Why Text Can't Be Selected in a Compressed PDF
Key points
- Compression rebuilds pages as images
- It looks the same but isn't treated as text
- If you need text, use the original or consider OCR
You tried to copy text from a compressed PDF and couldn't. That isn't a malfunction; it follows from how compression works.
Why
Text in a PDF can be stored as "text data" or as an "image". One way to cut size sharply is to turn each page into an image and adjust its quality. This site's compression works that way, so no text data remains.
What is affected
- Selecting and copying text
- Searching inside the PDF
- Read-aloud features
- Links and bookmarks (outline)
Appearance and printing are barely affected.
Cases where it matters
- The recipient searches or extracts text from the PDF
- The file goes to someone using a screen reader
In these cases use the uncompressed PDF, or reduce pages enough to fit the limit instead.
If you need the text
To reuse the text, run the original (uncompressed) PDF through "Extract Text from PDF".
Use "Compress PDF" (free)Tools that go well with this
- Extract or Delete PDF Pages: Keep only the pages you need, or remove the pages you don't.
- Merge PDFs: Combine several PDF files into one, in the order you choose.
- Split PDF: Split a PDF into several files: one page each, every N pages, or by ranges.
More guides for this tool
- How to Compress a PDF to Fit a Size Limit
- What to Do When a PDF Is Too Big to Attach to an Email
- Choosing Quality When Compressing: Small, Normal or High
- Why Scanned PDFs Are Heavy and How to Lighten Them
- Typical Upload Limits on Application Forms and How to Fit Within Them
- How PDF Compression Works Without Sending Your File Out