’s Preview help describes this for photos and images, and notes Live Text isn’t available in all regions or languages. For a scanned PDF, use Embed Text below.
Windows: Snipping Tool
Capture the part of the page you need (Windows logo key + Shift + S), then select the Text actions button. You can select and copy specific text or use Copy all text. Microsoft’s Snipping Tool help says all text recognition is performed locally on your device.
In a browser
Docmend’s Image to text tool reads “the text in a photo, screenshot or scan, then copy it or download it.” Its page lists English as the language it reads, and says text that is tiny, curved or handwritten is harder to read.
Make a scanned PDF editable (Word or Google Docs)
Google Drive: Open with Google Docs
Google’s Drive help: on your computer, go to Google Drive, right-click the PDF and click Open with Google Docs. Google converts the image to text in a new Doc. Its tips:
- The file should be 2 MB or smaller.
- Text should be at least 10 pixels high.
- Pages must be right-side up; rotate the file first if needed.
- Bold, italics, font size, font type and line breaks are likely to be kept. Lists, tables, columns, footnotes and endnotes are not likely to be detected.
Docmend OCR PDF
Docmend’s OCR PDF tool reads “the text from a scanned PDF and save[s] it as a Word or text file you can edit and search.” Choose the scanned PDF, click Read text, and download the Word or text file. Your PDF itself isn’t changed, and you don’t get a searchable PDF back; you get a separate Word or text file.
Photos of pages instead of a PDF
If you photographed the pages rather than scanning them, Docmend’s JPG to Word tool turns “a photo or scan of a document into an editable Word file.” Its page says the words and line breaks come across, with each picture on its own page, while columns, tables and fonts are not rebuilt.
Why opening a scan in Word may not help
Word can open a PDF and convert a copy into a Word document, and Microsoft says this works well for files that are mostly text. But if a PDF contains mostly charts or other graphics, the whole page might show up as an image, and then the text can’t be edited. A scanned page is one big image, so convert it with OCR first.
Make the PDF itself searchable
If you want to keep the PDF and be able to select and search the text in it, you need a text layer added to the PDF. On a Mac, Preview can do this. From Apple’s Embed Text help:
- Open the PDF in Preview.
- Choose File → Export.
- Select Embed Text.
Preview scans for text and embeds it in the PDF so that it can be selected in any PDF viewer. The option only appears if no text was previously recognised in the document.
To be clear about the other routes: Docmend’s OCR PDF saves a Word or text file; it doesn’t produce a searchable PDF. Google Drive’s Open with Google Docs gives you an editable Doc, not a searchable PDF either.
PDF has real text but copying is messy?
If you can select the text but pasting scrambles it (broken lines, columns mixed together), the text is there; it’s the layout that gets in the way. Docmend’s Extract text from PDF tool copies “all the text out of a PDF into a plain .txt file, page by page.” Its page notes that scanned PDFs are pictures of pages, so there is no text inside them to copy; use OCR for those. Opening a text-based PDF in Word is another option.
Which fix fits your goal?
| Goal | Built-in method | Docmend tool | You get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copy a few lines | Live Text (iPhone, iPad, Mac images), Snipping Tool Text actions (Windows) | Image to text | Text to paste |
| Edit a scanned PDF | Google Drive: Open with Google Docs | OCR PDF | A Google Doc, or a Word or text file |
| Edit photos of pages | Google Drive: Open with Google Docs (.jpeg, .png, .gif) | JPG to Word | A Google Doc, or a Word file |
| Search and select inside the PDF | Preview (Mac): File → Export → Embed Text | None (OCR PDF gives a Word or text file) | The same PDF with selectable text |
| Clean text from a text-based PDF | Open the PDF in Word | Extract text from PDF | A Word document, or a .txt file |
Tips for better recognition
- Sharp, evenly lit pages. Google recommends sharp images with even lighting and clear contrast.
- Right-side up. Rotate pages before converting.
- Big enough text. Google suggests text at least 10 pixels high; scan at a higher resolution if the print is small.
- Common fonts. Google suggests fonts such as Arial or Times New Roman recognise more reliably.
- Straight photos. Docmend’s Image to text page recommends a sharp, straight photo with good light.
Once the text is editable and you need someone to review it, see how to get client feedback on a document.
Common questions
Why can I copy text from some PDFs and not others?
PDFs made from a Word file, a Google Doc or a web page contain real text, so you can select and copy it. A scanned PDF is a picture of each page, so there is no text to select until OCR reads it. Occasionally the cause is a turned-off text-selection tool or a password restriction.
Does Docmend’s OCR PDF make my PDF searchable?
No. OCR PDF reads the text from a scanned PDF and saves it as a Word or text file. It doesn’t produce a searchable PDF. On a Mac, Preview’s File, Export, Embed Text option adds selectable text to the PDF itself.
Can OCR read handwriting?
Don’t count on it. Docmend’s Image to text page says text that is tiny, curved or handwritten is harder to read, and Google Drive’s tips recommend common fonts such as Arial or Times New Roman.
Which languages can OCR read?
It depends on the tool. Google Drive detects the language of the document and lists many supported languages in its help. Docmend’s Image to text page lists English.
Sources
- Apple Support: If you can’t select or copy text in a PDF in Preview on Mac, checked 2026-10-16
- Apple Support: Embed text in a PDF (Preview), checked 2026-10-16
- Apple Support: Interact with text in a photo using Live Text in Preview on Mac, checked 2026-10-16
- Apple Support: Copy and translate text from photos on your iPhone or iPad, checked 2026-10-16
- Google Drive Help: Convert PDF and photo files to text, checked 2026-10-16
- Microsoft Support: Use Snipping Tool to capture screenshots, checked 2026-10-16
- Microsoft Support: Opening PDFs in Word, checked 2026-10-16
- Docmend: OCR PDF
- Docmend: Image to text
- Docmend: JPG to Word
- Docmend: Extract text from PDF