How to search the contents of the current page for text or links

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  • Revision id: 145147
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  • Creator: philipp
  • Comment: update to reflect reorganized options panel for 56+
  • Reviewed: Yes
  • Reviewed:
  • Reviewed by: AliceWyman
  • Is approved? Yes
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  • Ready for localization: Yes
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  • Readied for localization by: AliceWyman
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When you are viewing a website in Firefox, you can search for words and phrases on the page. Firefox will show you where the search phrase you've typed appears next on the page, and lets you highlight all the places where it appears.

Using the Find bar

To start searching for text on a page:

  1. Open the Find bar using one of the following methods:
    • Use the Ctrlcommand+F keyboard shortcut.
    • Click on the menu button The image "new fx menu" does not exist., and then click Find.
  2. Type a search phrase into the Find Bar's Find: field. Firefox will start highlighting instances of your search phrase as you type.
    find fx29
  3. Choose from the following actions in the Find bar:
    • X: Close the find bar.
    • Next and Previous arrows: Finds each instance of the phrase you entered.
    • Highlight All: Highlight every instance of the search phrase you've entered. Click Highlight All again to turn off highlighting.
    • Match case: Make searches case sensitive. Normally if you search for search phrase, instances of Search Phrase on the page will also be found when you use the Find bar. If Match case is selected, only instances of the phrase as you've typed it will be found.
  4. If no instances of your search phrase occur on the page you're viewing, the Find: field will turn red and the message Phrase not found will appear next to it.
    notfound

To search for text on a page:

  1. Click on the menu button The image "new fx menu" does not exist., and then click Find. (Keyboard shortcut: Press Ctrlcommand+F.) A search field will appear at the bottom.
    search on page 50
  2. Type a search into the field. Firefox will automatically highlight matching searches on the page as you type.
  3. Choose from the following actions in the Find bar:
    • X: Close the find bar.
    • Next and Previous arrows: Jumps to each match on the page.
    • Highlight All: Highlight all terms that match the search you've entered. Click Highlight All again to turn off highlighting.
    • Match case: Make searches case sensitive. Normally if you search for search phrase, instances of Search Phrase on the page will also be found when you use the Find bar. If Match case is selected, only instances of the phrase as you've typed it will be found.
    • Whole Words: This highlights only entire words that match your search.
  4. Firefox will let you know when it can't find a match by showing Phrase not found.

Quick Find

The Quick Find bar is useful for quick searches and is meant to disappear after a few moments. It does not have the Next, Previous, or Highlight All buttons like the full Find bar.

Press the / key (forward slash character) to open the Quick Find bar. Then type what you would like to search for.

If you want to find phrases that occur in links on the page you're viewing:

  1. Type ' (single quote character) to bring up the Quick Find (links only) bar.
  2. Type a search phrase into the Quick Find (links only) field. The first link that contains the phrase you've typed will be selected.
  3. Press Ctrlcommand+G to highlight the next link that contains your search phrase.

To close the Quick Find bar, wait a moment then press the Esc key on the keyboard, or click somewhere in Firefox that is not part of the Quick Find bar.

Find while typing on a page

Firefox can start searching for phrases you enter without having to open the Find bar. To enable this feature:

  1. In the Menu bar at the top of the screen, click Firefox and then select Preferences or Settings, depending on your macOS version.Click the menu button Fx89menuButton and select Settings.
  2. Select the Advanced panel.
  3. Click on the General tab.
  4. Check mark Search for text when Iyou start typing.
  5. Close the Settings page. Any changes you've made will automatically be saved.
  1. In the Menu bar at the top of the screen, click Firefox and then select Preferences or Settings, depending on your macOS version.Click the menu button Fx89menuButton and select Settings.
  2. Select the General panel.
  3. Navigate to the Browsing section.
  4. Check mark Search for text when you start typing.
  5. Close the Settings page. Any changes you've made will automatically be saved.

After you enable the feature:

  1. Type a search phrase while you are viewing a website. As you type, the first instance of your phrase will be highlighted.
  2. Press Ctrlcommand+G or F3 to highlight the next instance of your search phrase.

To close the Quick Find bar, wait a few moments for it to disappear or press the Esc key on the keyboard to close it immediately. You can also click somewhere in Firefox that is not part of the Quick Find bar to close it.

Note: Since the Quick Find bar is meant to disappear after a few moments, it does not have the Next, Previous, or Highlight All commands that the full Find bar has.