We often come across situations where we have to find a certain word or phrase in a PDF, but we can’t do it by reading through it either due to time constraints or the length of the document. Luckily, there are a few methods, which save us this hassle in a few easy steps.
They range from keyword shortcuts to look up text to toolbars that search a PDF within seconds.
Furthermore, these methods aren’t just limited to a single PDF, you can use them to search multiple PDFs at once as well.
Below, you’ll learn how to navigate through PDFs to save yourself a ton of trouble while searching a PDF for a specific word or phrase!
Here’s what we’ll cover:
- How to Search For Whole, Case Sensitive Words, Comments, Or Bookmarks In Adobe and Replace Text
- How to Search Multiple PDFs in Adobe Using the Find Toolbar?
- How to Search Through a PDF Using Keyboard Shortcuts?
- How to Search Through a PDF in the Google Chrome Browser?
- How to Search a PDF For Case Sensitive or Whole Words Using Wondershare PDFelement?
- How to Search a PDF Using Preview on Mac?
How to Search For Whole, Case Sensitive Words, Comments, Or Bookmarks In Adobe and Replace Text
Adobe, no doubt, is one of the most famous software when it comes to PDFs.
There are various ways in which it allows you to search a PDF and replace text.
You can even search your PDF for whole words, case sensitive characters, bookmarks, and comments, as we’ll show you below. Or replace specific words automatically.
To do this, you can either use the tool’s toolbar feature or use a quick keyboard shortcut to search the PDF’s content.
Let’s take a look at both.
How to search a single PDF in Adobe using the find toolbar?
Use the following steps to find your desired text in a single PDF file in Adobe Reader using the Find toolbar:
Step 1: Open your PDF file
Double click on your PDF to open it in the Adobe Reader; this will only work if your default PDF viewer is Adobe. If this isn’t the case, then open Adobe, click on ‘File’, then ‘Open’, navigate to your desired PDF file in the opened window, and click ‘Open’.
Step 2: Display the Find toolbar
Once your file is open, go to ‘Edit’ and click on ‘Find’.
You can use this option to search for body text, layers, form fields, and digital signatures.
On clicking ‘Find’, the following toolbar on the top right corner of the PDF file will open.
Step 3: Find your desired text/layer/form field/digital signature
Enter the text that you want to search. Upon entering the first few characters, Adobe will provide you with suggestions.
On clicking the settings icon in the toolbar, you can refine your search results by adding case-sensitive words, bookmarks, and comments.
How to replace text in a PDF using Adobe Acrobat
If you want to replace text with another word, then you can do it by using the ‘Replace with’ option in the Finder tool.
Though, you won’t get this option if you are using the free version of Adobe Acrobat. So, you’ll need to upgrade or use different PDF tools.
Enter the text that you want to replace the original text with in the ‘Replace with’ text box, and press Enter.
This will replace the text on your chosen word and move you to the next word. Press Enter again if you want to replace it as well. Repeat the process till you’ve achieved your desired results.
How to Search Multiple PDFs in Adobe Using the Find Toolbar?
If you want to search a PDF but you aren’t which one is it in multiple files, then Adobe has a solution for this issue as well.
Here’s how you can search multiple PDFs for specific words or phrases using Adobe Reader:
Step 1: Place all the PDFs in a single folder
The first thing that you’ll have to do to search through multiple PDFs is to place them all in a single folder.
You can also place them together in major locations such as My Documents, Desktop, and even the hard drive. However, the larger the folder, the more time will be required to perform the search.
Therefore, we recommend you place it in a single folder, which could be accessed separately.
Step 2: Open the Advanced Search toolbar
After you’ve placed all the PDFs in a single folder, open Adobe Acrobat, click on ‘Edit’, and then ‘Advanced Search’. The following window will open:
Step 3: Search through the multiple PDFs
Select ‘All PDF documents in’ and click on the dropdown. Based on where your PDFs are located, select from ‘My Documents’, ‘Desktop’, ‘This PC’, or ‘Browse the location’. Enter the word or phrase that you want to find in the ‘What word or phrase would you like to search for?’ and select if any of the other options apply. Hit ‘Search’.
You will receive the following security warning. Click ‘Allow’ to proceed.
