How to Search for Words on a Page

Contents

1. Introduction
2. Search a Web Page with Google Chrome
3. Google Chrome Advanced Search
4. Search a Web Page with Microsoft Edge
5. Search a Web Page on Mac with Safari
6. Search a Web Page with Mozilla Firefox
7. Search a Web Page with Vivaldi on Linux
8. Search a Web Page on an Android Phone or Tablet with Google Chrome
9. Search a Web Page on iPhone and iPad Devices with Safari
10. Conclusion

 

 

1. Introduction

 

This is a complete guide to searching for words on a web page in 2024.

 

If you want to know how to:

  • Search any web page on a desktop computer using Chrome, Firefox, Opera, or other browsers.
  • Search a web page on an Android, iPhone, or iPad device.
  • Search for words on all open tabs in a browser.
  • Search an entire website online or offline.

 

Then, you will learn everything you need from this guide.

 

If you want to search for text in files on your computer, see our article How to Search Files in Windows.

 

 

2. Search a Web Page with Google Chrome

Google Chrome is a free web browser created by Google developers in 2008. For the next 14 years, it gained tremendous popularity and is currently the most-used browser in the world. According to Stat Counter, in 2022, Chrome is used by more than 67% of desktop browser users, followed by Microsoft Edge (11%), Safari (9%), and Firefox (7%).

 

To find a specific keyword on a single webpage on Chrome:
 

1. Press Ctrl+F for Windows or ⌘+F for Mac to open the search field, which will appear in the upper right corner.

 

2. Type your search terms in the search field.

 

Chrome search page type search terms

 

 

3. Navigate through the highlighted results using the arrows to the right.

 

Chrome navigate in search results

 

 

The browser highlights the matching words as you type, and the scrollbar marking appears.

 

Chrome highlight search words and scrollbar

 

 

The scrollbar marking is a helpful feature of Chrome and many other browsers - it shows two thin lines on the scrollbar wherever a word is found so that you can quickly scroll to the corresponding section of the page.

 

Along with its valuable capabilities for searching a web page, the Google Chrome browser also has some disadvantages:

  • There are no additional search settings like "Match Case" and "Whole Words."
  • There is no built-in Advanced Search option.
  • It cannot search in all open tabs.

 

 

3. Google Chrome Advanced Search

 

Although Chrome does not have a built-in Advanced Search, many good extensions exist for this purpose. They offer advanced methods for searching, such as:

  • Searching for multiple words.
  • Case sensitivity.
  • Regular expressions.

 

An excellent example is the Multi Search & Multi Jump extension. Unlike the Find option, it allows you to search for multiple keywords and easily navigate through the search results for each of them.

 

To search for multiple words with this extension, follow the steps below:

 

1. Add the extension to Chrome.

 

Chrome Advanced Search add Multi Search and Multi Jump extension

 

 

2. Press Ctrl+Shift+F (⌘+Shift+F for Mac) to open the extension.

 

Chrome Advanced Search open Multi Search and Multi Jump extension

 

 

3. Click on the "multi" option to separate each word.

 

Chrome Advanced Search Multi Search and Multi Jump options

 

 

4. Click on the "?" button to show the menu, and choose a "multiword separator" - the character you like to use to divide the keywords, in my example, "+."

 

Chrome Advanced Search choose word separator

 

 

5. Type your keywords and press "Enter" ("Return" for Mac).

 

Chrome Advanced Search make the search

 

 

In our instance, if you search for "marketing strategy," you will find nothing. However, if you search for "marketing + strategy," you will find all the keywords.

 

You can navigate through the found words using the F1-F12 keys. For example, with the F1 key, you navigate to the first keyword match, with the F2 key to the second keyword match, and so on.

 

If you want to search with more options and specifics, you can also use regular expressions with this extension.

 

Let's take a look at the pros and cons of this extension.

 

Pros

  • It allows you to search for multiple words and phrases.
  • Case-sensitive or insensitive search is possible.
  • The tool includes the search history in the combo box.
  • Supports Regular expressions search.

 

Cons

  • The tool does not have a "Whole words" option.
  • No scrollbar marking.
  • Cannot filter sentences containing all searched words.

 

 

4. Search a Web Page with Microsoft Edge

 

Microsoft Edge is the successor to the previously popular Internet Explorer browser. Edge is a cross-platform browser created by Microsoft in 2015 and supports all modern versions of Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. In terms of popularity, Edge is second in the world after Google Chrome.

 

Basically, the search function in Edge is not different from that of Google Chrome.

 

An exciting and valuable addition to the search capabilities of Edge is its ability to search an entire site using Bing easily.

 

To search an entire website with Microsoft Edge, do the following:
 

1. Click on the magnifying glass icon in the top right corner of the browser.

 

Microsoft Edge open search window

 

 

2. Click on "This site."

 

Microsoft Edge choose to search current site

 

 

3. Type your search words and press "Enter."

 

Microsoft Edge type search words

 

 

 

You will see the search results provided by Bing for the website that is currently open.

 

Later in this article, you can read more about searching an entire website online or offline.

