How to search a PDF or multiple documents.
Learn how to search text in a PDF or multiple documents with Acrobat.
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Switching to electronic documents and storing them in the cloud cuts paper clutter and keeps PDFs safe and accessible. Use a web browser, the desktop app, or Adobe Acrobat Reader on your mobile device and you can learn how to make a PDF searchable to find information quicker than even the most organized paper system.
How to search a PDF and replace text.
You can find your files on the Acrobat Home page, starting with your recently viewed files. Files you’ve shared and files shared by others will always appear in the left panel. With OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology, you can search and extract text in all of your PDFs, including those you created from paper documents. OCR also allows for archiving by keeping the look and feel of your documents, giving you the option to restrict editing capabilities and save them as searchable PDFs.
You can locate text by using either the Find toolbar or the Search panel in Acrobat. Both methods allow you to scan through the main text, layers, form entries, and digital signatures within a PDF. Additionally, you have the option to expand your search to include comments and bookmarks. However, the ability to replace text is only available when using the Find toolbar.
Here are the steps to quickly search a PDF and replace text:
- Open the Find toolbar — select the magnifying glass in the menu bar or use the keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+F on a PC and Command+F on a Mac).
- Select Replace With.
- In the search bar, type the word you want to find. As you type, you’ll begin to see suggestions and the frequency of occurrences in the document.
- Click the arrow next to the text to restrict your search to whole words only, add case sensitivity, or include bookmarks and comments.
How to search multiple PDFs.
To locate words or document details across several PDF files, use the Search panel. This feature allows you to perform advanced queries and access PDF index searches. For instance, you can look through every PDF within a chosen folder or scan all documents contained in an open PDF Portfolio. (Note that the Replace With function is not supported in this search panel.)
If PDFs are protected with encryption for security purposes, they won’t be included in a batch search. In such cases, you’ll need to open and search each file individually. An exception to this rule applies to documents secured with Adobe Digital Editions—they can still be searched collectively.
Here are the steps to search text in multiple PDFs:
- Launch Acrobat on your desktop (not in a browser). Open the Find toolbar — select the magnifying glass in the menu bar or use the keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+F on a PC and Command+F on a Mac).
- Once the toolbar is visible, click the three dots (...) to reveal additional options, then choose Advanced Search. The Search function opens in its own movable and resizable window. You can position it wherever you like — even behind the main PDF window — partially or fully, or minimize it as needed. To view both the Acrobat window and the Search panel side by side, click Arrange Windows. Acrobat will automatically adjust and place both windows next to each other, nearly covering your entire screen.
- In the field labeled “What word or phrase would you like to search for?” type the word or phrase you want to find.
- From the drop-down menu, select All PDF Documents, then Browse for Location. Pick the folder or network drive to search. Click OK.
- Click Show More Options and refine your search with more specific parameters, adjust your settings as needed, and click Search.
Tip: While the search is running, you can click on any result or use keyboard shortcuts to move through matches without stopping the search. If you click Stop below the progress bar, Acrobat will end the search early but keep the list of results found up to that point. The Search window remains open, allowing you to run a new search if needed.
How to search a PDF with Advanced Options.
The Search window will by default only show basic search options. To see more options, select Edit > Advanced Search from the drop-down menu, or press Shift+Ctrl on a PC and Command+F on a Mac. The Search window will pop up, and you can select from one of the several search options below.
1. Look in.
Click the tab to search just the current PDF, an entire PDF Portfolio, an index, or a location on your computer.
2. What word or phrase would you like to search for?
Type your search term(s) into the text box.
3. Return results containing…
If you’re searching multiple PDF documents, you can limit your search results.
- Match Exact Word or Phrase. Use this when you know the specific word or phrase you’re looking for, including spaces, in the right order.
- Match Any of the Words. Find any instances of at least one of the words you’ve typed.
- Match All of the Words. When you search multiple PDFs or index definition files, look for all of the words, but not necessarily in the right order.
- Boolean Query. When you search multiple PDFs or index definition files, you can use the Boolean operators like AND, OR, and NOT with the words you type into the What Word or Phrase Would You Like to Search For dialog box.
4. Add more restrictions.
With the Use These Additional Criteria feature, you can restrict your search even further.
- Proximity. Find words close to each other. With the Match All of the Words option, you can search PDF documents for two or more words separated by no more than a specified number of words set in the Search preferences. (Available only for a search of multiple documents or index definition files.)
- Stemming. Find single words or phrases in the current PDF, folder, or index by looking for words that contain part (the stem) of the specified search word. For example, a search for blooming finds instances of bloom, bloomed, and blooms. (Wildcard characters like * and ? aren’t permitted in stemming searches, and stemming isn’t available if either Whole Words Only or Case-Sensitive is selected.)
- Include Bookmarks, Comments, or Attachments. Search the text of any bookmarks or comments added to the PDF. Search files that are attached to the current searchable PDF or other attached PDFs (up to two levels deep).
- Document Properties. For searches across multiple PDFs or PDF indexes, select Use These Additional Criteria. You can pick up to three property-modifier-value combinations. For example, you can choose the date created, the author, and a word or phrase you remember seeing in a comment — and apply those criteria to your search. You can choose how matched you want the results to be.
Acrobat offers still more ways to refine your searches. To dive into the possibilities — for example, if you want your search to ignore diacritics and accents — select Preferences > Categories > Search.
Being able to search within PDFs opens up the possibilities for how these documents are used and shared across industries. Searching PDFs is much faster than even the most well-organized of analog filing systems, which means you can have the exact information you are looking for at your fingertips in minutes, and others can do the same.
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How to search a PDF or multiple documents.
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