PDFGrep
Search PDF text from the command line with pdfgrep, which supports GNU grep-style options such as recursive and case-insensitive search.
About PDFGrep
pdfgrep is a command-line utility to search text in PDF files. It can search multiple PDFs at once and supports GNU grep-style options such as -r, -i, -n, -c and --color, along with POSIX and perl-compatible regular expressions.
Version 2.2.0 is offered as a download, with source available via git clone, and the software is licensed under GPL version 2 or later.
Key features
- Search text inside PDF files from command line
- Supports GNU grep options like -r, -i, -n, -c
- Search across multiple PDF files at once
- Supports POSIX and PCRE regular expressions
- Color highlights for matches, enabled by default
- Available as v2.2.0 download and via git clone
Best for: People comfortable with the command line who need to find text across PDF files.
Good for
- Compatible with familiar GNU grep options such as -r, -i, -n, -c
- Supports POSIX and perl-compatible regular expressions
- Color highlighting for matches is enabled by default
Watch out for
- Compatible with GNU grep only where applicable, not for every option
PDFGrep at a glance
- Website
- pdfgrep.org
- Category
- Online Tools › PDF & Document Tools
- Type
- Online tool
- Pricing
- Not confirmed. Check the site
- Platforms
- Web
- Open source
- Not stated
- Last checked
- Oct 5, 2026 · Online when checked
- Listed
- Oct 5, 2026
Guides for PDF & Document Tools
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PDFGrep FAQ
What does pdfgrep do?
It is a command-line utility to search text in PDF files.
Which grep-style options are supported?
Examples include -r, -i, -n, -c, and --color, which is enabled by default.
Which regular expression formats can it use?
It supports POSIX as well as perl-compatible regular expressions (PCRE).
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