Lost ability to find PDFs containing specified text

[Bob Coleman]

I use Directory Opus, a File Explorer replacement. It has a capability to find PDF files containing specified text.

According to the Directory Opus forum, in order for this to work an IFilter that understands the PDF format must be installed. That forum specifically states that PDF-XChange is usually a good option.

This has worked for me for I don't know how long.

However, I recently set up a Windows 11 PC to replace my previous Windows 10 PC and this function no longer works.

Is there anything special I might have neglected to do to get this IFilter when installing PDF-EXchange Editor on the new computer?

Any other thoughts on why it might not work?

[Willy Van Nuffel]

1) Shell Extensions

The installation of PDF-XChange includes "Shell extensions".

When those shell extensions have been installed, you should be able to find and run XCShInfoSetup.exe in the folder C:\Program Files\Tracker Software\Shell Extensions.

This should show you the following dialog-box:
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In this dialog-box you will find the possibility to set the default IFilter Handler to PDF-XChange.
After this, click Apply and Exit.

2) (right mouse click on) Start > Settings > Search > Searching Windows (at the left of the screen)

In the "Searching Windows" window, scroll down to "Advanced Search Indexer Settings".

In the "Indexing Options"-dialog-box, click Advanced.

In the "Advanced Options", click the "File Types"-tab and wait a while until all the different file-extensions are showing up.

Scroll down to "PDF" and click on that line, make sure that the check-box is marked and also make sure that the "Index Properties and File Contents" is selected. Click OK and Close.
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After the next indexing update, the content of PDF's should be searchable.

3) If this should not directly work, then please also verify the included Search Locations in the search "Indexing Options".

[Bob Coleman]

Thanks for the detailed instructions.

In step 1, IFilter Handler was set to Microsoft Windows PDF IFilter Handler. Changing this to PDF-XChange solved my problem. (I was trying to use an internal Directory Opus function that doesn't involve indexing).

I had some difficulty following your second step, but by left clicking the Start button and entering index in the search box, I was able to select Choose which files and folders are indexed and arrive Indexing status in Settings.

From there I was able to scroll to Advanced indexing options, select Advanced, select File Types and follow your instructions about scrolling to the pdf extension. It was checked and only Index Properties Only, not Index Properties and File Contents was selected.

I decided to leave well enough alone here since this seems not to be affecting what I was originally trying to do.

[Willy Van Nuffel]

Thanks for your feedback.

Maybe PDF-XChange iFilter always indexes Properties AND File Content, independently from Windows advanced search settings. I do not immediately find a clear answer to that question in the Knowledge Base, nor in this forum. Maybe @PDF-XChange Support ?

Finally, it is good to know that what you are trying to search and find in your PDF's is again working now.

Kind regards.

Willy

Some additional and similar info:
viewtopic.php?t=45044

[Stefan - PDF-XChange]

Hello Willy Van Nuffel,

Our iFilter as far as I know allows windows to be aware of the contents of PDF files to that it can then perform it's own searches, and the rest is handled by Windows directly, though I will need to check with the dev team for confirmation.

Thanks for the help you provided to @Bob Coleman - glad to hear it works!

Kind regards,
Stefan