Sound familiar?#
- 01One typo and your search finds nothingYou type “coffie” instead of “coffee”, or you're not sure how a word is spelt. The search comes back empty, and you start guessing spellings.See the fix
- 02You remember the idea, not the wordsYou read something about why a late coffee keeps you awake, but not the wording it used. With nothing exact to type, you scroll and skim instead.See the fix
Three ways to search a PDF#
Press Ctrl F (⌘ F on a Mac) while you read, then pick how you want to search from the menu at the left of the search bar. Each mode helps when you know a different amount about what you're looking for.
A late cup lingers for hours and can keep you up at night.
Exact
Find the words as typed
A late cup lingers for hours and can keep you up at night.
Fuzzy
Match typos
A late cup lingers for hours and can keep you up at night.
AI
Describe it in your own words
Find a word anywhere in your PDF#
When you know the word, use Exact. You'll see every match across the whole PDF, from the first page to the last. You don't need to match capitals or accents, so “cafe” finds “Café”, and a phrase broken across two lines still turns up.
Search even when you mistype#
Typing fast, or not sure how a word is spelt? Switch to Fuzzy and your search forgives a few wrong letters, so “coffie” still finds “coffee”. If you get too many matches, or too few, set how forgiving it is: Strict, Balanced or Loose.
The usual
One wrong letter in your search, and you get no results.
In Notesify
Close spellings count too, so you find the word anyway.
Find a passage when you can't remember the words#
Switch to AI and type a question, or whatever you remember of the passage, like “why can't I fall asleep?”. AI reads your PDF and lists the passages that match, most relevant first, each with its page number. Click one and you're there.
The usual
No exact words to type, so you scroll and skim the whole file.
In Notesify
Describe it in your own words and jump straight to the answer.
Which search should you use?#
Know the exact word? Use Exact. Unsure of the spelling? Use Fuzzy. Only remember the idea? Use AI. Want the steps? See how to search inside a PDF.
At a glance#
| Feature | Typical reader | Notesify |
|---|---|---|
| Find words regardless of capitals, accents or line breaks | Sometimes | Yes |
| Find words even when you mistype them | No | Yes |
| Find a passage by describing it | No | Yes |
Sometimes Varies by app or platform
FAQ#
Open the PDF in Notesify and press Ctrl F (⌘ F on a Mac), or tap the search button on a phone. Type the word and step through every match with Enter.
Yes. Every search covers every page, from the first to the last, and you can step through the matches in order.
Yes. Use Fuzzy search. It forgives a few wrong letters, so a typo like “coffie” still finds “coffee”.
Yes. Switch to AI and ask a question or describe the passage. AI lists the passages that match, most relevant first, with their page numbers.
Sometimes it misses or misplaces a passage. When it can't pinpoint the exact text, the result still takes you to the right page.