How to Enable PDF Content Indexing in Windows Search

Many users complain that “Windows Search is not finding text inside my PDF files”, even though they are certain the words exist in the documents. This is a common issue on Windows systems and, in most cases, it has nothing to do with broken PDFs or corrupted files. Instead, the problem lies in how Windows Search indexes file contents—and whether PDF text indexing is enabled at all.

By default, PDFs are not always configured to be indexed by content, especially on clean Windows installations. This article explains why PDF content may not be searchable and provides step-by-step instructions to enable full PDF content indexing in Windows Search.

Steps to Include Full PDF Content Indexing

Step 1. Open Search Settings

Press Win + S to open the Search menu. Click on the three-dot button, then select Search settings from its menu.

Step 2. Select Advanced Indexing Options

Scroll down until you find Advanced indexing options under Related settings. Click on it.

Step 3. Click Advanced

On the Indexing Options window that pops up, select Advanced.

Step 4. Switch to File Types

Now you are in the Advanced Options window, switch to the File Types tab.

Step 5. Include PDF in Index

• Scroll down in the list and select pdf.

• Choose Index Properties and File Contents under the How should this file be indexed? section.

• Click OK to save your changes.

Final Thoughts

When users say “Windows search is not finding my PDF text”, the cause is almost always configuration-related rather than a system failure. By enabling PDF content indexing, confirming indexed locations, ensuring a working PDF iFilter, and rebuilding the index, Windows Search can reliably find text inside PDF files.