Select and copy text in a PDF in Preview on Mac
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.
In the Preview app
on your Mac, open the PDF you want to copy from.Do any of the following:
Copy text: Choose Tools > Text Selection, drag over the text, then choose Edit > Copy.
Copy a portion of text vertically: Choose Tools > Text Selection, 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: Choose Tools > Rectangular Selection, drag over a portion of the page, then choose Edit > Copy.
You can also use the Text Selection and Rectangular Selection tools in the Markup Toolbar to select and copy text.