Searching PDFs
By the Syncfusion DevTutorials team · Last updated
Find text in a PDF, step through every match, use case-sensitive search, and research a report in the Chapter 3 project.
Search is the fastest way to find anything in a PDF. Instead of reading 80 pages for the one paragraph about refunds, you type refund and the viewer takes you straight there, highlighting every match on the way. In this lesson, you'll find text, count and step through multiple matches, use case-sensitive search, and learn the tricks that make searching reliable. At the end, you'll research a report for your manager in the Chapter 3 project.
Open the PDF sandbox and the Riverton Cycling Survey 2026 (the exercise below has a button for it).
Find text
- Click Search (the magnifier at the top-right of the toolbar), or press Ctrl + F (Cmd + F on Mac) with the PDF focused.
- Type a word or phrase in the search box, such as
helmet. - Press Enter.
The viewer jumps to the first match after the start of the document and highlights it. Every other match is highlighted too, in a lighter color, so you can see them as you scroll.
Search looks for the letters you typed, wherever they appear, so safe also finds safety and unsafe. That's usually helpful: one short search catches every form of a word.
Ctrl + F only opens the PDF's search when the viewer has focus. If your browser's own "Find in page" bar appears instead, close it, click once on the PDF page, and try again, or just click the magnifier.
Once the first match is on screen, the counter next to the search box tells you how many more there are.
Find multiple occurrences
Next to the search box, the viewer shows a counter such as 2 of 7:
- The second number is how many matches there are in the whole document.
- The first number is which match is highlighted now.
If the counter says 0 of 0, or a message says no matches were found, the word isn't in the document's text. Check the spelling, try a shorter word, or remember that a scanned page has no text to search (Lesson 5).
Next match and previous match
To move between matches:
| To go to | Do this |
|---|---|
| The next match | Click the Next arrow (pointing right) in the search box, or press Enter again |
| The previous match | Click the Previous arrow (pointing left) in the search box |
Watch the page box as you go: it shows which page each match is on. When you've seen the last match (the counter's two numbers are the same), clicking Next again shows a message that the viewer has finished searching the document. Click OK, and the next click starts again from the first match.
One search option changes what the viewer counts as a match: Match case.
Case-sensitive search
Normally search ignores capital letters: bike share finds Bike Share, bike share, and BIKE SHARE. Tick Match case to find only the exact capitals you typed.
When does that matter? When capitals change the meaning:
- Bike Share (the name of Riverton's scheme) vs. a bike share (any scheme).
- May (the month) vs. may (the word).
- US (the country) vs. us.
- Codes and IDs such as INV-A12, where the case is part of the code.
Tick Match case before you press Enter. To search normally again, untick it.
The sandbox's search box also has Match any word, which finds a result if it contains at least one of the words you typed. Other apps offer Whole words only, which finds the complete word safe but not safety. Search options vary between apps, so check what each one does.
A few habits make searching reliable instead of hit-or-miss:
Search tips
| Tip | Why |
|---|---|
| Search for an unusual word | Okafor finds one place; the finds hundreds |
| Use part of a word | recommend finds recommend, recommends, and recommendation |
| Try another word | The report might say "bicycle" where you think "bike" |
| Search numbers too | 805,000 or 2026 find exact figures fast |
| Check the counter | It tells you how many places to look before you start reading |
Search finds letters, not meaning. If a search finds nothing, the idea may still be in the document under different words. Try a synonym, a shorter word, or the contents page.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | What happens | How to fix it |
|---|---|---|
| Typo in the search box | 0 matches | Check the spelling |
| Match case left on | Fewer matches than expected | Untick Match case |
| Ctrl + F opens the browser's find bar | It searches the lesson page, not the PDF | Click on the PDF first, or use the magnifier |
| Searching a scanned page | 0 matches for words you can see | It's a picture: use OCR or read it |
| Searching a long phrase | Nothing found because one word differs | Search for one or two key words |
Exercise
Here is your chance to search a document yourself.
Click Open the practice PDF below to open the Riverton Cycling Survey 2026. Then do each task, type any answer, and press Check.
Chapter project
Put Chapter 3 together. Your manager is writing to the council about cycling and wants five facts from the survey report, plus one quotation she can paste straight into her email.
Research a Report
What to remember
- Search (magnifier or Ctrl + F), type, and press Enter.
- The counter (
2 of 7) shows the current match and the total. - Enter or Next goes to the next match; Previous goes back.
- Search finds letters anywhere:
safefinds safety and unsafe. - Match case finds only the exact capitals you typed: use it for names and codes.
- Scanned pages can't be searched; if nothing is found, try another word.
That's the end of Chapter 3. In Chapter 4, you'll add comments, highlights, and drawings to PDFs.