How to Search for Text Within a Web Page in Safari

Don't sift through long web pages. Find specific words or phrases on a web page faster with these shortcuts for Safari on the Mac and iOS.

How to Find Text Within a Page in OS X

The Command+F keyboard shortcut for Find could be the biggest timesaving shortcut you'll ever learn. With it, you can jump to sections containing a certain word or phrase. It also works in most programs or apps, so you can use it not just for Safari, but with Word or Notes as well.

1. Press Command+F to bring up the in-page search box. Alternatively, you can go to the Edit menu > Find > Find… to bring up the search box.

2. Type in your search word or phrase and hit Enter. Safari will highlight all of the instances of the word on the page.

3. Click the left and right arrow buttons to scroll through the search results.

4. Important: If you want to broaden the search results, click the menu within the search box to switch between "Contains" and "Starts With." 

So, for example, if your search string is "light", Safari by default will search for all words that begin with "light": lighthouse, lightbulb, and so on. Switch the option to "Contains" and Safari will also find words like spotlight and sunlight.

How to Find Text Within a Page in iOS

Being able to jump to a word is especially helpful on small mobile screens or tablets.

1. Tap the share button on the page you want to search.

2. Scroll to the right in the bottom menu and tap "Find on Page."

3. Type in your search word or phrase. As you type, Safari will start highlighting search matches.

4. Use the up and down arrow buttons to scroll through the search results.