User Guide

Searching for words in an Adobe PDF document
You can use either the Find toolbar or the Search PDF window to locate a word, series of
words, or partial word in the active Adobe PDF document. The Find toolbar provides a
basic set of options for searching for text in only the current PDF document; the Search
PDF window searches more PDF areas than the Find toolbar, provides more advanced
options, and lets you search for text in one or more PDF documents, an index of PDF
files, or PDF files on the Internet (see Searching Adobe PDF documents on the Internet).
By default, both the Find toolbar and the Search PDF window search the text, layers, form
fields, and digital signatures in the PDF document; both features also let you include
bookmarks and comments in the search. By default, the Search PDF window also searches
object data, and image XIF (extended image file format) metadata; it searches document
properties and XMP metadata by default but only when searching multiple PDF
documents or a PDF index; it searches indexed structure tags but only when searching a
PDF index. In addition, the Search PDF window lets you include attachments in the
search.
Note: Adobe PDF documents can have multiple layers. If the search results include an
occurrence on a hidden layer, selecting that occurrence displays an alert that asks if you
want to make that layer visible.
If you prefer using the Find toolbar, dock the toolbar to the Acrobat toolbar area to
make it always available. (See Customizing the work area.) If you prefer using the
advanced search options in the Search PDF window, set the Search preference to display
these options by default. (See
Setting Search preferences.)
Options in the Find Options menu expand or constrain the search
To search for words using the Find toolbar:
1. Open the document.
2. To display the Find toolbar, right-click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Mac OS) in the toolbar
area, and select Find.
3. In the Find box, type the word, words, or partial word that you want to search for.
4. From the Find Options menu , select options as desired. (See Search options.)
5. To view each search result, click the Find Previous button or the Find Next button
to go backward or forward through the document.
If you want to switch to the Search PDF feature for additional search options, choose
Open Full Acrobat Search from the Find Options menu in the Find toolbar.
To search for words in a PDF document using the Search PDF window:
1. Open the document.
2. Click the Search button on the File toolbar.
3. If you want to perform an advanced search, click Use Advanced Search Options. (See
Advanced search options.)
You can set a preference to open Advanced Search options instead of Basic Search
options when you click Search. See Setting Search preferences.
4. Type the word, words, or partial word that you want to search for.
5. Set options as desired. See Search options and Advanced search options.
6. Click Search. The results appear in page order and, if applicable, show a few words of
context. Each result displays an icon to identify the type of occurrence: the Bookmark
Result icon
, the Comment Result icon , the Layer Result icon , or the Attachment
Result icon
. All other searchable areas display the Search Result icon .
7. To display the page that contains a search result, click an item in the Results list. The
occurrence is highlighted. Choose Edit > Search Results > Next Result or Edit > Search
Results > Previous Result, or use the Back button
and the Next button at the top of
the Search PDF window to move forward and backward through search panes.
Note: During a search, you can click a result or use keyboard shortcuts to navigate the
results without interrupting the search. (See Keys for general navigating.) Clicking the
Stop button under the search-progress bar cancels further searching and limits the results
to the occurrences already found. It does not close the Search PDF window or delete the
Results list. To see more results, you must run a new search.
Related Subtopics:
Search options
Advanced search options
Closing the Search PDF window