Review search results

After you run a search from the Search window, the results appear in page order, nested under the names of each searched document. Each item listed includes a few words of context (if applicable) and an icon that indicates the type of occurrence.

Jump to a specific instance in the search results

  1. If necessary, click the plus sign (+) (Windows) or the triangle (Mac OS) to expand the search results. Then select an instance in the results to view that instance in the PDF.
  2. To view other instances, do any of the following:

    • Click another instance in the results.

    • Press the Down Arrow key to move to the next instance or the Up Arrow key to move to the previous instance.

    • Choose Edit > Search Results, and then choose Next Result or Previous Result.

Sort instances in the search results

 Select an option from the Sort By menu near the bottom of the Search window. Results can be sorted by Relevance Ranking, Date Modified, Filename, or Location.

Refine search results

If a search produces more results than are helpful, the fastest way to narrow the results is to refine the current results rather than rerunning the search. Refining is faster because it searches only the existing search results. When you refine a search, the new results is a subset of the original results.

  1. With the results of the first search still listed, click Refine Search Results at the bottom of the Search window.
  2. Specify additional search criteria.
  3. Click Refine Search Results.

    Continue to refine the results by repeating this procedure.

Icons shown with search results

The icon next to an instance of the search results indicates the search area in which the instance appears. Selecting an icon has the following effect:

Document icon 

Makes the PDF active in the document window. Click the plus (+) (Windows) or the triangle (Mac OS) next to the icon to show the list of individual search results within that PDF.



(General) Search Result icon 

Jumps to that instance of the search term, usually in the body text of the PDF. The instance of the search term is highlighted in the document.



Bookmark icon 

Opens the Bookmark panel and highlights the instances of the search terms.



Comments icon 

Opens the Comments panel and highlights the instances of the search terms.



Layer icon 

May open a message indicating that the layer is hidden and asking if you want to make it visible.



Attachment icon 

Opens a PDF file that is attached to the searched parent PDF and shows the highlighted instances of the search terms.