Find and replace error message?

[Rae5FB1]

I have multiple 500+ page PDFs that require the find/replace function for every page. When I begin, it finds and replaces the first few instances of the word, then I get an error message that says "Unable to highlight text across multiple text boxes." Any ideas?? 

[try67]

Go back to the original file format, make the changes there and then create a new PDF file.

[Rae5FB1]

I'm not sure I understand. I can't manually find/replace as that is over 8,000 corrections. I need this function to work! What do I correct on the initial files in order for find/replace to work? Any ideas why it is not working? I have Acrobat standard and I'm on a PC. My boss has Acrobat Pro and is on a Mac, and does not run into this issue. Do I need to upgrade to Pro? 

[try67 · Accepted solution]

I didn't suggest you do it manually, but doing it in Acrobat is not the solution, either. It has not Search & Replace All command, so anyway you'll have to click the Replace button 8000+ times to do it, and it's very likely something will go wrong along the way. PDF files were simply not meant to be edited in such an extensive way.

[ARPV]

I had the same error.  This is a clunky solution, but if you are able to--convert the files to a word doc, then do your find/replace, then convert back to pdf.

[try67]

Not clunky at all. This is what you should be doing, if you don't have access to the original file.

[Una379090443wtu]

I have a PDF that is made up of scanned documents. The original was prepared by someone else using Adobe Reader, which only had the function of adding red text boxes. I have to change a phrase in 68 text boxes.

When I use my version of Reader, I can search for the phrases but must use multiple clicks to edit each box indivudually, which is time consuming. When I use Acrobat DC, I can search but when I try to replace an error message appears "Unable to highlight text in Form Fields".

If I convert to word as suggested, the formatting turns into a mess, because the original are scans of different types of certificates and the conversion handles the different components poorly. Despite disabling "Field detection",  Adobe seems to try to force parcing into a form. 

I just want to be able to "find and replace" text in the document, including Adobe generated text boxes. It seems odd that a text box created in Adobe software can't be edited by Adobe. 

[try67]

If the text is a part of a comment (which it sounds like it is based on your description) then you can use a script to search and replace all instances of a certain phrase in the file automatically.

I've actually developed a (paid-for) tool that allows you to do that in seconds:

https://www.try67.com/tool/acrobat-search-replace-text-in-comments

[Una379090443wtu]

I am an employee in a larger company, we cannot use any non approved software or patches for secuirty reasons.  I am looking for an Adobe provided solution, considering we paid a lot of money for all these licences.

It is terrible that Adobe is so bad, that there is a business model in making patches by third parties, but I hope you make a fortune off it.