The Control F or Command F keyboard shortcut is useful when you need to find something quickly on your computer. However, can you use the Control F shortcut on your iPad? It’s possible to search for specific words and terms on your iPad, you just have to do it another way.
In this article, we will show you several ways to search for keywords and files on your iPad using Control F command alternatives.
How to control F on an iPad
The Control F shortcut, or the “Ctrl + F” shortcut, is a convenient way to search for something on your computer. It’s especially useful for searching for a specific word, phrase, or number in a document or website. You can use this command in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, search engines, and PDF file readers.
When it comes to your iPad, there is no Control or Command key on your touchscreen keyboard. If you connected a keyboard, you could use the “Ctrl + F” command just as you would on your computer. Although you can’t use the Control F command on an iPad, there are other ways to search for words and phrases.
You can use these alternative methods to search for words in Google Docs, Safari, Google Chrome, iBooks, the Files app, and several other programs on your iPad.
How to Control F on an iPad Google Doc
If you have documents saved in your Google Drive account, you can view them using Google Docs. You can also search for keywords in Google Docs on your iPad. This is what you should do.
- Open the Google Docs app on your iPad.
- Locate the document in which you will search for a keyword.
- Tap the three dots in the top right corner of the screen.
- Go to the “Find and Replace” option.
- Enter your keyword in the “Search document” bar above the text.
All instances of your keyword will be colored green and you can use the up and down arrows to view each example. Google Docs also gives you the option to replace all instances of the keyword throughout the document. To do this, simply type what you want to replace the word with in the “Replace with” bar in the top right corner of the document and tap “Replace” or “All.” The great thing about Google Docs is that it automatically saves your documents, so you won’t have to save changes manually.
How to control F on an iPad PDF
If you want to search a specific keyword or phrase in a PDF file, you can use the iBooks app on your iPad to do so. iBooks, or Apple Books, is an e-book reading app for iOS devices and works with PDF files. This is where the ability to search for words, terms, names or phrases comes in really handy. You will be able to search for specific key information in documents, texts and books in PDF file format. This is what you need to do.
- Open iBooks on your iPad.
- Navigate to the PDF file you want to search.
- Go to the magnifying glass icon in the upper right corner of the screen.
- Write what you want to search in the bar.
- Tap “Search” on your keyboard.
The results will immediately appear in highlighted text and you can review them one by one. Once you’re done, simply remove the keyword from the search bar and the highlighted words will return to normal text.
How to control F on an iPad without a keyboard
When you want to search for something online, you can use the Control F command without having to type it on your iPad keyboard. This is done with the Share button in Safari and Google Chrome. Follow these steps to find out how it works.
- Open Safari on your iPad.
- Visit the website you want to search for something.
- Tap the “Share” icon in the upper right corner of the browser.
- Locate the “Search on Page” option by swiping left on the pop-up window.
- Type the keyword in the search bar.
- Tap the “Done” option next to the search bar.
The exact number of keywords will appear on the right side and you can review them by tapping the up and down arrows. This search method can be used for virtually all web pages in Safari.
If you use Google Chrome as your preferred browser, here’s how you can search for keywords on your iPad.
- Launch Google Chrome.
- Go to the website you want to search.
- Tap the “Share” icon in the upper right corner of the screen.
- Go to “Search on page.”
- Enter what you are looking for in the upper left corner.
- Select “Done.”
That’s all about it. Now you can find information and key phrases with the touch of a button. The good news is that you can do this on your iPhone too. The steps may differ slightly, but it is basically the same procedure.
How to control F on an iPad and search for files
If you want to find a specific file on your iPad, you won’t need to take any special steps. Locating files in the Files app only takes a few seconds. This is how you do it.
- Open the Files app on your iPad.
- Tap the search bar at the top of the screen.
- Enter what you are looking for.
You can find results in three folders: Recents, iCloud Drive, and Downloads. Knowing how to find a specific document or file so quickly can be really helpful, especially if there are hundreds of documents stored in the Files app on your iPad.
If you want to search for a specific application or file, you can also use the search function. This is how you do it.
- Unlock your iPad.
- Swipe down from the center of the home screen.
- Go to the search bar at the top.
- Write what you are looking for.
- Tap the app or file from the drop-down menu.
If you hide the keyboard, you’ll be able to see even more results. If you didn’t find what you were looking for, simply tap the “X” on the right side of the bar. You can also use Siri to search for files and apps; you just need to enable this feature.
Find everything you need on your iPad
Although you can’t use the Control F keyboard shortcut on your iPad, there are other ways to search for words, names, numbers, or phrases on this device. You can use these alternative methods to search for keywords in Google Docs, iBooks, Safari, Google Chrome, and the Files app. What’s more, you can also use all of these search methods on your iPhone.
