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

[Eugene157F]

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.

[JR Boulay · Accepted solution]

You should use the Advanced Search:

[Peru Bob]

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.

[ls_rbls]

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:

• https://community.adobe.com/t5/acrobat-discussions/way-to-get-quot-advanced-search-quot-to-search-ju...

[JR Boulay · Accepted solution]

You should use the Advanced Search:

[Dave__M · Accepted solution]

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

Dave

[ls_rbls]

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.

[Dave__M]

Good info!

I haven't experienced the stall before, but including a catalog/index is a big plus!   Thanks.

Dave

[Eugene157F]

Thanks, Advanced Search worked for me.  I only wish I could use wildcards in the search.  For example, searching for a number btw 1000.00 - 1999.99, it would be nice to use 1???.??

[Dave__M]

Good deal!

Dave

[ls_rbls]

Wild cards are not allowed with these type of "index searches" , but can perform boolean searches using boolean operators in your advanced seach.

[JR Boulay]

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.