You have a word in mind, but the page, PDF, or document is too long to skim. Use the built-in find tool and jump straight to each match. Start with the universal shortcut, then use the exact menu path for your browser, phone, document app, or cloud drive.
1. Start with Ctrl+F or Command+F
Press Ctrl+F on Windows, Linux, or ChromeOS, or press Command+F on Mac. Type the keyword or phrase, then press Enter or use the arrows to move through the matches on the current page.
That shortcut is the fastest fix in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari on Mac, Edge's PDF viewer, Acrobat, Word, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, Pages, OneNote, and many Windows text apps. It searches the page or file you already have open, so open the exact tab, PDF, note, or document first.
Prefer the menu? Use the browser path instead:
- Chrome desktop: open More, choose Find and edit, then click Find....
- Microsoft Edge desktop: open Settings and more, then choose Find on page.
- Firefox desktop: open the menu button, then choose Find in page....
- Safari on Mac: press Command-F to run Search the current webpage.
2. Search the page on your phone
Mobile browsers use a menu button instead of a visible find box. Open the webpage first, then use the browser's page search command.
- Chrome on Android: tap More, tap Find in page, enter the keyword, then use the arrows.
- Chrome on iPhone or iPad: tap More, tap Find in page..., enter the keyword, then use the up and down arrows.
- Firefox on Android: tap the menu button, tap Find in page, enter the word or phrase, then use the arrows.
- Firefox on iPhone or iPad: tap Page Actions, tap Find in Page, enter the word or phrase, then move through the matches.
- Safari on iPhone or iPad: tap the Page Menu button, tap the Search Document button, enter the word or phrase, then tap Next Result.
- Samsung Internet: tap More or the menu button, tap Find on page, then enter the keyword.
Skip the old Safari Share-sheet route. Apple's current iPhone and iPad instructions use Page Menu and Search Document, not Share and Find on Page.
3. Narrow messy webpage results
Short keywords create noisy matches. Firefox gives you extra controls inside the Find bar: turn on Highlight All, Match case, Match Diacritics, or Whole Words after opening Find in page.
Firefox also has quick keyboard searches. Press / while you are not typing in a text field to open Quick Find. Press ' to search links only. To make Firefox search as soon as you type, open the menu button, choose Settings, go to Tabs and browsing, then Page navigation, and check Search for text when you start typing.
In Edge, move through matches from the keyboard: Ctrl+G or Command+G jumps to the next result, and Ctrl+Shift+G or Command+Shift+G jumps to the previous result.
4. Find text inside a PDF
- 1.Open the PDF in Microsoft Edge, Adobe Acrobat, Acrobat Reader, or Preview on Mac.
- 2.Press Ctrl+F on Windows or Command+F on Mac.
- 3.Type the keyword or phrase.
- 4.Use the result controls to jump between matches.
In Acrobat, the menu route is Edit, Find, then the search word. For several PDFs, press Ctrl+F or Command+F, select the ellipsis on the Find toolbar, then choose Advanced Search. Enter the word or phrase, choose the current document or All PDF Documents in a folder, then select Search.
Preview on Mac keeps PDF search in the toolbar. Open the PDF in Preview, type the word or phrase in the search field, and resize the window when that field is hidden.
5. Locate words in documents and text files
Microsoft Word on Windows: press Ctrl+F, or select View, then Navigation Pane, and type in the search box. For advanced find and replace, select Home, then Replace, or press Ctrl+H.
Word for the web: press Ctrl+F or F3, type in Search in document, then use the filter icon for Match case or Whole words only.
Word for Mac: press Command+F, enter the text, then use Command+G for the next occurrence or Shift+Command+G for the previous occurrence.
Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides on the web: open the file, press Ctrl+F on Windows or ChromeOS, or Command+F on Mac, then type the search term. For find and replace, choose Edit, then Find and replace.
Google Docs on Android: open the document, tap More, tap Find and replace, type the word, tap Search, use the arrows, then tap Done.
Google Docs on iPhone or iPad: open the document, tap More, tap Find and replace, type the word, tap Search, use the arrows at the top, then tap Close.
Pages on Mac: press Command-F, or click the View menu button in the toolbar and choose Show Find & Replace. Use the pop-up menu next to the search field for Whole Words and Match Case.
