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This wikiHow teaches you how to find a specific word or phrase in a PDF document using free Adobe Reader DC application or the Google Chrome browser for Mac and PC, or by using the Preview application on a Mac.
Steps
Adobe Reader DC
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1Open a PDF document in Adobe Acrobat Pro. The program icon is a red Adobe Reader icon with a stylized "A." Once the program has started, click File, then Open. Then select the PDF file and click Open.
- If you don't have Adobe Reader DC, it can be downloaded for free by going to https://get.adobe.com/reader/ in a web browser and clicking Download Now.
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2Click on Edit in the menu bar.Advertisement
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3Click on Find.
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4Type a word or phrase in the "Find" dialog box.
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5Click on Next. The next instance of the word or phrase you're looking for will be highlighted in the document.
- Click on Next or Previous to locate all places where the word or phrase occurs in the document.
Google Chrome
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1Open a PDF document in the Chrome browser. In the Chrome browser, you can go to the PDF document on the web, or you can open a PDF file from your computer by right-clicking on the file, then click Open with and select Google Chrome.
- On a Mac computer without a two-button mouse you can press Control and click or tap the trackpad with two fingers.
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2Click ⋮. It's in the upper-right corner of the browser.
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3Click Find. It's near the bottom of the drop-down menu.
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4Type the word or phrase you want to search for. Chrome will highlight the results that appear in your document as you type.
- Yellow bars on the right-hand scroll bar mark the location of matching results within the page.
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5
Mac Preview
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1Open a PDF document in the Preview app. Do so by double-clicking on the blue Preview icon that looks like overlapping snapshots, then clicking on File in the menu bar and Open... in the drop-down menu. Select a file in the dialog box and click on Open.
- Preview is Apple's native image viewer app that's automatically included with most versions of Mac OS.
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2Click on Edit in the menu bar.
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3Click on Find.
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4Click on Find….
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5Type a word or phrase in the "Search" field. It's in the upper-right corner of the window.
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6Click on Next. All instances of the word or phrase you're looking for will be highlighted in the document.
- Click on < or > below the search field to navigate among the places where the word or phrase occurs in the document.
Community Q&A
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QuestionHow do I find a non-embedded font in Adobe Acrobat 9.0 Professional?Community AnswerYou can use the control button and F to open a search box. Type the key words you are searching for and they will be highlighted for you.
Warnings
- You cannot search for words in PDF documents if the document has been scanned.⧼thumbs_response⧽
About This Article
1. Open the PDF in Adobe Reader.
2. Click Edit.
3. Click Find.
4. Type a word into the box.
5. Click Next.