Command + F is a helpful shortcut to remember; it allows you to search and find a word or phrase in a document. It works just about anywhere you can find text on a Mac. [footnote]For my Windows friends, that’s Control + F.[/footnote]
Normally, when I’m trying to refer back to a website, especially one that is poorly organized, I use Command + F to find text quickly. For a long time, I didn’t think this was possible on an iPhone or iPad because, well, there isn’t a Command button.
Alas, I was sorely mistaken, and to my delight I discovered that you can search and find words on a webpage via Safari with iOS. The feature name is “On This Page” but it’s hidden better than a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.
Here’s where to find it and how to use it.
- Head to a website where you need to find something on a page.
- Once the website loads, tap the address bar.
- Type the word or phrase you’re looking for into the address bar, but don’t hit Go.
- Down at the bottom, below the suggested websites from your history, you’ll see “On This Page” with the number of matches for that word on that particular page.
- Click the word or phrase you typed below On This Page and use the arrows in the bottom left corner to skim through all the occurrences on that page.
- Revel in the glory of finding words you didn’t think you could.
Here’s a quick screencast of the feature in action.