Why can't I copy and paste anymore

[Guest]

I do not use Adobe or Acrobat or any other product for anything I do. I am sent files that I have to view, highlight text, copy and paste into other formats. It appears that an update (either in April or May) no longer supports text copying and pasting. Is there a fix coming?

[Test Screen Name]

I'm confused (easily done). If you don't use Adobe or Acrobat, why are you asking here about a fix for this software made by someone else which you haven't even named...?  Except you say you don't use any product at all, which is plainly impossible...

[Guest]

I was told to by the Adobe tech support because they don't handle support (their words). 

When I receive an email that contains a PDF document, I click on it, and we have (for many years) simply highlighted the text, copied, and then pasted the information in to what ever format it is going to (another email, MS Word, etc...). 

For some reason no one can highlight, copy, and paste, text any longer from a PDF. 

I have Adobe downloaded on my computer so that if I save a PDF on my computer I can still open the PDF. And any of the older files I have, I can still copy and paste. However, newer files since what ever update happened can no longer be used. I can read them and that is all.

[Test Screen Name]

You said you weren't using any Adobe software. Now you say you are. If you are using Adobe software please give its complete name and version, thank you.

[Guest]

Are you angry? Why are you so hostile? I didn't create the problem. If you don't want to be helpful, get someone else to do the job for you. It is your choice to help or be hostile about it.

Is this what you are looking for:

Again, I do not USE the software to create, edit or modify. I only have whatever is required to be able to open the SAVED documents on my computer in the .pdf format. 

HOWEVER

When opening an email with a sent PDF in it, I do not use the Adobe platform in that scenario. When it opens, I used to be able to highlight text there as well and now we cannot do that either.

Basically, anywhere we used to be able to highlight text, we cannot any longer.

I can only assume there is an update that came out that no longer allows for copying and pasting of text with buying the whole package. I don't understand that because I don't buy an entire farm when I want a banana. I buy the banana.

I will be happy to continue

[debkel]

Im having the very same problem, cant even highlight text, yet yesterday I highlighted,  copied and pasted just fine, no problem. Why isnt it working today?

[Bernd Alheit]

Is the document a scan of a document?

[Guest]

No, they are live documents. I will try to find one I can upload.

[Guest]

Well, I don't see any place on here to upload a .pdf file. is there a place?

[Bernd Alheit]

In Acrobat Reader DC use Tools > Share and create a link.

[Guest]

https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:4dcb8d7d-fe3a-4f94-8d72-7b2a7f60f570

[Test Screen Name]

Thank you for posting the link to the actual document. I have done a detailed analysis of the file. While I still struggle to understand your question, and your statements that you are, or are not, using Adobe apps, I can tell you that there is no copyable text in these files at all, except for a few invisible spaces. The text is as if it is scanned, but not actually a scan. Still, it's a picture. The producer of the file must have changed the way they are made. Any complaints should be directed to them.

[Guest]

Definitely is something weird since whatever update was sent out. I went throught alot of the files I have been sent that I have saved. Anything before May 1st, 2020 I am able to highlight text and copy it. Everything after May 1st is not.  I know it doesn't seem simple, but truly the concern is really very simple. We used to be able to copy text and paste it. And now we cannot. 

I also looked around online a little. This is apparently becoming a very fast growing problem with the newest Adobe. There are many posts about not being able to copy and paste in Adobe anymore. Somewhere, someway, somehow, an update went out that has us all unable to copy and paste without purchasing the full product.

Basically, if you wanted to copy text from an email, or one of these posts, and then paste it in to anything else, that is what I cannot do.

Thank you for your help!

[Test Screen Name]

What was updated was what the SENDER used. It's really very simple, the PDF you sent has no text, so no software update was going to change that. THEY CHANGED WHAT THEY WERE SENDING.

[Cecassoc1993]

I found your replies to be defensive and off the mark. Workarounds is absolutely correct about the issue, and the timing. Adobe changed something, and now we can no longer simply copy and paste text from Adobe PDFs as we have previously been able to do. That's an annoying loss of function that WAS NOT caused by any sender.

[debkel]

That doesnt make sense, I just copied and pasted from text in my adobe acrobat yesterday, no problem, why cant I get it to even to highlight or copy today? Is their something that I need to change?  I dont understand what is different in 24 hrs? Please this is for work, and Im running late already. Any help would be appreciated.

[Bernd Alheit]

Does you use Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader?

[CRC5CFD]

I am having the same problem.  I show that we have Adobe Acrobat Reader DC and this afternoon it required me to update it before I could save anything as a pdf.  Once it was updated, all my pdf files now open online and don't have a tool bar so I can't highlight anything, copy anything, or take a snapshot.  It has affected all my pdf files, not just the new ones I created this afternoon.

Your help would definitely be appreciated!

[jimbo96734]

I am having similiar problem as well.

Can no longer drag pages out of Page Thumbnails. 

Checked security settings, and I have full access.

This is frustrating!!!!!

[Bernd Alheit]

Does you use Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader?

[jamess55867612]

I am using Adobe Acrobat and I can not copy text from a pdf, I can only take an image of the text. What can I do to get the copy/paste function back for a pdf downloaded from the internet?

[Bernd Alheit]

Can you select text in the document?

[Julie23660585leg6]

I too suddenly can no longer cut and paste from my Adobe documents (I have Adobe Acrobat Pro DC): I can highlight, but I only get some text, and the rest is a series of dots.

[gkurilla]

Same here - but I just printing a document into a pdf and it has no renerdable text.  if you choose edit it look as if its 5-25 staggered blocks that stop you from cutting and pasting a line. - if you edit within the blocks, or move them, it becomes alphabet soup and unreadable. Something has changed but i'll tell you this. if you print to Cute PDF, you can grab like before. so while im not sure what has happened within Adobe, im using this as a work around for now.

[Chris24114344jzpz]

I also have had these issues.  I found an issue with printing to be my problem.  I would use Print to PDF using the windows options and these all had the problem.  Changed to just saving as PDF and not problem.  If your creator of a received document used a print out of Word to make the PDF I would guess this might be the problem.  I think it changed when I went to Windows 10.