How to find a word or phrase in a PDF document

This article will show you how to find a specific word or phrase in a PDF document in Adobe Reader DC, the Google Chrome browser (on Mac and Windows), and in the Preview application on Mac.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Adobe Reader DC

Step 1. Open the PDF file in Adobe Acrobat Pro

The program icon looks like a red Adobe Reader icon with a stylized letter "A". When the program opens, click "File" and then "Open." Then select the PDF file and click "Open".

If you do not have Adobe Reader DC, you can download it for free by following this link https://get.adobe.com/reader/ and clicking the Install Now button

Step 2. Click Edit on the menu bar

Step 3. Click Find

Step 4. Enter the word or phrase you are looking for in the Find dialog box

Step 5. Click Next

The next mention of the search word or phrase will be highlighted in the document.

Click Next or Previous to find all the places where the search word or phrase appears in the document

Method 2 of 3: Google Chrome

Step 1. Open the PDF document in Google Chrome

In Google Chrome, you can find the web version of the file, or open the PDF on your computer. To do this, right-click on the PDF, click "Open with …" and select "Google Chrome".

On a Mac with a one-button mouse, hold down the Control key and press the touchpad with two fingers

Step 2. Click on ⋮ in the upper right corner of the browser

Step 3. Select Find almost at the very bottom of the drop-down menu

Step 4. Enter the word or phrase you want to find

As you print, the browser will begin highlighting the results that appear.

The yellow bars on the right scroll bar identify the location of the search results on the page

Step 5. Click on

or

to go to the next or previous result in the document.

Method 3 of 3: View on Mac

Step 1. Open the PDF document in the Preview application

To do this, double-click on the blue application icon, which looks like two pictures placed on top of each other. Then click on "File" on the menu bar and select the "Open" option from the drop-down menu. Select the required file in the dialog box and click "Open".

Viewer is Apple's standard image viewer included with all recent versions of Mac OS

Step 2. Click Edit on the menu bar

Step 3. Select Search

Step 4. Click on Find…

Step 5. Enter a word or phrase in the "Find" field in the upper right corner of the window

Step 6. Click Next

All references to the search word or phrase will be highlighted in the document.