Quick ways to find words on webpages, PDFs, emails, notes, and more

Good news: your iPhone can do the same kind of word-find you know from Ctrl+F on a computer. You’ll use Find on Page (in browsers) or each app’s Search/Find feature. Here’s the fastest way in every common place.

On a webpage (Safari)

Method A — Address bar shortcut (fastest):

  1. Open the page in Safari.
  2. Tap the address/search bar at the bottom/top.
  3. Type the word/phrase.
  4. Scroll to the section labeled On This Page and tap Find “your term”.
  5. Use the up/down arrows to jump between matches; tap Done to exit.

Method B — Menu path:

  1. Tap the Share button (square with arrow).
  2. Tap Find on Page.
  3. Type your term and use the arrows to move through matches.

On a webpage (Google Chrome)

  1. Tap the ⋮ (three dots) menu.
  2. Choose Find in Page.
  3. Type your term; use the arrows to navigate matches.

In a PDF (Books, Files, or other readers)

If the PDF is open in Apple Books:

  1. Tap the magnifying glass icon.
  2. Enter your word/phrase and tap a result.

If the PDF is in Files or another app:

  • Look for a magnifying glass or search field in the viewer.
  • If you don’t see one, tap the Share button and choose Open in Books or another PDF app, then use that app’s Search.

In Notes

Search across all notes:

  1. Open Notes.
  2. Pull down in the notes list to reveal the Search bar.
  3. Type your word/phrase to see matching notes.

Find within a single note:

  1. Open the note.
  2. Tap the ⋯ (three dots) at the top.
  3. Tap Find in Note, then use the arrows to jump between matches.

In Mail

Search all mailboxes:

  1. Open Mail.
  2. Pull down to reveal the Search bar at the top.
  3. Type your word; filter by From/To/Subject/Attachments if offered.

Search within one message (inline viewer):

  • Many long emails can be searched via the Reply/Forward actions menu or a magnifying glass icon if shown by your iOS version. If not present, copy the text into Notes or Books and use Find there.

In Messages

  1. Open Messages.
  2. Swipe down to reveal Search.
  3. Type your word or phrase; tap a thread result to jump in.

In Photos (for text inside pictures)

iPhone can search text that appears in images (Live Text).

  1. Open Photos and use the Search tab.
  2. Type the word (e.g., a sign’s text).
  3. Tap a matching photo; use the Live Text button to highlight and copy.

In Files

  1. Open Files.
  2. Use the Search bar at the top to find filenames or, in many cases, text inside documents (depends on file type).
  3. For precise in-document matches, open the file and use that app’s Find.

Pro tips for better results

  • Try singular/plural and synonyms: “policy” vs “policies,” “receipt” vs “invoice.”
  • Skip punctuation: Mobile find usually ignores it.
  • Exact phrases: Put the phrase in one go; mobile find doesn’t use quotation marks like desktop, but entering the whole phrase narrows hits.
  • Case sensitivity: iOS find is not case-sensitive, so “Apple” and “apple” match.
  • No results? Refresh the page or scroll a bit first; some content loads as you move.

Tiny cheat sheet

  • Safari: Address bar → On This Page → Find
  • Chrome: ⋮ → Find in Page
  • PDF: Search/magnifying glass (Books/reader app)
  • Notes: ⋯ → Find in Note (or search all notes)
  • Mail: Pull down → Search (or use message actions if available)
  • Messages: Pull down → Search
  • Files: Search (then open file and use that app’s Find)

That’s your iPhone “Ctrl-F” toolkit—quick, simple, and everywhere you need it.