copy text from preview problem

Certain features in PDF text (e.g. underlines, strike-through, use of ligatures, link annotations, etc) will be removed from text copy/paste results in Pages, TextEdit, LibreOffice Writer, and by converting the PDF text to RTF via the Automator action. Makes no difference using Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.

In High Sierra 10.13.3, copying and pasting text containing ligatures (Hoefler text) from a PDF into LibreOffice v6.0.2.1 as an unformatted text paste brings all text across in the original font with ligatures intact — but all other text attributes including underlines, strike-through, and links are stripped from the words they are assigned too. No words are removed from the original PDF selection as a result of the copy/paste operation.

Pages v6.3.1 accepts a Paste, or Paste and Match Style — with all words arriving with loss of original font family, text attributes, and ligatures. Pages '09 v4.3 behaves no differently.

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On El Capitan 10.11.6 with the same version of LibreOffice v6, one must use paste special : Formatted Text (RTF) to duplicate the first paragraph results. Makes no difference whether it is Preview, or Adobe Acrobat Reader DC 2018 from which the copy originated.

Copying and pasting into Pages v5.6.2 on El Capitan 10.11.6 ignores the originating font family, font attributes, and its ligatures, but all words are pasted. Same result with Pages '09 v4.3.

In both platform cases above, paste results are the same whether using the encumbent Preview, or Adobe Acrobat Reader DC 2018.

I tried to replicate the error here but Pages is working properly. I cannot replicate your problem either in UC or LC.