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Participating Frequently
October 16, 2025
Answered

Can't select / delete interactive text within PDF using Acrobat Pro

  • October 16, 2025
  • 3 replies
  • 376 views

Hello all,

I have a set of PDFs that have interactive "next page" buttons, and url and email text in the footer. The text in the footer needs to change but I can't select it for removal. Also tried the bandaid solution of covering with a replacement image ... but the old incorrect text always appears on top of the replacement. (original work files are who-knows-where so updating the PDFs should be the easiest option 😕😕 )

 

Any insight?

Correct answer MikelKlink
quote

if I chose EDIT / PREPARE A FORM, I'm able to access all interactive elements, including the text in the footer.

 

Ah. That seems to indicate that your texts of interest are stored as form fields and that their visualizations are form field widget annotations. 

 

Anyways, great that you now do have a way to manipulate the texts in question. 

3 replies

Participating Frequently
October 16, 2025

UPDATE - not sure if it is the * proper * way of dealing with the issue, but if I chose EDIT / PREPARE A FORM, I'm able to access all interactive elements, including the text in the footer. Text can be deleted from there without disturbing other elements and I can carry on. 

Participant
October 16, 2025
For what and what happened
MikelKlink
Participating Frequently
October 16, 2025
quote

Also tried the bandaid solution of covering with a replacement image ... but the old incorrect text always appears on top of the replacement.

 

Have you checked whether the text in question is in an annotation? Annotations are drawn above all the static page contents, and your covering sounds like you try to cover in the static content.

Participating Frequently
October 16, 2025

These bits of text are interactive (from InDesign), maybe they are treated as annotations?

Bernd Alheit
Community Expert
Community Expert
October 16, 2025

Try the redaction tool.

Participating Frequently
October 16, 2025

Yeah no luck there either. 😕😕

try67
Community Expert
Community Expert
October 16, 2025

A redaction would remove anything, even if it's a field.