How to Search Word in PDF in Mobile Using 3 Free Methods

Searching for specific words can help you quickly find what you want to read. This can save much time compared to scrolling through long documents on your phone.

So, how to search words in a PDF on a mobile device? This article will introduce three free and easy methods, with/without an app.

Search Word in PDF in Mobile Online Now!

One of the easiest ways to search for text in PDF is to use PDFgear online PDF editor. Without installing any additional applications, you can quickly locate words and phrases.

This online editor also provides more authoring tools, and supports you to edit, annotate, and signature the PDF with simple operations.

Step 1. On your Android/iPhone, go to the browser and visit the website of PDFgear online PDF editor.

Step 2. On this page, tap on the Select PDF file button to choose the PDF you need.

Step 3. After the PDF loads, click on the search icon (looks like a magnifying glass) at the top.

Step 4. Now, you can enter the word or phrase into the search box, and this tool will highlight each target term in the PDF.

Search Word in PDF in Mobile on Android Using Free App

In addition to online tools, the PDFgear for Android app provides you with a solid solution.

It searches words and phrases in batches, and allows you to jump to the instances with a simple click.

Step 1. Download and install PDFgear for Android app from Google Play. If you installed it, open it directly.

Step 2. Run the PDFgear for Android app, and select and open the PDF file you require.

Step 3. When the file is opened, tap the search icon at the top of the screen.

Step 4. There you can view a search box, and type the word that you want to seek for.

Step 5. The tool will present all the search results, and you can jump to the instances by clicking on the term you want to locate.

Search Word in PDF in Mobile on iPhone Using Free App

For iPhone users, the PDFgear for iOS app is a great choice.

The PDFgear app is free, so don’t hesitate to get started!

Step 1. Go to the Apple Store and download PDFgear for iOS on your device.

Step 2. Once this tool is installed, open it and load your desired PDF.

Step 3. From the bottom options, choose and click the magnifying glass icon to use the search function.

Step 4. Type the word to find in the document, and tap Search to begin to filter.

Step 5. The app will highlight each instance of the word, then you can easily jump through the document.

Why Can’t I Search Word in PDF?

From the above content, you can learn how to search words in PDF on mobile phones. Sometimes, you may find that your PDF is not searchable. This is usually because the PDF is a scanned document or an image-based PDF that lacks embedded text.

In these cases, you need OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology to convert the PDF to an editable format.

PDFgear’s desktop software provides a powerful OCR tool to help. Follow the below guide to convert a scanned PDF to a searchable Microsoft Word document.

• Download PDFgear software on your device
• Launch the software and navigate to Convert from PDF
• Choose PDF to Word > Tap Add File to upload the scanned PDF
• Check the OCR option > Click the Convert button
• After that, you can open up the converted Microsoft Word document and start searching text.

FAQs

Can I search for text in a scanned PDF on my mobile?

This depends on whether the scanned PDF has been processed with Optical Character Recognition (OCR). You can use PDFgear software to convert scanned PDF to searchable Microsoft Word.

How to search for text in PDF without an app?

To search and copy text in PDF without an app, the best way is to use PDFgear online PDF editor, which works within any modern web browser, without software installation.

Is it possible to search for and highlight all instances of a word in a PDF on mobile?

Yes, the PDFgear mobile app will allow you to search for all instances of a word and may automatically highlight them in the document. In the search results, you can typically tap each instance to jump to it in the document.