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filmbuff

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 5, 2011
968
364
Every. single. time. I try to search a large .pdf on my 2018 quad core i5 MBP it freezes. Is this better on the new M1s? I have to do this quite a bit and I usually end up having to open the PDF in a different program like Chrome to get it to work. In Preview I can't even finish typing my search term before it tries to search, comes up with thousands of results on the first letter, and immediately freezes. Will the new blazing fast Apple processors make a difference?
 
Can you define large?

I work with 1000+ page PDFs all the time and I'm routinely "Control-F"-ing around in them without any issues on my M2 MacBook Air - but then again I've had the same workflow for more than 5 years and I never had an issue on my pre-Apple Silicon MBP either, which goes against your current experience; so YMMV?

I think there's a lot of variability in files that claim to confirm to PDF standard - perhaps your files are just screwy?
 
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Or maybe do you have an example file that you can share? Then you can get the most realistic responses for your specific need. Personally haven't had issues with Preview on any Mac I own.
 
I think there's a lot of variability in files that claim to confirm to PDF standard - perhaps your files are just screwy?
Highly likely. They are 2200+ pages with hundreds of hyperlinks. I don't have any control over that though.
 
I think when you actually use the M1 or M2 chips in your workflow, you’ll see why everyone loves them. There is a specific speed and smoothness to them that benchmark numbers can never capture. It’s life changing, really.
 
I'm of the opinion that it's not your Mac, it's something with that PDF and maybe the way Preview handles that PDF. As @JPack suggested, try opening it with Acrobat Reader instead. Any Mac made in 2018 should be plenty capable of handling a large PDF file (though a 2000+ page PDF might be outside of normal limits).

If your current MBP struggles with it, I'd expect an M1/M2 to handle it better, but it still wouldn't breeze through it because it's likely not just a horsepower issue.
 
Is this a non-confidential pdf that you could share a dropbox/icloud link to the file that we could try it? I have an M1 Pro Max 64GB that I would be happy to test it for you.
 
Is this a non-confidential pdf that you could share a dropbox/icloud link to the file that we could try it? I have an M1 Pro Max 64GB that I would be happy to test it for you.
I can't send it unfortunately. I decided to order the new M2 MBP so I'll find out in a few weeks if it works!
 
I don't think this has to do with the computer you're using. You haven't updated to the latest OS, have you? There were some Preview search bugs a while ago.
 
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