Copy text from AI to any other app ?

Forum|Forum|8 years ago
October 3, 2017
3 replies
5663 views

I can not paste AI texts (selected by my text tool) into any other app, not even text editors. Well, I can, but It is pasted as a non-editable bounding box. Like a PDF or Image I am not sure.

Thanks

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jamesb60150607

Participant

I have the same issue. Occasional I am able to copy sections of text in Illustrator, but most of the time it is pasting as an image. Extremely annoying. Copy/paste works perfectly with non-adobe software. So this must be an Adobe issue. I have latest Ai and Mac OS Mojave.

My working 'solution' is to open the Ai file in apple preview, where it works fine.

Monika Gause

Community Expert

jamesb60150607 schrieb
I have the same issue.

You're copying from exactly where to exactly where?

Which versions of software?

Do you copy the text object or the text?

jamesb60150607

Participant

ai 22.0.0

I highlight the text with the text tool and copy - doesn't work. I highlight the text box with the select tool - doesn't work. Copy and paste anyway (any non adobe product).

I'l try and do it below:

Bill Silbert

Community Expert

You did not say what version of Illustrator that you are using. If your version of Illustrator is Illustrator 10 or earlier then the text in it is what is called "legacy" text. If you were to open a file created in the earlier version of Illustrator in a more current version you would be given the option to update it to the more current type and it would be editable and usable in current applications. If you were to try to copy and paste it "as is" into current apps it seems to me that the behavior you're describing would occur. If your version of Illustrator is more current than Illustrator 10 then I've just wasted a perfectly good theory.

Monika Gause

Community Expert

You can't select legacy text with the text tool.

If you select it as a text object and copy/paste it to another Illustrator file, it will stay legacy text.

If you paste it to a text editor (TextEdit), it will be SVG code

I suspect a clipboard enhancing app in this case. Copy/paste text should always work with a text editor (at least as long as it is set up to edit plain text).

Also a couple of versions ago there has been a bug with pasting text, but that has been fixed. So as long as Illustrator is up to date and the text editor is set to plain text, then I would search for the clipboard enhancer.

Bill Silbert

Community Expert

My theory was based on the OP still using Illustrator 10 (a remote possibility I agree) in which case legacy text could still be selected ( at least in theory).