Text Copied from Illustrator CC 2014.1.0 Pastes as Image

[Heather Tchir]

I have seen similar discussions but none of the answers are of any help to me as of today.

Background:

I am running OS X Yosemite 10.10

All my CC apps are up to date as of (11/1/14)

I am also up to date on all other software on my Mac

My goal:

Copy text from illustrator

Paste in Mail, TextEdit, and Notes as live editable text

Results:

Text pastes as pdf or some type of an image depending on the app

What it looks like:

I'll start from the beginning to avoid some questions later.

I open a new document in Illustrator.

These are the clipboard settings in my preferences.

Please Note - I have tried every combination of these settings. Turning them on and off one at a time and in combination does nothing to change the end product. I have turned them all off for this example, so as to not muddy the waters.

I type some text. I did not use a text box in this example. I just clicked on the page with the type tool and typed this line. There are no added attributes. You can see the character settings are the most basic. Again, please note - I have tried using a text box with the same result.

I use the type tool to highlight the text and then copy the text. I did not use the selection tool to select the text and copy.

This is what the clipboard looks like. Note that the contents is "text".

If I type text in PS (as an example) and copy to the clipboard it says "text". However, the text I copy out of PS I can paste anywhere as editable text.

If I type text in Notes and copy to the clipboard it says RTF. This text can also be pasted anywhere as editable text.

This leads me to believe that this is an Illustrator centric problem I am experiencing.

I click into the body of an email and paste. Looks fine, but when I try to click into the text (such as between the words "into" and "Mail") I cannot do it.

The line of words is highlighted and not editable at all.

If I right click on the image of the line of text and highlight "open attachment" you can see the clipboard pasted in as a .pdf and not editable text.

Interestingly, if I open a new note and try to paste the line of text, it also pastes as a .pdf but just the icon show up. Double clicking on the icon will open the text as a pdf in acrobat.

I did not have this issue until CC2014 updates were made. I would like to know if there is something that can be done or is this a bug in Illustrator. If it is a bug I don't want to spend time looking for workarounds. I will use another program when I know there will be a good deal of copy and paste work to be done. It's inconvenient for my older Illustrator files now have this issue when I open them in CC2014.

I know I can use the "paste and match style" but it's a force of habit to use the shortcut for paste. It's also a ridiculous change to Illustrator for the cut/paste to act this way. If it indeed was planned and not a bug, what would the benefit be?

If anyone has insight into the problem I am eager to know what's going on.

Finally, if there is no other way to fix this then can someone remind me how to customize the shortcut key combinations in Mail, Notes and TextEdit? I seem to remember (long ago) being able to customize certain shortcuts in some apps, but I never did it in anything but Adobe apps and even then it was CS5.

Thanks in advance for any help!

[chombeaux]

10-Q! works exactly as described! Problem solved!

[Delightful_portfolioB831]

Why is 2021 is this still and issue?   It happened to me today. I am seeing posts as far back as 2016 and this has not been addressed. Why? I believe it's because they want you to use the OCR feature in Adobe acrobat to lift the copy. Is adobe creating an issue simply so it can be solved with another application?

This really burns my bottom.  I've never had this issue before.  This new illustrator build has been the worst I've ever known.  Bugs and issues.  I've had to remove nad reinstall illustrator many times. From not being able to grab and  move objects and text boxes to alignment not staying on align selection vs artboard..... etc. It's time consuming everytime you have to figure it out before you can complete the job.  

In addition, how many program updates are released in a month? At least 2.  Sorry it just gets old and it's frustrating being held hostage by technology.

[Delightful_portfolioB831]

Nice way to start off with a typo and I can't correct it. Smh. Lol 

[Monika Gause]

"I believe it's because they want you to use the OCR feature in Adobe acrobat to lift the copy."

Oh, really? You are making up conspiracies where there aren't any.

When you are copying something into the clipboard, Illustrator assumes you want to use it in Illustrator and keeps the clipboard in a way that it will keep all ity attributes (because surely when you paste it into a different file, you want it to look the same).
illustrator cannot know that you only want to copy the text. If you want to copy the text, then select the text with the text tool and copy it.

And that's all.

