When a web page is long, finding one name, ingredient or date can mean a lot of scrolling. Your browser has a built-in Find tool that looks for words on the page you already have open.
By The Tech Helper Team
This guide covers Chrome and Microsoft Edge on a computer, plus Safari on a Mac. You do not need to install an extension or pay for another app.
Start with this keyboard shortcut
- Windows computer or Chromebook: hold down Ctrl, press F, then release both keys.
- Mac: hold down Command (⌘), press F, then release both keys.
Do this while the page you want to search is open in the browser. A small Find box should appear. Type the word or short phrase you want to locate.
The plus sign in “Ctrl + F” means pressing the two keys together. You do not type a plus sign, and you do not need capital F.
Find a word in Chrome
If you prefer the mouse, open Chrome’s three-dot menu → Find and edit → Find. Enter your word in the small search box and press Enter. Chrome highlights matches on the page and shows their positions with yellow marks along the scrollbar.
For example, on a recipe page, try searching for an ingredient such as “lentils”. A short, distinctive word is easier to start with than a whole sentence you cannot quite remember.
Google documents these controls in its guide to searching within a page in Chrome.
Find a word in Microsoft Edge
Use Ctrl + F on Windows or Command + F on a Mac, then type in the Find box.
If there is more than one result, you can move to the next one with Ctrl + G on Windows or Command + G on a Mac. To go backwards through results, add Shift to that shortcut.
Microsoft lists these under “find on page” in its Edge keyboard shortcuts. You are searching within the open page, rather than starting a new internet search.
Find a word in Safari on Mac
Press Command + F and enter your word. Use the back and forward buttons beside the search field to move between matches. When finished, select Done.
In current Safari versions, you can also open the Page menu in the address field and choose Find. Apple’s Find text guide explains the controls; its keyboard shortcut guide confirms Command + F. Menu appearance can vary with your macOS version.
Try it on this page
- Open Find using the shortcut for your computer.
- Type lentils.
- Look for the highlighted example in the Chrome section above.
This small practice run is useful because you already know the word is here. Once you recognise the Find box, try the same steps on a page of your own.
If nothing is found
- Shorten your search. Try “opening” rather than “opening hours on Sundays”. The website may use different wording.
- Check the spelling. A name, hyphen or extra space can make a difference.
- Check the page. Find does not search every page on a website. You may need to open the relevant article or use the website’s own search.
- Look at how the information is displayed. Words inside a photograph or screenshot may not behave like ordinary page text. Information loaded only after opening another section may need that section opened first.
A highlighted word is a place to start reading. Check the surrounding sentence, date and headings before relying on what you find, especially with opening times or instructions.
Want to keep the page for later? See our guide to bookmarking a website.
Researched and drafted with AI assistance. Instructions checked against official Google, Microsoft and Apple documentation on 5 November 2026; not hands-on browser testing. This guide contains no affiliate links.