2 Simple Ways to Use Control F on an iPhone

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Learn how to search text on Safari or Chrome using an iPhone

Co-authored by Luigi Oppido and Rain Kengly

Last Updated: July 28, 2024 Fact Checked

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• Using the Share Button
|
• Searching Messages

|Show more |Show less

Are you reading through a long webpage or PDF document? Similar to the control + F function on a computer (or Command F on a Mac), you can search for a word on an iPhone using the Share button. Here's how to Control F on an iPhone or iPad.

Quick Steps

1. Open a webpage in Safari or another mobile browser.
2. Tap the Share icon at the bottom.
3. Pull up the menu and tap Find on Page.
4. Enter a word or phrase into the field.
5. Tap Done when finished.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using the Share Button

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1. 
   1
   Open a webpage in Safari. You can also use another mobile browser, such as Google Chrome.

   • You can also search PDFs, but they must be open in Safari or Chrome.
2. 
   2
   Tap

   

   "Share". This will be at the top or bottom of the screen, depending on your browser.

   • A pop-up menu will open.
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3. 
   3
   Tap Find on Page. You may need to drag the menu upwards to see this option.

   • This can also look like Find in Page or similar depending on your browser.
4. 
   4
   Enter a word or phrase. Make sure to spell things correctly.

   • If needed, you can tap the magnifying glass icon and select Whole Words and/or Match Case to narrow down your search.
   • Results will load as you type.
5. 
   5
   View the results. Tap the down-arrow to go to the next result, and tap the up-arrow to go to the previous result.

   • When you're finished, tap Done to return to the webpage.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Searching Messages

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1. 
   1
   Open the Messages app. This looks like a white text bubble with a green background.

   • By default, your list of conversations will open. If you're in a conversation, tap the back arrow to return to this page.
2. 
   2
   Swipe down. This will open the search field.
3. 
   3
   Tap the search bar and enter a word or phrase. Results will load as you type.
4. 
   4
   View your results. You'll see them listed from newest to oldest.

   • If needed, tap See All to view all results containing the words or phrases.
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