YKYH Picks
☰ Menu
CLI Open source 125 installs/mo

pdfgrep for Mac

Search PDFs for strings matching a regular expression

Quick answer: pdfgrep is a command-line tool for macOS. Install it with brew install pdfgrep. It is distributed under the GPL-2.0-or-later licence. It has 125 Homebrew installs in the last 30 days.

What pdfgrep is

pdfgrep is a command-line tool for macOS: search PDFs for strings matching a regular expression.

It is distributed as a Homebrew formula, which builds or pours a binary and puts it on your PATH. It is distributed under the GPL-2.0-or-later licence.

How to install pdfgrep

  1. Open Terminal (press ⌘ + Space and type “Terminal”).
  2. If Homebrew is not installed yet, run the installer below once.
  3. Run brew install pdfgrep.

Homebrew installer, if you need it:

Prefer a graphical installer? Download it from the official site. MacPicks never hosts or mirrors binaries — the Homebrew command always pulls from the vendor's own release.

Similar apps in Command-Line Tools

Closest apps in the same category, ordered by description similarity and install base. These are related tools, not confirmed substitutes; the comparison pages cover hand-picked head-to-head matchups.

Frequently asked questions

How do I install pdfgrep on Mac?

Run brew install pdfgrep in Terminal. This requires Homebrew; if you do not have it, install it first with the command below.

Is pdfgrep open source?

Yes — Homebrew distributes it under the GPL-2.0-or-later licence.

Does pdfgrep run on Apple silicon?

Homebrew publishes this formula for macOS. If upstream does not ship an Apple silicon build, Rosetta 2 handles the Intel binary.

How popular is pdfgrep?

It was installed 125 times in the last 30 days according to Homebrew analytics, ranking #3103 in this catalogue.

What version of pdfgrep is current?

The latest packaged version is 2.2.0.