How to Search for Words in Multiple PDF Documents?

PDF documents are very important files for storing data, especially in professional and academic settings. When you are working with so many PDF files, finding a specific word or phrase can be quite a challenge. In this article, we are going to discuss the topic of how to search for words in multiple PDF documents. Here, we will explain everything about this topic and provide you with the best ways to accomplish this task.

How to Search for Words in Multiple PDF Documents?

There are several ways which can help you find specific words from multiple PDF files. In the article below, we are going to explain the best methods and their step-by-step guide to searching for words in multiple PDF documents. Some of the top popular ways are:

• Method 1: Using Adobe Acrobat Reader DC (Free)
• Method 2: Using Adobe Acrobat Pro DC (Paid)
• Method 3: Using Windows Search or macOS Finder
• Method 4: With the Help of Third-Party Software
• Method 5: Using Online Software

1. How to Search for Word in PDF Using Adobe Acrobat Reader DC (Free)?

• Step 1: Open Adobe Acrobat Reader DC on your system.
• Step 2: Go to the Edit option, Advance search or press the Shift + Ctrl + F on Windows.
• Step 3: Choose the “All PDF Documents in” and navigate the folder which containing all your PDF files.
• Step 4: Enter the term you want to search for in the search field provided and click the Search button.

Acrobat will display a list of when words appear in that PDF file in a particular folder.

2. Using Adobe Acrobat Pro DC (Paid)

Adobe Acrobat Pro DC offers so many advance features including filters to refine your searches by document properties or metadata.

3. Search for Words in PDF Files Using Windows Search or macOS Finder

Both Windows and Mac Operating System has in built search functionalities that allow you to look for text within multiple PDF files without opening the each files separately.

On Windows OS

• Step 1: Go to the folder which containing all your PDF files.
• Step 2: Type the search term in the search box.
• Step 3: Enable content indexing for PDF files if you have not done yet.
• Step 4: Go to the control panel, indexing options, advanced, file types, and check .pdf files.
• Step 5: Finally, click the Search button. Windows will display all the PDF files containing the search term along with the preview.

On Mac Operating System

• Step 1: Go to the Finder and navigate the folder which containing all your PDF files.
• Step 2: Press the cmd+F to initiate the search and select the "Kind: PDF" from the filters option.
• Step 3: Enter the term you need to search, and macOS Finder will highlight documents containing that term.

Both systems are limited in customization but are very convenient for the quick searches.

4. With the Help of Third-Party Software (Highly Recommended)

Several powerful and advanced third-party software allow you to search for words in multiple PDF documents. One such application is 4n6 Discover. This application is highly responsive, reliable, reliable to search documents within multiple PDF documents. This application is a very simple graphical user interface. You will not face any problems while using this software. Also, you just have to follow some of the simplest steps to achieve this task.

Step-by-Step Guide

• Step 1: Download and install the application properly by following the given instructions.
• Step 2: Run the software and click the Proceed button to begin the process.
• Step 3: In order to search, enter your words. You can add numerous texts to the search by separating them with comma.
• Step 4: Apply the required filters to get the desired results and click the Search button to begin the searching required text.

Once done, you can examine the resultant output.

4. Using Online Software

On the internet, there are plenty of online software programs that can help you search for words in PDF documents. So, if you don’t want to install any software, you can go with online software. But before using online tools, beware of privacy issues as your PDF file is sent to their server.

In order to use the online software, please follow the below steps:

• Step 1: Visit any trustworthy online site.
• Step 2: Upload your PDF files.
• Step 3: Enter the required search term.

The tool will show the results within each PDF documents.

Common Questions and Answers

Q1: Can I use the command line tools to search for words in PDF files?

Yes, there are command line tools such as PDFgrep (for Linux/MacOS) that allows you to search for text across multiple PDF files in a specified directory. This method is specially for advance users for batch processing.

Q2: Is OCR required to search for words in multiple PDF documents?

OCR (Optical Character Recognition) is required if the PDF document is a scanned document without the selectable text.

Q3: What are the Pros and Cons of third-party software to search for words in PDFs?

Pros

• Allows to search within unlimited PDF files
• Supportive PDF software is not required
• This software has strong parsing engine
• Complete tested and easy to use application
• Supports all versions of Windows Operating system
• Give 100% accurate results in some easiest steps

Cons

There are only one limitation that demo version of the software allow you to search for text within some files only.

Choosing the Best Method for Your Needs

Each method to search for words in multiple PDF documents has their own unique strengths and weaknesses. Adobe Acrobat Pro is one of the best solutions for businesses and frequent users, while the free tools and online software are only for casual needs. Power users can go with command line tools. And if you don’t want to deal with any kind of hassle and time, and want the exact results within infinite files in no files, you can go with third-party software of the working class.

Hope you will find this informative article helpful.