[idea.dealer]

Of course, it is so difficult to add the option to select the copy method in the copy settings. In more than 5 years, programmers could have already added the ability for people to choose what they want. Adobe subscription is not very cheap, and there is no one to solve the problem that bothers many users.

[kg.kealagrace]

No - it is completely rediculous that this is still an issue after 6 or 7 years. From a dev standpoint this is a simple fix... and yet here we are in June of 2021 and people are still posting about it.

There shouldn't have to be some convoluted work around to copy and paste text.

[tashp27135623]

How is it 2022 and this is STILL an issue? it's ridiculous!! do they think graphic designers don't have to do back and forth with copywriters and this function would be .... oh I don't know.. basic/vital/integral to workflow....

Having to paste into a second programme (indesign) to then copy and paste the copy into an email is an absolute joke. How I WISH this company wasn't the industry standard. 

[satisfied_experience1549]

Hey Monika, long time Illustrator user here, I also have a problem with this bug.

Also @Delightful_portfolioB831  has a point and I think your reply was bordering on sarcastic.

I get it, designing software is hard, and inventing conspiracies does help, but you really need to have some empathy with @Delightful_portfolioB831's frustration here

The "solution" you suggest doesn't work. A quick scan of the posts above would have revealed this. I'll state it simply... If you use the text tool to copy and paste text from a text object, editing, highlighting and control C'ing it still copies an image to clipboard and will try to paste an image.

My work around (on mac) is to copy to notes and the re-copy and paste into (say) an email because the way illustrator currently works is broken.

The behaviour SHOULD BE:

If you copy a text *obect*, the clipboard should contain a the *text object* (a pdf?) and it should paste as an image.

If you edit the text object and select the text and copy, the clipboard should contain raw text, and should paste as raw text. Please pass this onto the development team.

The community guidelines above state that we should "be kind and respectful", I think that the Adobe Community Professionals should abide by this too.

[Monika Gause]

I get it, designing software is hard,

By @satisfied_experience1549

I do not design software. Like about 95% of people here on this forum I'm not even Adobe staff.

[bongofernie]

There is another way.  select the text you want to paste from illustrator. Open Word or Email pr whatever. Right click before pasting and it will ask you if you want to paste as text.  Done

[benp59101572]

^^  Simplest option I believe. Thanks!

In Safari, I needed to Edit > Paste and Match Style.  - No mouse menu option.

[AbolBahadori]

I've noticed that the most recent version of Illustrator 23.0.4 has resolved this issue. Now, I can select the text with the text tool and copy and paste it to any other document I want. Thanks, Adobe!

[ASAngulo]

Running Illustrator 24.0.3. Updated yesterday. It looks like it back to the same issue again. Can not copy from Illustrator to Word or Pages without it becoming an image file and not text. Very frustrating. 

[federico platon]

I am on Windows 10 with Ai 24.1.1 and MSOffice- Word 2016

When I copy text from an open Ai file using the Text tool to select text, and in Word paste (Ctrl+V) nothing happens, I mean pastes nothing. BUT......

If In Word I click the right button mouse in the contextual menu shows: PASTE OPTIONS:

Paste Paste as picture,  and Keep Text only (T).

Select this third option, and you get your text in Word.

(Illustrator clipboard includes extra code depending of Preferences Clipboard options checked for Copy/quit)

Not curiously, when pasting selected text from a text layer in Photoshop, only the third option (Keep text only (T)) appears, thus when Ctrl+V it pastes the copied text in the same way.  (PS lacks those extra options) 

[AshtonMWilson]

Cmd+shift+v on a mac. Or double click, (two finger click on touch pad) and select "Paste without formatting"

It's that easy

[mhmmccoy]

That didn't work for me.

[federico platon]

Please detail step by step what you diid, in order to know what could happen. Specify also application versions. Thanks.

[Kenbasa]

You just saved me so much time that I would have spent retyping things. Thank you!

[Wilbur George]

Hey! I have found a quicker way to do this than the previous correct answer. If you highlight the text within the text box, copy and then paste into the Chrome browser (Not checked for other browsers) URL bar this will then paste as normal text and can be again copied for use elsewhere, for example, in an email as I have just done, where it would previously paste as an image as stated in the OP.

Random I know, but if it works, it works.

Will

[timr34646791]

I pasted the text into an InDesign Document and then copied again and pasted into email. Done!