 

 

5. Search a Web Page on Mac with Safari

 

Safari is the primary desktop web browser on the Mac. It is an integral part of the operating system, which is one of the reasons why it is the most popular among Apple users.

 

Searching a web page with Safari is similar to other browsers and is pretty straightforward:
 

1. Open the webpage that you want to search in.
 
2. Press ⌘+F to open the search bar.
 
3. From the options box, choose "Contains" if you want to have matches in the middle of words, or leave the default option "Begins with" to search only words beginning with your search term.

 

Safari choose search options

 

 

4. Type your searched keywords and press "Return."

 

Safari type search words

 

 

5. Navigate through the results with the arrow buttons to the right of the Search field.

 

Safari navigate in search results

 

 

 

Pros

  • There is an additional option for searching in the middle of the words.

 

Cons

  • There is no scrollbar marking.
  • There are no "Match Case" and "Whole Words" options.
  • Lack of Advanced search.

 

In addition, if you need to search for text on your computer, take advantage of our helpful article on how to search on Mac.

 

 

6. Search a Web Page with Mozilla Firefox

 

Mozilla Firefox is the fourth most popular desktop web browser in the world. Created in 2002, it is one of the oldest free browsers.

 

To search a web page with Firefox:
 

1. Press Ctrl+F (Windows) or ⌘+F (Mac) to open the search bar. It will appear at the bottom of the screen.

 

Firefox open search bar

 

 

2. Type the search terms. All the matches will be highlighted in purple, and the currently selected one will be in green.

 

Firefox highlight search words and scrollbar

 

 

Firefox offers some helpful search options placed to the right of the search bar:

  • "Highlight all" - highlights all matches.
  • "Match Case" - searches with case sensitivity.
  • "Match Diacritics" - distinguishes accented letters. For example, with this option enabled, if you search for "rГ©sumГ©," it will not find "resume," whereas it otherwise would consider this a match.
  • Search whole words only.

 

 

7. Search a Web Page with Vivaldi on Linux

 

Vivaldi is one of the most recently developed cross-platform browsers, created in 2015 by the Norwegian company Vivaldi Technologies. According to some sources, Vivaldi is now the most popular browser for Linux users.

 

Searching a web page with Vivaldi is quite similar to doing so on Google Chrome:
 
1. Press Ctrl+F for Windows or ⌘+F for Mac to open the search field.
 
2. Type the searched words in the search field.
 
3. Navigate through the highlighted results using the arrows or keyboard shortcuts - F3 to move to the next result or Shift+F3 to move to the previous result.

 

Search web page with Vivaldi on Linux

 

 

In addition, you have an option for case-sensitive searches.

 

Pros

  • "Match case" option.
  • Scrollbar marking.

 

Cons

  • There is no "Whole Words" setting.
  • There is no Advanced Search option.

 

 

8. Search a Web Page on an Android Phone or Tablet with Google Chrome

 

Android is the most popular operating system for mobile phones and tablets, and according to Statista, it is used by 72% of all users. It was developed in 2007 by Google developers and is based on the Linux operating system.

 

Regarding Android browsers, the most popular is Google Chrome, which is used by over 90% of Android users.

 

You can search for text on a web page using Chrome on Android by following these steps:
 
1. Click on the three dots menu on the top right of the browser.

 

Android open search menu

 

 

2. From the drop-down menu, choose "Find in page."

 

Android choose Find in page

 

 

3. Type your search term.

 

Android type search terms

 

 

4. Navigate the results using the arrows next to the search field. Each result will be highlighted, and you can see each result marked on the scrollbar to the right.

 

Pros

  • It highlights all matches.
  • Convenient scrollbar marking for navigation in the search results.

 

Cons

  • The search function is not readily available (multiple clicks are needed).
  • Advanced search is only possible if you use some extension.
  • Tere are no additional search options.

 

 

9. Search a Web Page on iPhone and iPad Devices with Safari

 

The iOS operating system was developed in 2007 by Apple and is used on iPhone, iPad, and other devices. The most used browser on iOS is the mobile Safari browser.

 

Searching a web page with Safari on iOS devices is almost the same as searching on Android with Chrome:
 
1. Click on the Share button. Depending on the screen width, it is situated either to the right of the address field or at the bottom of the screen.

 

iPhone click Share button to open search menu

 

 

2. From the drop-down menu, choose "Find on page."

 

iPhone choose Find in page

 

 

3. Type your search terms.

 

iPhone type search terms

 

 

4. Navigate through the results with the arrows.

 

iPhone navigate in the search results

 

 

5. Click on "Done" to hide the search bar.

 

Pros

  • Highlights all matches.

 

Cons

  • No scrollbar marking.
  • No Advanced search.
  • Lack of additional search options.

 

 

 

10. Conclusion

 

In this article, I have covered as thoroughly as possible all aspects and options of searching a web page for words, as well as searching an entire website. If you find it useful, you can easily share it on social media using the buttons to the right so others can benefit from it too.

 

If you have any questions or notes, do not hesitate to post a comment in the section below!

 

About the author
Borets Stamenov
Borets is a specialist in electronics and software technologies from Sofia, Bulgaria. In his articles, he tries to explain as synthesized as possible the most helpful things in using software tools.
2 comments

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *