Adobe Reader 8

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.

    • 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.

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 Bookmarks 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.