PDF Text Finder
Choose a PDF and search its selectable text for a word or phrase. The search runs in this browser and reports the total matches and pages scanned.
PDF TEXT FINDER
Search a PDF for a word or phrase
Choose a PDF and search its embedded text layer.
A QUICK WALKTHROUGH
How to use this tool
- Choose one PDF file up to 50 MB.
- Enter a word or phrase, then search all pages.
- Review or copy the local match report.
Matching page numbers
The report lists each page that contains a match and its non-overlapping occurrence count. It searches every page in supported PDFs up to 200 pages; it does not highlight or jump to the position inside a page.
Search the embedded text layer
PDF.js extracts selectable text from each page and searches it as a literal, case-insensitive phrase. The report gives total matches and pages scanned. It does not highlight locations or create an OCR text layer.
Scanned pages and reading order
A scanned page without an OCR layer has no searchable text. PDF text order may not match visual reading order in multi-column layouts, and line-end hyphenation can split a word. Whitespace is normalized; punctuation remains literal.
Private local processing
One PDF up to 50 MB and 200 pages is parsed with the existing PDF.js worker in this browser. The document and search query are not uploaded, stored, or sent to a server. You can cancel a long scan.
GOOD TO KNOW
Common questions
Can it search a scanned PDF?
Only if the page already contains an OCR text layer. This tool does not recognize text in page images.
Is the search case-sensitive?
No. It is case-insensitive and matches the literal query; punctuation is significant. Whitespace runs are normalized to one space.
Does it show where each match appears?
It reports the total number of matches and pages scanned, but does not highlight or jump to match locations.
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. PDF.js reads the selected file locally in this browser and the page sends no document or query to a server.