How to select multiple non-consecutive items in a PDF file in preview for cut and paste

Hello. Is it possible to select multiple non-consecutive items in a PDF file in Preview for cut and paste? In Word (or Pages, etc) one can select a word or phrase then hold Command (Apple Key) and select another, then another, then Ctrl/C to copy all the selected items and then Ctrl/V paste them (e.g. into a spreadsheet). Within Preview, that holding down of Command to select multiple items doesn’t work; the previous selection un-selects as a new one is selected, so it’s copy/paste one item at a time which is very inefficient for the work that I'm trying to do. I've tried a couple of other keys (Control, Option, Shift) but none work for selection of non-consecutive words or phrases.

Any help is very much appreciated.... Thanks.... Peter

MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Early 2013), iOS 8.3

Posted on Mar 9, 2017 4:07 PM

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3 replies

Mar 9, 2017 4:21 PM in response to gadgetvirtuoso

Thanks, but I think you've slightly mis-understood my question. I want to select several words on the same page not whole pages. I hold cmd and select a word. I keep cmd pressed and when I move to another word elsewhere on the page, the new word selects but the original one un-selects. This only happens in Preview, not in Word / Pages / Numbers / Excel / etc.

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How to select multiple non-consecutive items in a PDF file in preview for cut and paste

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