When you come across some web pages with valuable information, you may it is unable to highlight or copy text. If you have such experience, you have come to the right place. In this article, I will unveil some clever techniques and workarounds to help you copy text from those seemingly uncopyable web pages. Let’s dive right in!
Understanding the Challenge
Before we explore the methods to overcome the copy restrictions, let’s understand why certain web pages block text copying. Developers often implement such measures to protect their content from unauthorized use or to prevent scraping by bots.
While their intentions may be valid, they can hinder legitimate users who wish to copy the text for personal use or research.
Disable JavaScript
Sometimes, web pages employ JavaScript to prevent text selection. By disabling JavaScript in your browser settings temporarily, you may regain the ability to select and copy the text. I will take Chrome Web Browser as an example to show you how to disable JavaScript.
Step 1. Click the three-dots icon and select “Settings”.
Step 2. Click the “Privacy and Security” section.
Step 3. Select “Site Settings” and then “JavaScript”.
Step 4. You can Disable JavaScript for all pages or disable JavaScript for some websites.
Step 5. Refresh the page and you should be able to select and copy the text.
Inspect Element
Many browsers, if not all, provide “Inspect Element” or “Inspect” options in their developer tools. By right-clicking on the text you wish to copy and selecting the “Inspect” option, you can locate the text within the HTML code. From there, simply copy the desired text manually.
Step 1. Click on the three-dots icon or other settings icon based on the browser you use.
Step 2. Select “More Tools” and then select “Inspect” or “Inspect Element” from the context menu.
Step 3. The developer tools panel will open, displaying the page’s HTML code. You can now right-click on the relevant HTML element and choose “Edit as HTML” to modify the code if necessary.
Step 4. Copy the desired text manually from the HTML code.
Besides copying text from websites that don’t allow it, you can use Chrome Developer Tools to do many things like take full screenshots, change video playback speed, etc.
View Page Source
Normally, you can right-click anywhere on the page and choose “View Page Source” or “View Source” to view page source. From the source ocde, you can look for the text within the HTML tags and copy it accordingly. However, in most cases, websites not allowing copying have also disabled right clicks.
To view source code, you can type “view-source:URL” in the address bar. For example:
view-source:https://chrunos.com/download-qobuz-music/If you don’t have a computer around, you can also use this method to view page source on Android.
Print to PDF
If you’re unable to copy the text directly, consider using the browser’s print functionality. Press `Ctrl+P` (or `Command+P`) to open the print dialog box, then select “Save as PDF” as the printer option. This way, you can save the entire page, including the text, as a PDF document that you can later copy from.
Allow Copy Chrome Extension
You can also install a Chrome extension like Superior Allow Copy that bypasses copy restrictions on web pages. These extensions often disable the scripts that prevent text copying, allowing you to select and copy the desired text effortlessly. Here are the detailed steps.
Step 1. Go to the Chrome Web Store and search for a Chrome extension like “Allow Copy”.
Step 2. Install the desired extension by following the installation instructions. I use Superior Allow Copy.
Step 3. Once the extension is installed, navigate to the web page with uncopyable text.
Step 4. Click on the extension and enable the extension for the current website and reload the page.
Step 5. The extension should disable the scripts that prevent text copying automatically. Then you can select and copy the desired text using the usual methods.
Note: Your selected text may not be highlighted using this method, but you can easily copy your selected text.
Browser Reading Mode
If your browser supports it, you can enable the “Reading Mode” feature to copy uncopyable text. This mode strips away distractions, including copy restrictions, and presents the text in a readable format. Once in Reading Mode, you can copy the text as you normally would. I will take Edge Browser as an example to show you how it works.
Step 1. Open the Edge web browser and navigate to the web page with uncopyable text.
Step 2. Look for the “Reading Mode” icon in the address bar (usually represented by an open book).
Step 3. Click on the “Reading Mode” icon to activate the reading mode for the page.
Step 4. The page will transform into a simplified, readable format. Then you can select and copy the desired text using the usual methods.
OCR Technology
Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology can be a game-changer when dealing with uncopyable text. OCR software can analyze images or scanned documents and extract text from them.
iOS 16 and most Android phones have this OCR built-in, so you can take a screenshot of the desired text, use OCR to convert it into editable text, and then copy it as needed.
How to Copy Text from Websites That Prevent It
There are a few methods to copy text from protected websites. As mentioned, you can view page sources on iPhone or Android and then copy text from source code. Most mobile browsers like Safari also have Reading Mode, which can be used to copy text from websites that don’t allow it.
Conclusion
While encountering “uncopyable” web pages can be frustrating, you can choose one of the methods to work it around. By leveraging such browser features, you can successfully copy text from these seemingly uncopyable web pages. Remember to respect the original content creator’s rights and use the copied text responsibly.