Preview for Mac: Select and copy text in a PDF in Preview
You can select and copy text from a PDF opened in Preview, then paste it into another document such as an email message or text document.
If the Markup toolbar isn’t showing, click the Show Markup Toolbar button 
, then do any of the following:
Copy text: Click the Text Selection button
, drag over the text, then choose Edit > Copy.Copy a portion of text vertically: Click the Text Selection button
, hold down the Option key as you select the text, then choose Edit > Copy. (This is useful for copying a column in a table.)Copy a portion of the page as a graphic image: Click the Rectangular Selection button
, drag over a portion of the page, then choose Edit > Copy.
Last Modified: Sep 27, 2016