Find text in PDFs in Preview on Mac
You can open a PDF or other document in Preview, then search for a word or any set of characters. If you can’t see the search field at the top right of the document window, drag the window’s edge (top, bottom or sides) to enlarge the window.
In the Preview app
on your Mac, open a PDF that you want to search.Do any of the following:
Find Next: Type a word or phrase in the search field in the toolbar.
Find an exact phrase: Enclose the phrase in quotation marks.
Group the search results by page: Choose View > Table of Contents.
Sort the search results by number of matches: Click Search Rank.
Sort the search results by page number: Click Page Order.
Close the search results sidebar: Click Done.
Find text in notes: To search notes added to the PDF (instead of the text in the PDF itself), choose View > Highlights and Notes, then type a word or phrase in the search field in the toolbar.