How to Copy an Equation from PDF to Word? (The Complete Guide)

Are you looking to transfer equations from a PDF file to Word? It is quite an important process for students, researchers, and professionals dealing with math and science. Why? Because it makes editing and formatting a breeze in Word!

For this, you need two tools: a versatile PDF editor, like UPDF, and Microsoft Word.

We recommend UPDF because it effortlessly copies equations from PDFs and pastes them directly into Word, saving time and ensuring accuracy.

In this guide, we have put together 4 ways how to copy an equation from PDF to Word using UPDF.

So, download UPDF now and see how easy it can be to manage equations while working with PDF and Word documents!

Method 1: Copy Equations from PDF to Word by Editing and Copying

If you’re working on basic math equations that don’t have complex symbols and formatting, you can simply copy and paste them from the PDF file to a Word document using the editing feature in UPDF.

Here are the steps on how to copy equation from PDF to Word:

Step 1: Launch UPDF and click on “Open File” to open the PDF containing equations.

Step 2: Click on the equation you want to copy to make a text box appear around it. Then, highlight it and click on it to copy it.

Step 3: Lastly, open Word and paste the equation into it.

If you want to copy equations from PDF to Word on your phone, here are the steps you need to follow:

Step 1. Launch the UPDF app on your phone (iOS/Android). You can click the button below or go to App Store and Google Play to download UPDF. Click "+" and select "Files" under the "Import From" option. Select the PDF file to import into the UPDF app.

Step 2: Click on the equation you want to copy and using your finger to select it. From the floating bar, click "Copy". Now, you can copy the selected equation to Word.

Method 2: Copy Equations from PDF to Word by Converting

Another way to copy math equations from PDF to Word is by converting the PDF to Word. This method is best for equations that involve complex formatting, symbols, or mathematical notation.

Let’s see how it’s done:

Step 1: Open the PDF with the equations using UPDF, and navigate to the "Tools" option at the top left and select "Word" under "PDF Converter".

Step 2: Click on “Word Content Style” and select the “Retain Word Flowing Style” option to keep the formatting of the equations intact.

Step 3: Next, set the Page Range and click “Apply.” This will convert your PDF into Word format.  Now, you can open the Word file and you can make the necessary adjustments to the equations. And you will find the format is same to the original PDF one.

If you want to copy the equation in Word format on your phone, here are the steps you need to follow:

Step 1. Launch the UPDF app on your phone (iOS/Android). You can click the button below or go to App Store and Google Play to download UPDF. Click "+" and select "Files" under the "Import From" option. Select the PDF file to import into the UPDF app.

Step 2. Click "Tools" and tap "PDF to Word". Select the imported PDF file.

Step 3. Under the "Word Content Style", choose one of the following styles:

• Retain Word Flowing Style – Best for text editing
• Retain Word Textbox Style – Retains original layout inside text boxes

Toggle on "Ignore Text and Image Layout" if you only want plain text from the PDF in a Word file.

Step 4. If your PDF is scanned, enable "OCR Recognition" to extract the text and make it editable. Also, remember to choose the document language for accurate OCR.

Step 5. Under "Convert to", select the location within UPDF where you want to save the converted Word file. Once all settings are configured, click "Done" in the top right corner.

Wait for the tool to generate the Word file. Afterward, you can access the newly created Word file from the selected save location in "Files".

Step 6: Click on the equation you want to copy and using your finger to select it. From the floating bar, click "Copy". Now, you can copy the selected equation in Word format.

Method 3: Copy Equations from PDF to Word by Screenshot and AI

If you’re working on a PDF with equations with complex formatting or the PDF has security restrictions due to which copying or converting the file is not an option, you can still copy it.

How? With UPDF AI, of course!

The steps below will show you how to copy formula from PDF to Word via UPDF AI:

Step 1: Open the PDF with equations in UPDF, and click on the “UPDF AI” option at the top-right corner.

Step 2: Select the “Chat” tab and click on the screenshot icon at the bottom.

