> ## Knowledge Base Index > Fetch the complete knowledge base index at: https://support.contracthero.com/sitemap.xml > Use this file to discover available pages before exploring further. > Pure-Markdown content can be obtained by appending a '.md' suffix to the content URLs listed in the sitemap (without the trailing slash). # How do I use full-text search (OCR)? ## What's in it for you Instead of trying to remember a contract title, you search by content: a clause, a name, a phone number, a particular deadline. Full-text search finds any word in any PDF in your account — including scanned contracts that have no digital text layer of their own. ## How it works — two routes ### A. Search across all contracts (contract list) 1. Open the **contract list** (left-hand navigation → **Contracts** / „Verträge"). ![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/1/2/5/2/12522a019f980500/screenshot-2026-06-11-at-15103_1jdg8ra.png) 2. Next to the search field („Nach Verträgen suchen") there's a dropdown set to **List** („Liste") by default — that filters results by contract titles and fields. ![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/1/2/5/2/12522a019f980500/screenshot-2026-06-11-at-15112_g3k4uz.png) 3. Switch the dropdown to **Text**. ![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/1/2/5/2/12522a019f980500/screenshot-2026-06-11-at-15112_2aqf8r.png) 4. Type your search term — ContractHero now searches the **entire full text** of every contract PDF in your account. ![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/1/2/5/2/12522a019f980500/screenshot-2026-06-11-at-15133_1v8zukl.png) 5. Each hit shows a preview of the matching passage. ![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/1/2/5/2/12522a019f980500/screenshot-2026-06-11-at-15142_1cycso7.png) ### B. Search inside a single contract 1. Open the contract and go to the **Documents** tab („Dokumente") — the default view after opening. ![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/1/2/5/2/12522a019f980500/screenshot-2026-06-11-at-15152_1ftuavc.png) 2. In the top left of the PDF viewer, click the **search icon** (magnifying glass). ![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/1/2/5/2/12522a019f980500/screenshot-2026-06-11-at-15152_1j93mzj.png) 3. Type your term — matches are highlighted in the PDF and the arrow buttons jump you from one to the next. ![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/1/2/5/2/12522a019f980500/screenshot-2026-06-11-at-15171_lkqh90.png) ## Common questions **Does full-text search work on scanned contracts?** Yes. ContractHero runs **OCR** to turn scanned PDFs into machine-readable text. With very poor scan quality or handwritten notes, recognition can be incomplete. **Which languages are covered?** Text recognition covers a broad range of languages — see the OCR language pack article for the specifics of what your account recognises. **How fast is it?** Effectively real time. Even across several thousand contracts, results usually appear in under two seconds. **Do my permissions apply to full-text search?** Yes. You only see hits in contracts your role gives you access to — search does not bypass category or team restrictions. **Can I search for clauses or phrases?** Yes. Type the phrase and ContractHero looks for it as a connected occurrence. For multi-part clauses, quotation marks help enforce the word order. **I found a term that isn't stored in any field — now what?** Full-text search shows you the passage in the PDF. From there you can take the value into a structured field — see how contract analysis works, in the related articles below. **Why am I getting no results?** Full-text search matches text, not meaning. Check the spelling and the exact character sequence — the term has to match what's written in the document, otherwise you'll get the wrong results or none at all. ## Good to know * **“List” vs “Text”:** List searches contract titles and master data only — fast, and right when you know the contract name. Text searches the entire document body — unbeatable when all you remember is a fragment of a clause. * **The magnifying glass does more than search.** It highlights matches in colour inside the PDF, which helps when you need to see exactly where a clause sits. * **Full-text search and AI analysis are complements.** The AI extracts structured fields; full-text search finds everything in between. * **Combine with saved views.** If you search for the same terms regularly, save a custom view with the right filters and run full-text search on top of it. ## Related articles * [How does contract analysis work?](https://support.contracthero.com/en-us/article/how-does-contract-analysis-work-xuoo2i/) * [How can I create a custom view?](https://support.contracthero.com/en-us/article/how-can-i-create-a-custom-view-1l7juwg/) * [How can I edit Contracts?](https://support.contracthero.com/en-us/article/how-can-i-edit-contracts-pzlqcp/) * [How can contracts be uploaded in the system?](https://support.contracthero.com/en-us/article/how-can-contracts-be-uploaded-in-the-system-170nms9/)