Search Text and Find on Page in Safari on iPhone & iPad

On a long Safari page on iPhone or iPad, scrolling for one phrase wastes time. Safari's in-page search highlights every match and jumps between them with arrows, but the entry moved in iOS 18.

Find on Page is now called Search Document, and it lives in the Page Menu on the left side of the address bar. Open it, then use Whole Words and Match Case to cut the results down.

In this guide, I have covered:

Where Find on Page Moved in Safari on iPhone

You’re on a long page in Safari on iPhone or iPad, hunting for one phrase, and the old Find on Page entry is nowhere in the Share sheet. Apple moved it in iOS 18. It now lives in the Page Menu button on the left side of the address bar, under the name Search Document.

To search the page you have open:

1. Launch the Safari app on your iPhone or iPad and open the page you want to search.
2. Tap the Page Menu button. On the Compact or Top address bar it sits just left of the URL field. On the Bottom address bar it sits on the left end of the toolbar.
3. Tap Search Document from the menu.
4. Type the word or phrase in the search bar that slides up from the bottom of the screen.
5. Tap the up or down arrow in that bar (or Next Result) to walk through the matches.

Every match highlights in pale yellow as you type. The current match gets a brighter yellow, so you can see at a glance where you are in the page.

Narrow the Search with Whole Words and Match Case

A search for “cat” also hits “scatter,” “category,” and “catch.” If exact capitalization matters, or you only want standalone words, narrow the search before you start scrolling. Both filters sit behind the magnifying-glass icon on the left side of the in-page search bar.

1. Tap the magnifying-glass icon next to the search field.
2. Turn on Whole Words to skip partial matches.
3. Turn on Match Case to keep only results with the exact capitalization.
4. Tap Done, then use the arrows to step through the refined matches.

Both filters stay on until you turn them off. They follow you to a new page and a new tab, so if a later search comes up empty, check these two switches first.

Change the Safari Address Bar Layout

Can’t find the Page Menu where the steps above say it should be? The button moves with your toolbar layout. Check that setting before you assume the feature is gone.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap Apps, then Safari.
3. Tap Tabs.
4. Pick Compact, Bottom, or Top. Each layout places the Page Menu button in a different spot.

Compact is a slimmer look. Bottom puts the address bar at the bottom of the screen with the Page Menu on its left. Top mirrors older iOS versions, with the address bar across the top.

The same Settings → Apps → Safari area also covers the broader Safari privacy and security settings, which can matter when a page blocks search until you allow its scripts.

If Search Document Is Missing

Search Document should be there on any normal page. When it isn’t, one of these four checks usually brings it back.

• Close and reopen the page, then check the Page Menu again. A stuck page can hide the entry.
• If the page is a PDF, swipe down on the document to open the PDF viewer’s own search bar at the top.
• Update iOS or iPadOS through Settings → General → Software Update. The Page Menu layout requires iOS 18 or later.
• Clear Safari’s stored data using the steps in our guide to clearing browsing data on Safari iPhone & iPad. Old cached files sometimes block menu items.

If the Page Menu itself is missing entirely, your installed iOS or iPadOS is older than 18. Software Update is the fix.

On Safari for Mac, the same in-page search lives under the Edit → Find submenu. The Find on Page option available in Safari on Mac guide walks through the desktop steps.

TIP: On a Mac, ⌘ + F opens that search box, and ⌘ + G jumps to the next match.

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