How to Do a Control-F Search on iPhone

The essential keyboard shortcut Control-F (Windows), or Command-F(macOS) allows you to quickly find specific words and phrases within a webpage or document. Have you ever wondered whether you could use the Control-F shortcut to search on your iPhone or iPad? The answer is yes. There are many ways to do a Control-F or Ctrl+F search on your iPhone. Let me tell you how this productivity-centric hack works.

How to use Control-F on iPhone or iPad (2021).

First, the iPhone does not have a Ctrl+F/ Cmd+F keyboard shortcut. How do you search for specific words/ phrases within a webpage or document? It’s very simple. To search for text, you will need to use integrated search tools.

Some apps have a dedicated search bar that allows you to instantly find specific words. Others use a Control-F-like function to make it easier to find certain text. Spotlight Search allows you to perform quick searches across the entire system on your iPhone and iPad. It shouldn’t take long to find certain words or do Control-F on your iPhone.

How to search for specific words in Safari Webpages on iPhone

1. Open Safari on your iPhone, and go to the webpage where you want to search for a keyword or phrase.
2. Now, enter the keyword you want to search in the search bar. Scroll down until you find the “On This Page”, option. Tap the Find [search term] option.
3. You can scroll to the bottom of your screen and view how many times that word appears on the webpage. To find every instance of the word, you can now use the down and up arrows at the bottom of your screen. After you’re done with the Control-F search tap the Done button on the bottom left corner of your iPhone’s display.

How to search for specific words in Chrome Webpages on iPhone

1. Start Google Chrome with your iPhone or iPad. Navigate to the page where you want to search for a particular word.
2. Next, tap the three dots icon in the lower right corner. Scroll down to the Page option in the context menu.
3. Next, type the phrase or word into the search bar. Hit the up/down arrow to locate every instance of that word. When you’re done with your search, tap Done at the top right.

How to use the Share Button in Safari/ Chrome for Control-F Search

You can also use the familiar share button to find certain words in Safari or Google Chrome. You can tap the share button to get a familiar option.

1. Open Safari on your iPhone or Chrome and go to a website where you can perform the Control-F operation.
2. Tap the Share icon. Scroll down and choose the “Find in Page” option in Safari or Chrome.
3. Next, type the search keyword. Then use the up/down arrow for each instance of the highlighted words on the webpage. Once you’ve found the phrase or word you are looking for, click Done to close.

How to find specific words in the Notes app on iPhone and iPad

1. Open the Notifications app, which now supports tags, and then open the note in which you want to search for a particular word or phrase.
2. Tap the menu icon in the upper right corner. Now choose the Find In Note option.
3. Next, use the down/ up arrow for every instance of a particular word in your note. Once you’re done searching, tap Done.

How to do Control-F Search in Files app on iPhone and iPad

It is easy to search for a particular word in the Files app on iOS devices. The top of the page has a dedicated search bar. Enter the text that you wish to search, then hit the search button. The Files app will display all files, including images and documents, as well as folders with the search keyword.

How to use Control-F in the Apple Messages app on iPhone

Apple’s native Messages app has a search bar at its top that allows you to track down messages containing a specific keyword in all your conversations. To search for any phrase or word in the iMessage app, swipe down to the top to access the search bar, enter the text, and hit Search on your keyboard.

How to use Control-F in the Photos App on iPhone or iPad

Apple has integrated Spotlight with iOS15 and iOS15. Spotlight now allows you to search for images on your iPhone and iPad using specific scenes, people, places, pets, plants, etc.

To open Spotlight, swipe down to the middle of your display (when viewing the home screen). To begin, type the text/image type you want in the search bar at the top. The spotlight will now display relevant results based on your query.

How to control-F in Google Docs App for iPhone and iPad

1. Open the Google Docs app from your phone and search for the document that you are interested in.
2. At the top right corner, tap the search icon (magnifying glasses). Then type the word you wish to search. Google Docs will highlight every instance of the word, and show how many times it appears in the document. To quickly navigate the document, you can use the forward/backward arrow buttons.

How to control F in PowerPoint for iPhone and iPad

1. Open the Microsoft PowerPoint App on the device. Tap the search icon (magnifying glasses) in the upper right corner.
2. Now, type a phrase or word into the search bar at the top and hit the Search key on the keyboard. To access more advanced search options, tap on the gear icon left of the search box to select the desired option such as Match Case and Whole Words.

To find text, use Control-F Search for iPhone

Here you are! These are all the options available to perform a Control/ Command/F search on an iPhone. Apps on iPhone include a search bar with handy search tools and a dedicated search bar. This makes it simple to locate every word or phrase in a webpage or document. Spotlight search is smarter and can be used to find almost any item on iOS or iPadOS 15. Are you still having trouble with the Control-F feature of the iPhone? We will be happy to assist you if you have any questions.