Windows 11 Windows Search not searching or Indexing PDFs

Ok, I figured it out. This took some trial and error . . . here's the short version:

1.) Q: What could be the difference between Windows File Explorer, and something that I see in Indexing Options? . . . A: That "Filter Description" that says "Foxit PDF Filter"

2.) Q: What does the Filter Description look like for Adobe Acrobat? . . . A: Keywords to google: indexing options adobe

I didn't find a graphic [08/01/22 wait, yes I did - on this page], but I found this page . . . PDF Indexing: How-To Inspect and Change the Filter Handlers . . . https://www.noggle.online/knowledgebase/pdf-indexing-filter-windows10/

Based on this page, here's what to do in the Registry, in 4 steps:

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1.) Find the GUID here . . . HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.pdf\PersistentHandler . . . {3C3DCD30-E62D-49A4-A746-039334AFDE59}

2.) Copy and paste this GUID into the Registry "Find", to find it in a second place . . . HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID{3C3DCD30-E62D-49A4-A746-039334AFDE59}

3.) See the GUID below it, which is for Foxit, in my case . . . {987F8D1A-26E6-4554-B007-6B20E2680632}

4.) Change the Foxit GUID to the native Windows 10 PDF handler GUID, "Filter Description" = "Reader Search Handler" . . . {6C337B26-3E38-4F98-813B-FBA18BAB64F5}

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After you hit enter, it will start re-indexing right away.

When done, I see that there is no need to do a Restart.

Here's what the "Filter Description" looked like, along the way, three images . . . https://imgur.com/a/2G6ieCj

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Other pages I looked at:

How to set Acrobat Reader to your default PDF program in Windows 10 . . . 06/30/22 Microsoft Edge is the default program for opening PDF files in Windows 10. In four easy steps, you can set Acrobat Reader to your default PDF program . . . [This just changes the default program that opens PDFs, which can be whatever you want. The non-native PDF handler GUID is not changed by doing this] . . . https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/kb/not-default-pdf-owner-windows10.html

Refine web searches . . . Search for an exact match - Put a word or phrase inside quotes. For example, "tallest building" . . . https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/2466433?hl=en

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In the search results, why does it say the File "Type" is: Microsoft Edge PDF Document

Default apps / Choose default apps by file type . . . Toggle it from Foxit, to Abbyy, and then back to Foxit? No change . . . Do a restart? That fixed it, maybe that's all I had to do

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Conclusion:

All these years, where my PDFs were not included in the search results . . . d @ m n

When you install a PDF program, I don't think it asks you what PDF handler you want to use, or not, or what this means.

1.) Who didn't see this as a bad idea?

2.) What's the benefit of using the PDF program's Search engine?

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From what I see: I don't think it's a bug preventing Windows Search from indexing the content of PDF files - because I can get results through the PDF Search - how else would this be possible? Indexing Options must be doing that, and, it has been set to do that.

The way I would describe it is: The files and content are being indexed, it's just that File Explorer is not bringing them up in search results. There is something with the PDF program that makes this possible, which File Explorer does not have.

MattBK, do you have a PDF program that allows you to search your HD for PDFs? Out of curiosity, what program is it? Can it find words in the content?

For many, many years Windows had the ability, through explorer, to search file contents, including in PDF, Word and Excel files (and before that, over ten years ago I believe, search was through a Microsoft add on). This functionality was broken in the initial release of Windows. Whether it is fixed in the current non-beta version of Windows 11 I am not sure (at least one poster here says it is, I'd like to hear if others have found that.) I am on a recent Beta version of Windows, which is stable and on which search seems to work fine. If the non-beta version of windows 11 now has search functionality I'd like to move back to that.

To its great discredit Microsoft has not said anything about this issue.