Pages on iPhone: tap More, tap Find, then enter the word or phrase.
Pages for iCloud: click the View button, choose Show Find & Replace, or press Command-F on Mac or Control-F on Windows. In a View Only shared document, click the Find button in the toolbar.
TextEdit on Mac: choose Edit, Find, then Find, and enter the text in the search field. To search selected text, select the text first, then choose Edit, Find, and Use Selection for Find.
6. Search notes before digging through folders
For a single OneNote page, press Ctrl+F on Windows or Command+F on Mac and type the text. For every open notebook, press Ctrl+E on Windows or Command+Option+F on Mac, then type the search term.
In OneNote for the web, press Ctrl+F on PC or Control+F on Mac. You can also click the magnifying glass in the upper left next to the page list, enter a search word or phrase, press Enter, then use the arrow below the search box to choose Notebook, Section, or Page.
In Apple Notes on Mac, use the Search field to search notes. For one open note, use the app's find command inside that note.
7. Search files when you forgot the document name
Use system or cloud search when you remember a keyword but not the file that contains it. These searches look outside the open document and across a folder, drive, or cloud account.
- Windows: click Search on the taskbar and type a document name or a keyword from the document. In File Explorer, use the search box in the current folder or window.
- Mac Finder: enter a search term in the search field, press Return, click the Add button, then narrow results by criteria such as kind, date, or attribute.
- Files on iPhone or iPad: enter a filename, folder name, or document type in the search field, then tap Search. Tap Recents, a location, or a tag below the search field to focus the scope.
- iCloud Drive on the web: sign in to iCloud.com/iCloud Drive, select Recents or Browse, then enter a filename, folder name, or document type in the search field.
- OneDrive on the web: use Search everything at the top of the page to search filenames, descriptions, tags, dates, places, or file types.
- Dropbox: use the top search bar on dropbox.com, the search bar in the desktop app, or Search all Dropbox in the mobile app. Dropbox search matches name, extension, content type, folder, or editor.
For Dropbox previews, open the file on dropbox.com, click the search icon in the bottom toolbar, then type the keyword or phrase. In a full-screen preview, use Ctrl+F on Windows or Command+F on Mac.
File-content results come from indexing, file type handlers, storage location, permissions, and provider support. When system search misses a file, open the file directly and use the in-document find tool.
8. Use AI for summaries, not exact matches
AI page tools answer questions and summarize what you are viewing. Exact keyword work still belongs to Ctrl+F, Command+F, Find in page, or the app's own find box.
Chrome on supported Android devices: tap Ask Gemini, opt in when prompted, then enter a question or request in the chat box. Chrome shares the current page by default; tap Stop sharing in the text box to stop sharing the page.
Microsoft Edge with Copilot: select the Copilot icon in the Edge toolbar, then ask a question about the page or request a summary.
Safari with Apple Intelligence: open the Page Menu button, then choose Summarize on supported Mac, iPhone, or iPad devices.
Adobe Acrobat AI Assistant: open a PDF, select AI Assistant, choose a suggested question or type your question in the message field, then select Submit.
Samsung Internet with Galaxy AI Browsing Assist: open a webpage, tap the AI icon in the address bar, then select Summarize.
On managed work or school devices, organization policies control Chrome Gemini and Edge Copilot features. Use the standard find shortcut first when the AI button is missing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I search for a keyword on a page fast?
Open the page and press Ctrl+F on Windows, Linux, or ChromeOS, or Command+F on Mac. Type the keyword, then use Enter or the arrows to move through matches.
Why does find not locate text that is visible in a PDF?
The visible text is not always searchable text. Open the PDF directly in Edge, Acrobat, Acrobat Reader, or Preview and use the app's find tool; for multiple PDFs, use Acrobat Advanced Search.
What is the current Safari iPhone way to search a page?
Open the page in Safari, tap the Page Menu button, tap the Search Document button, enter the word or phrase, then tap Next Result.
How do I search across several documents at once?
Use the system or cloud search first. Windows Search, Finder, iCloud Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, and Dropbox Dash search across files; Acrobat Advanced Search handles folders of PDFs.
