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4 Proven and Free Ways to Find and Replace Text in PDF Files

  • By Lydia
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  • Updated on November 4, 2025
Introduction:
When you try to edit a PDF, have you been bothered by searching and changing the same word one by one? Do you wonder how to replace text in PDF files with long pages efficiently? Then you need a tool that can find and replace in PDFs. This feature enables you to search for a certain word, number, or phrase in a PDF and replace it with another easily, just like replacing text in a Word document.
summary

Find and replace in PDF is an advanced technology that lets you make global changes to a PDF. Whether you need to change typos or update information, this feature can replace text in PDF documents instantly. In this guide, we will walk you through how to find and replace text in a PDF using 4 reliable methods.

Recommended Way to Find and Replace Text in PDF via SwifDoo PDF

SwifDoo PDF is a PDF editor that can remove all the hindrances when handling PDFs. The handy tool “Search and Replace” allows you to effortlessly search for a specific text in a PDF file and replace it with a different text.

When you replace text in PDF files, you can check the options “whole words only” and “case sensitive” to make the program locate the target word or phrase more precisely. SwifDoo PDF will recognize any uppercase or lowercase letters and only match entire words.

Here, please take a look at how to find and replace in PDF documents in SwifDoo PDF:

Step 1. Download and install SwifDoo PDF on your PC and then launch it to enjoy its 7-day free trial.

  • SwifDoo PDF

    Click to Download

  • Clean & Safe

    100%

Step 2. Now, click Open to import your target PDF document. Click the Search option under the Home tab or press Ctrl + F to enable the Search & Replace box.

Click the Search option under the Home tab to enable the Search & Replace box in SwifDoo PDF

Step 3. Switch from the Search icon to the Replace icon. Type in the text you want to find into the “Find what” box, input the text you wish to replace into the “Replace with” box, and click the Replace All or Replace button.

Click the Replace icon to perform the find & replace process in SwifDoo PDF

Furthermore, click the Advanced option at the bottom left of the Search & Replace box. Here, you can set the search and replace to “Whole Words Only” or “Case Sensitive” to locate the target word or phrase more precisely.

Select the Whole Words Only or Case Sensitive option in the Advanced settings of SwifDoo PDF

Step 4. Once the replacement process is finished, don’t forget to click the Save icon to save the changes.

SwifDoo features up-to-scratch tools to help you find and replace text in PDF files. It is uncluttered and easy to navigate. Besides the feature “find and replace in PDF”, this PDF software can remove watermarks from PDFs, do a PDF word count, and perform other PDF-related tasks.

How to Find and Replace Text in PDF (Offline & Online)
  • Search for and change the text on a PDF file with one click;
  • Add text boxes to PDF pages to change the content;
  • Customize the color and font size of existing text.
Free Download
Windows 11/10/8.1/7/XP

How to Find and Replace Text in PDF with Adobe Acrobat

Undoubtedly, Adobe Acrobat is the PDF industry standard concerning replacing text in PDF documents. It lets you accurately find and replace in PDF pages flexibly. It incorporates various features to overwrite text in a PDF. However, one major drawback of this PDF fore frontier is the high price for individuals. It costs a lot when you need to search for and change the text in a PDF file.

Learn how to find and replace text in PDF files with Adobe Acrobat:

Step 1: Open your file in this PDF program;

Step 2: Click on the magnifier icon and enter the word you need to overwrite;

Step 3: Tap Replace with and enter your desired text. Then press Replace to replace the text in the PDF document.
Replace text in PDF with Adobe Acrobat
Then you learn how to replace text in PDF documents using Adobe Acrobat. After finding and changing the text in PDF, you can use this software to keep editing the file, such as highlighting the PDF text, adding hyperlinks to PDF pages, and so on.

How to Replace Text in PDF Online Using WorkinTool

WorkinTool is a useful online PDF editing site. It helps you handily search on a PDF file and locate and overwrite the word you want. It stands out for its ability to replace different text in multiple PDFs at a time. It proves time-saving to use this tool to upload several files and change the text on these PDFs. The find and replace in PDF service is automatically case-sensitive.

Discover how to replace text in PDFs for free with this online PDF editor:

Step 1: Drag and drop your file to its designated area;

Step 2: When the preview of your PDF file is displayed, enter the text that you want to find;

Step 3: Under the Replace with tab, enter the desired word and click Convert to replace text in PDFs.
Replace text in PDF with WorkinTool
Apart from replacing words or phrases in a PDF for free, this PDF program lets you combine PDF files without using Adobe Acrobat, remove PDF pages, or compress PDFs.

How to Replace Text in PDF for Free with Google Docs

How can I replace text in a PDF for free? Consider Google Docs. As a common word processor, it converts your PDF to a Word document. Then you can conveniently replace text in PDF files for free, although the file formatting might be disrupted during the conversion.

Here is the step-by-step tutorial for searching for and changing text on a PDF:

Step 1: Launch Google Drive, and drag and drop your file to the indicated area to upload it;

Step 2: Right-click on the PDF, select Open with, and choose Google Docs;
Replace text in PDF with Google Docs
Step 3: After the file is converted, go to Edit and tap Find and replace;

Step 4: Enter the text you need to overwrite and the word you want to replace with. Click Replace all to replace text in PDF.
Replace text in PDF with Google Docs 1
If you want to explore more PDF features in Google Docs after replacing the words, here is one of the spoilers. This online program lets you print double-sided PDFs to output the edited PDF file.

Bottom Line

This guide demonstrates how to find and replace in PDF files. These methods allow you to easily search for a character, word, number, or phrase and replace text in PDFs in a trice. If Windows users want a shot at one click to change the text on PDFs directly, try SwifDoo PDF.

  • SwifDoo PDF

    Click to Download

  • Clean & Safe

    100%

Lydia is an English columnist for AWZware. She is familiar with different technology products such as office software, location changers, and video software applications. Focused on tech blog writing, she is willing to solve your problems with up-to-date information.

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