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Eugene157F
New Participant
November 7, 2022
Answered

Acrobat Pro 2020: How to search for text string over multiple PDF files?

  • November 7, 2022
  • 4 replies
  • 2927 views

I have roughly 500 monthly PDF files from bank accounts that I need to search for text strings.  I tried combining the files into one large PDF, but they are PW protected (by the bank) for "Document Assembly."   

How can I search all 500 files at once for a given text string?  I also tried assembling them all into an Acrobat Portfolio, but couldn't find a way to search through the entire portfolio at once.

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer Dave__M

    Acrobat's Advanced Search feature has long been a super-powerful... and largely overlooked feature.  in my opinion.

    Dave

    4 replies

    JR Boulay
    JR Boulay
    Community Expert
    November 17, 2022

    There are many settings in the Preferences.

    There is one that allows to increase the "cache size" of the "fast find", which is like building a
    Catalog index automatically.

     

    Acrobate du PDF, InDesigner et Photoshopographe
    JR Boulay
    JR Boulay
    Community Expert
    November 8, 2022

    You should use the Advanced Search:

     

    Acrobate du PDF, InDesigner et Photoshopographe
      Dave__M
      Dave__MCorrect answer
      Community Expert
      November 8, 2022

      Acrobat's Advanced Search feature has long been a super-powerful... and largely overlooked feature.  in my opinion.

      Dave

        ls_rbls
        ls_rbls
        Community Expert
        November 8, 2022

        Yes,

         

        I should've specified, that the Advanced Search feature will look into every directory and subdirectories, and it may stall or become inresponsive due to the search being performed in hundreds of PDF that are scattered all over different folders and subfolders, or files in restricted folders, or with incorrect file naming convention (to include relative paths) may be omitted.

         

        Such is the case of a user that I was helping the other day because he was using the Advanced Search for a bulk search.

         

        The Advanced Search will work better when a catalogue is defined  for big group of files.

         

         

        ls_rbls
        ls_rbls
        Community Expert
        November 8, 2022

        The correct way to do this is with a Full Text Index with Catalog.

         

        You must define a catalogue, or better said, place all of your PDFs in a unique folder.

         

        Then define a catalogue with an index to perform text string searches through the Advanced Search feature.

         

        See answer in this recent discussion:

         

        Peru Bob
        Peru Bob
        Community Expert
        November 8, 2022

        I've moved this from the Using the Community forum (which is the forum for issues using the forums) to the Acrobat forum so that proper help can be offered.

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