How to Copy PDF to Word: Text, Tables, Images & Full PDFs

Copying content from a PDF to Word can be as simple as selecting the text and pressing Ctrl+C or Command+C. But there are actually three different tasks users often mean by "copy PDF to Word": copying part of a PDF, converting the whole PDF into an editable Word document, or inserting the PDF file itself into an existing Word document.

For a small amount of selectable text, direct copy and paste is usually fastest. If you need most or all of the document to remain editable, convert the PDF to DOCX instead. Scanned PDFs require OCR before their text can be edited. And if you simply want the original PDF attached inside a Word document, use Word's Insert > Object > Create from File option.

This guide explains each method so you can copy PDF text, tables, images, equations, and scanned content to Word while avoiding unnecessary formatting problems. It also shows how to insert a PDF into Word as an embedded or linked file and what to do when copying is restricted.

Part 1. How to Copy PDF to Word

Before choosing a method, decide what you actually want Word to contain. Copying text, converting a full PDF, and inserting a PDF file are different operations and produce different results.

How to Insert a PDF into a Word Document Without Converting It

If you want to add the PDF file itself to an existing Word document rather than copy its text, use Word's Object feature. This method keeps the PDF as a separate file object inside or alongside the Word document; it does not turn the PDF content into normal editable Word text.

Step 1. Open your Word document and place the cursor where you want the PDF to appear.

Step 2. In the desktop version of Microsoft Word, select Insert > Object.

Step 3. Choose Create from File, click Browse, and select the PDF.

Step 4. Decide how Word should handle the file:

• Leave "Link to file" unchecked if you want the PDF embedded inside the Word document.
• Select "Link to file" if you want Word to reference the original PDF on your computer.
• Select "Display as icon" if you prefer a clickable PDF icon instead of a page preview.

Step 5. Click OK to insert the PDF.

Important: Inserting a PDF as an object is different from converting PDF to Word. The PDF remains a separate object and its text is not directly editable as Word content. For multi-page PDFs, Word normally shows an icon or first-page representation rather than displaying every PDF page inline.

Microsoft documents this workflow in its Add a PDF to your Office file guidance.

How to Copy a Whole PDF to Word with PDFelement

If your goal is to edit most or all of the PDF content in Word, converting the file to DOCX is usually more practical than inserting it as an object or copying it page by page.

Wondershare PDFelement - PDF Editor Wondershare PDFelement Wondershare PDFelement can convert a PDF to Word so that text and document structure can be edited in Microsoft Word. For scanned or image-based PDFs, OCR can first recognize the text before conversion.

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Step 1. Open PDF

Open PDFelement and click Open PDF to select the PDF you want to copy or convert to Word.

Step 2. Convert PDF to Word

Click Convert > To Word and choose where to save the converted DOCX file.

Open the converted DOCX in Microsoft Word. You can then edit the document directly or copy sections into another Word file.

This method is most suitable when:

• You need to move most or all of a PDF into Word.
• You want the PDF content to become editable.
• You are working with multiple pages or a complex document.
• The PDF is scanned and needs OCR before editing.

For only a few lines of selectable text, direct copy and paste is usually faster. If you want to keep the original PDF file intact inside Word, insert it as an Object instead.

Part 2. How to Copy and Paste from A PDF to Word

If you only need part of a PDF, you may not need to convert the entire document. Text, images, and simple document elements can often be copied directly. More complex layouts such as tables, multi-column pages, and equations may require conversion or manual cleanup after pasting.

The following methods show how to handle the most common types of PDF content in PDFelement.

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Copy Text from PDF to Word in the Same Font

For a text-based PDF, select the text directly and paste it into Word. If you are working with a scanned document and cannot select the words, see How to Copy Text from Scanned PDF to Word.

Step 1. Open the PDF file in PDFelement.

Step 2. Select the text you want to copy. Right-click the selection and choose Copy, or press Ctrl+C on Windows or Command+C on Mac.

Step 3. Open the Word document and press Ctrl+V on Windows or Command+V on Mac.

After pasting, check fonts, paragraph spacing, line breaks, and columns. PDF and Word use different document structures, so a visually identical result is not guaranteed with direct copy and paste.

Copy Table or Diagram from PDF to Word

Tables and diagrams often contain multiple text boxes, borders, shapes, and positioned objects. Direct copy and paste can therefore change the alignment or split a table into separate elements.

For a simple table, try copying and pasting it first. If columns, borders, or cell alignment break, convert the PDF to Word and copy the table from the converted DOCX instead.

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Step 1. Launch PDFelement and open the PDF that contains the table or diagram.

Step 2. Choose Convert > To Word to convert the PDF into a DOCX file.

Step 3. Open the converted Word file and copy the table or diagram into the destination document. Review the result for cell alignment, borders, fonts, and spacing.

Copy Equations from PDF to Word

Equations are harder to transfer than ordinary text because fractions, superscripts, subscripts, symbols, and mathematical layout may be stored differently inside the PDF.

Step 1. Open the PDF containing the equation in PDFelement.

Step 2. Select the equation or surrounding content you need.

Step 3. Copy the selected content and paste it into Word.

Step 4. Compare the pasted equation with the original PDF before using it in academic, technical, or professional work.

After copying an equation, check:

• Superscripts and subscripts
• Fractions
• Greek letters
• Mathematical symbols
• Line spacing
• Equation alignment

If exact visual appearance matters more than editability, inserting the equation as an image may be safer. If you need the equation to remain editable, expect some manual reconstruction in Word's equation tools.

Copy a Picture from PDF to Word

Images can usually be transferred from PDF to Word independently of the surrounding text. Extracting the original image before inserting it into Word can produce a cleaner result than taking a screenshot.

Step 1. Open the PDF in PDFelement and enter Edit mode.

Step 2. Select or right-click the image you want to use.

Step 3. Choose the image extraction option, save the image to your computer, and then insert the saved image into Word.

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Part 3. How to Copy Text from PDF to Word with Default PDF Viewer on Windows/Mac

For a small amount of selectable text, a browser or default PDF reader may be all you need. This method is fast but provides less control over formatting than PDF-to-Word conversion.

Step 1. Open the PDF in your default PDF viewer or a browser such as Chrome or Safari.

Step 2. Select the text you want to copy. Right-click and choose Copy, or use Ctrl+C on Windows or Command+C on Mac.

Step 3. Place the cursor in your Word document and press Ctrl+V on Windows or Command+V on Mac.

Direct copy and paste works best with simple paragraphs. Fixed page layouts, multi-column documents, tables, headers, footers, and unusual font encoding can produce broken spacing or line breaks after pasting.

Part 4. How to Copy PDF to Word on Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat provides both text copying and PDF-to-Word export. Choose the option based on whether you need a small selection or the entire document.

To copy the whole PDF to Word:

• Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat.
• Choose the PDF export or conversion option and select Microsoft Word / DOCX as the output format.
• Save the converted file.
• Open the DOCX in Word and edit the document directly or copy the content you need.

To copy a small amount of PDF text to Word:

• Open the PDF in Acrobat or Acrobat Reader.
• Select the text you want.
• Right-click and choose Copy.
• Open Word and paste the text into the destination document.

If the PDF is scanned and the text cannot be selected, OCR is required before copying or conversion.

Part 5. Why Can't I Copy Text from a PDF to Word?

If you cannot copy text from a PDF, the problem is usually related to the PDF's content type, security settings, font encoding, or document structure. A different issue applies when you are trying to insert the entire PDF as an object.

Part 6. FAQ About Copying or Inserting PDF into Word

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