How to enable PDF content indexing in Windows Search

Many people encounter the error where Windows Search fails to find text within PDF files, even though they are certain the words exist in the document. This is a common problem on Windows systems and is not related to corrupted or damaged PDF files. Instead, the issue lies in how Windows Search indexes PDF content. Below is a guide on how to enable PDF content indexing in Windows 11.

 

Guide to indexing PDFs on Windows

Step 1:

Press the Windows + S key combination to open Search on your computer, then click the three-dot icon and select Search settings .

Step 2:

To access the Windows search settings interface, scroll down and click on Advanced indexing options .

 

Upon seeing the Indexing Options interface, the user clicks on Advanced to open advanced indexing on the computer.

Step 3:

In the interface shown in the image, click the File Types tab to select the file type you want to customize.

In this interface, scroll down and click on the PDF file , then check the box next to Index Properties and File Contents . Click OK to save.