Step 3: Select the equation part in the PDF that you want to copy to Word using the screenshot tool.

Step 4: Once the screenshot is captured, ask UPDF AI to “Extract equation” .

Step 5: UPDF AI will give you the equations in text format. After that, you can click on the “Copy” icon on the bottom of the result, and paste them into a Word document.

And that’s how to copy math equations from PDF to Word using the screenshot feature in UPDF AI.

If you prefer not to operate on the desktop version of UPDF, you can also use the online version of UPDF AI. Below are the steps.

Step 1. Use a screenshot tool to capture the equation you need and save it on your device.

Step 2. Access the main interface of UPDF AI, navigate into the “Chat Bot” interface from the left panel. Upon doing so, you need to type in a prompt and ask the AI assistant to extract the equation from the image.

Step 3. UPDF AI will give you the equations in text format. After that, you can click on the “Copy” icon on the bottom of the result, and paste them into a Word document.

Method 4: Copy Equations from Scanned PDF to Word by OCR

Let's say you have a scanned PDF file with equations where the text is represented in image form. You can still copy the equations into an editable format using the OCR feature in UPDF. No matter whether you're using a computer or a mobile device, UPDF can easily meet your needs. You can click the button below or go to App Store and Google Play to download UPDF.

Here’s how it works on PC (Mac&Win):

Step 1: Launch UPDF and open the scanned PDF with equations.

Step 2: Now navigate to the Tools option from the top left side and choose OCR option under Edit PDF section.

Step 3： Select “Editable PDF (Dual Layer OCR)” from the Document Type, set the layout settings, language, and other settings, and click “Convert.”

Step 4: Once the OCR is complete, your scanned PDF will become editable. You can now save it as a Word file by clicking on “Tools > Word”.

If you want to copy the equation from scanned PDF to Word on your phone, here are the steps you need to follow:

Step 1. Launch the UPDF app on your phone (iOS/Android). You can click the button below or go to App Store and Google Play to download UPDF. Click "+" and select "Files" under the "Import From" option. Select the PDF file to import into the UPDF app.

Step 2. Click "OCR" from "Quick Tools" or tap "Tools > OCR".

Step 3. Select the scanned PDF file.

Step 4. Under "OCR Recognition Type", choose one of the following options:

• Editable PDF: Turns scans into fully editable PDFs where both text and images can be selected, modified, and moved with preserved original layout. You can even replace images while keeping the page layout intact.
• Text and Pictures Only: Extracts just the words and images from the scan without preserving the page formatting. It is useful when you want a simple file to copy or edit text/images.
• Searchable PDF Only: Keeps the images in the scanned pages as it is, but adds an invisible text layer. It makes the file searchable without allowing text edits.

Step 5. Click "Select PDF Language" and choose the document language. Select multiple languages if the document contains text in more than one language.

Step 6. Configure the "Export to" location to specify where you want to save the OCRed PDF and hit the "Done" button to begin OCR.

Step 7. Wait for the OCR to finish. Once the OCR is completed, go to the "Files" tab and open the newly-generated OCRed PDF. You can now save it as a Word file by clicking on “convert > PDF to Word” icons on the bottom of the page. After setting up the options, click "Done" to convert immediately.

These were the 4 ways in which you can easily copy equations from PDF to Word using UPDF. The first 3 methods are free to use. However, the OCR feature is only available in UPDF Pro. Therefore, if you want to take advantage of UPDF’s full suite of features, you can check out the pricing plans and make a purchase according to your requirements.

For more details on how to use UPDF and make your PDF experience easier, watch this video:

And don’t forget to read the detailed review by PDF association.

FAQ

In the End

Whether you’re a student, a teacher, or a scientist, if you’re working on a PDF with basic or complex equations, you might need to copy them at some point.

In this comprehensive guide, we have put together 4 easy ways how to copy an equation from PDF to Word using UPDF. From simply copying and pasting the equations and converting the PDF to Word to using UDPF AI and OCR, we have discussed all the steps with images to help you out.

So, make working with your PDF a breeze; download UPDF now!