How to Control F on an iPhone

The Control-F action is a keyboard shortcut that enables you to quickly scan web pages and documents for specific keywords or phrases. While it’s handy, the shortcut is, unfortunately, unavailable for iPhone users. However, the good news is that there are still ways you can perform a similar action and search for keywords using your iPhone.

This guide will explain how to perform the Control-F function on your iPhone so that you can easily scan apps like Google Docs, Google Slides, Adobe Reader, Notes, and Files.

How to Control F on an iPhone

There is no traditional find function on an iPhone. Your PC will allow you to use the “CTRL+F” command, but the smartphone offers no search tab to filter out results. However, there are options you can use to find the words you’re searching for.

Using Safari Browser

The first method you can try is executing the “Find” command to locate terms on web pages in the Safari browser. Here’s how to do it:

1. Enter the Safari browser and open the website you want to scan.
   
2. Click the icon that has a box with an arrow icon on the bottom of the page.
3. Select “Find on Page.”
   
4. Click the up-and-down arrows to view each occurrence of the search word on the page.
   

This won’t highlight the word on the page, so you’ll need to use the arrow controls to navigate to each place it appears.

Using Google Chrome

Safari isn’t the only browser you can use to search through websites. Google Chrome is another option for finding keywords, although you’ll need to open a hidden menu within the browser.

 To perform the Control-F function on Chrome:

1. Open the Chrome app on your device and go to the website you want.
   
2. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen. Then, find and click the three-dot icon. This is the share button that opens a hidden menu.
   
3. You’ll see a menu listing several options. Select the “Find in Page” or “Find on Page” tab from the menu.
   
4. Navigate to the top of the screen. Enter the word or phrase you’re looking for in the search bar.
   The search term will become highlighted in yellow wherever it occurs on the webpage. The search bar will also display how many times the term is used.
   
5. Use the arrows at the end of the search bar to go through the instances of the word.
   
6. Once you’ve finished your search, click “Done” at the top-right of the screen.
   

Using the Share Button on Safari and Chrome

You can use the share button to scan websites on the Safari browser and Google Chrome. Here’s how it works:

1. Enter a site through Safari or Google Chrome.
   
2. Click the “Share” button at the bottom of the screen. It resembles a box with an arrow coming out of it.
   
3. Return to the bottom of the page and choose “Find on Page” (Safari) or “Find in Page” (Google Chrome).
   
4. Type the word you’re searching for in the address bar.
   
5. You’ll see how many times the term appears. Click the arrows to visit each appearance on the web page.
   
6. When you’ve finished the search, select “Done.”
   

How to Control F on an iPhone Google Docs

Locating a word outside of a browser is a bit more complicated. There’s no way to analyze all your apps and files at once, so you’ll have to decide which app or folder to scan. If you want to perform the “Find” action in Google Docs, there’s a way to do so.

1. Launch the Google Docs app on your iPhone.
   
2. Open a specific document.
   
3. Select “More,” then choose the “Find and Replace” option.
   
4. Type the word or phrase you’re looking for in the search tab, then press “Search.”
   
5. Click on the arrows at the top of the screen to see each time the word or phrase is used.
   If you’re only interested in a particular piece of information and don’t want to make any changes to the document, select “Close,” and you’ll return to the document’s original state.
   
6. If you want to replace the word, press the “Replace with” option:
   • Choose “Replace” to change a single instance of the search term.
     
   • Choose “All” to change all the instances of the word in the text.
     

How to Control F on an iPhone Files

Thanks to the search bar at the top of the app, finding a particular word and locating specific files in the iOS Files app is not complicated.

1. Open the Files app on your iPhone.
   
2. Go to the search bar and enter the text you’re looking for.
   
3. Press the “Search” button.
   

The Files app will show all the images, documents, or folders containing the title’s search term.

How to Control F on an iPhone PDF

If you want to search a particular document for a word or phrase on your iPhone, it’s best to use Adobe Acrobat Reader.

1. Enter Adobe Acrobat Reader on your device and open the document you want.
   
2. Select the magnifying glass at the top of the screen.
   
3. Type in your search term.
   

If you don’t have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your smartphone, you could also use iBooks since the process is identical. When you open a document, click the magnifying glass to begin a search of the PDF.

How to Control F on an iPhone Google Slides

Whether you’re hurrying to read an important work presentation or trying to find information in a lengthier project, you can use your iPhone to act similar to the “Find” function on Google Slides. This way, you’ll manage to pull up all instances of your search term in a specific presentation, saving time and energy.

To do so:

1. Enter the Slides app on your iPhone, then open a slideshow presentation.
   
2. At the top of the app, select the “Find” button. It’s in the shape of a magnifying lens.
   
3. Type your keyword or phrase in the search box to see where it appears in the presentations.
   
4. You can choose the “Options” button next to the search bar for more advanced search options.
   

How to Control F on iPhone Notes

iPhone allows its users to search the iOS Notes app in two ways. They can either scan the titles of the Notes for keywords or look for terms within individual note entries.

To search for the files in the app:

1. Open the Notes app on your iPhone, and find your Notes list.
   
2. Scroll to the bottom of the list until you reach the search box.
   
3. Tap the box and type in your search term.
   

You’ll then see all the Notes that contain the search term in the title. If the Note is locked, you’ll only be able to view its title, but not its contents.

To search within a note entry:

1. Open the Note file in your app.
   
2. Select the icon in the top right of the app. It resembles three horizontal dots.
   
3. Choose the “Find in Note” tab.
   
4. Enter your search word or phrase.
   

You’ll now be able to see every time the word has appeared in the Note entry.

How to Control F on an iPhone Messages

The iPhone lets users search texts in the Messages app for specific words and phrases. Here’s how it’s done:

1. Go to your home screen and open the Messages app.
   
2. Find the search bar. It’s above your most recent message.
   
3. Enter your search term in the bar.
   
4. While you’re typing, the app will display messages that include the word or phrase you’ve put in.
   
5. Select the message thread you want.
   

The app will open that conversation and highlight the search term texts.

Always in Control With an iPhone

Most people think that the “Find” shortcut is reserved only for PCs and MacBooks. However, that’s not the case. With an increasing number of users relying on their smartphones to meet their personal and professional needs, it’s essential to know how to perform actions that were once only available through a keyboard.

Hopefully, this guide has helped you better understand finding specific words on your iPhone across different applications.

Do you perform a similar function to scan your files on other devices as well? Which app on your iPhone do you search for keywords the most? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.