Have you ever been in a situation where you wanted to copy some text from a PDF file, but you couldn’t open the context menu? If you are a student or in the academic sector, you may have found yourself in this situation quite a few times.
Many PDFs and websites use “content protection” that disables the copy option. The only solution was to manually copy the content, which is, of course, a huge inconvenience.
Thankfully, there are many free online tools that can help you deal with this problem. These tools utilize OCR technology to extract text from PDFs, screenshots, and other images. Using these tools, you can extract the content and then copy it easily. The best thing is that most tools work fast. They extract the content in a matter of seconds.
However, not all tools are the same, so let’s check out the five best tools to extract text from PDFs.
1. DNS Checker Image To Text Converter
The DNS Checker Image to text converter is one of the best tools to extract content from a PDF. While the tool name may say “image to text”, you will see that the supported formats also include PDF.
To use this tool, all you need to do is either drag and drop a PDF into the interface, or you can use the “Upload” or “URL” option to provide your file. Then click the “Convert To Text” button, and you will get your output.
You will see a preview of the content, which you can edit if there are any mistakes. You can then use the “copy” shortcut button to copy the entire text, or manually select the part that you want to use.
Notable Features of DNS Checker Image to Text Converter
- Easy to Use
- Batch processing (up to 5 inputs)
- Supports extraction in multiple languages
- Preserves formatting
- Completely free to use. No restrictions on usage.
- Supports multiple image and file formats.
Notable downside: You cannot extract large PDFs with this tool due to its 4 MB file size limit. That requires an additional step where you split the document into smaller versions.
2. ComPDF Intelligent Document Extractor (Demo)
ComPDF is a reputable brand that offers SDKs to incorporate PDF processing in apps across different platforms. However, it also provides demo versions of its tools that you can try out before buying its SDKs.
One of them is the Intelligent Document Extraction. This tool lets you extract text from a PDF. To use this tool, you just have to visit its web page and then click on “Open Your File” to upload a PDF, and it will be automatically extracted.
This tool provides three different modes of text extraction:
- AI Extraction. This mode automatically extracts all tables and all text.
- Custom Extraction. It lets you choose what gets extracted by specifying the field (i.e., Table 1, Figure 2, etc).
- JSON Result. This mode lets you see the results in JSON format. Very useful if you are actually extracting a JSON format table/data from a PDF file.
Other Notable Features of the ComPDF Intelligent Document Extraction.
- You can choose to filter the results. I.e., see only the tables in the extracted content, or just the paragraphs.
- Can download the extracted text.
- Supports multiple languages and auto-detects which language is being used.
Notable Downside: The demo is free, but it only lets you extract from a PDF 10 times. After that, you have to pay for it.
3. Imagetotext.me
Imagetotext.me is a dedicated image-to-text converter. It supports various file formats for text extraction (including PDF). It is a free tool, has no account creation, and provides all of its services and features for free.
You can use it by visiting its web page and then uploading your PDF to it. You can do that by either dragging and dropping your PDF or by clicking the “Upload Image” button.
Once the file is uploaded, you click the “Convert to Text” button. You will be shown a preview of the extracted text. Here you can edit the text, copy it, or download it.
Notable Features of Imagetotext.me
- It supports WEBP and GIF formats. These are unconventional formats for text extraction.
- The tool lets you process files in batches of five or fewer.
- Supports 20 languages for text extraction.
Notable Downside: There is a max file size limit. You can’t upload PDFs that are 5 MB or larger.
4. Imagetotextconverter.net
Imagetotextconverter.net is another OCR tool that can extract text, equations, and tables from a PDF. It is quite similar to some of the other tools on the list.
The method of use is also very similar. You can copy-paste, upload, or import a PDF into the tool UI. There are additional features, but they are more relevant to image input rather than PDFs.
As far as PDFs are concerned, you can check the preview of the extracted text and then decide whether you want to download or copy it. You can also edit the content once it's extracted. The good thing is that formatting is preserved to a certain degree, so you don’t have to do much editing in post.
Notable Features of imagetotextconverter.net
- Batch Input is supported.
- It lets you crop images after uploading them.
- Supports a variety of European and Eurasian languages.
Notable Downside: Supports fewer formats than other tools on the list.
5. Ocronline.io
OCROnline.io is the last tool on our list. It is much in the same vein as the other tools in this list. You can use it to extract text from various documents and images, including PDFs.
You can input a PDF by uploading it or by providing a link (if online). Then you have to click the “Convert to Text” button.
Just like the other text extractors, you can review the output in the tool before you commit to downloading.
Notable Features of OCROnline.io
- You can extract text from eight different languages.
- Minor image editing is allowed to improve the output.
- Math equations and tables are extracted with proper formatting.
Notable Downside: Unfortunately, OCR online does not let you input more than four files at a time. It also limits the file size to 4 MB each.
Final Words
So, there you have it, five free tools that let you copy text from content-protected PDFs. This is possible because the text is extracted using optical character recognition techniques rather than the traditional means. This allows them to bypass content protection restrictions and extract the text. You can then copy the extracted text and use it however you like.