The iPad is an incredibly versatile device that allows you to be productive on the go. However, navigating and searching through text can be tricky without a traditional keyboard and mouse. Thankfully, there are keyboard shortcuts and gestures you can use to emulate the “Control F” find function on an iPad.
Table of Contents
Searching Within Apps and Documents
Many apps have built-in search functions to help you quickly navigate through text. Here are some of the most useful ones:
Safari and Chrome
In the Safari and Chrome browsers, simply type your search term in the address bar. Then scroll down and tap “On This Page” to highlight the matches. You can also tap the Share icon and then “Find on Page” to access search.
iBooks/PDFs
In the Books app, tap the magnifying glass icon while viewing a PDF to pull up search. Enter your text and matches will be highlighted.
Notes
Open the Notes app, tap the note you want to search within, then tap the magnifying glass icon in the top-right corner. Enter your search text and results will be highlighted.
Microsoft Office Apps
Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other Microsoft Office apps have robust search capabilities. With a document open, tap the magnifying glass icon to search within the file.
Using an External Keyboard
If you have an external Bluetooth keyboard connected to your iPad, you can use the keyboard shortcut Command + F to access search functions, just like Control F on a Windows PC.
This will work in most apps and documents that support text search. Simply press the two keys together and a search bar will appear.
Advanced Gestures
There are also some handy gestures built into iPadOS to help you quickly navigate through text:
- Two finger tap – Double tap on text with two fingers to intelligently select paragraphs, sentences, URLs, addresses, etc.
- Three finger swipe left/right – After selecting text, swipe left or right with three fingers to instantly undo/redo an action.
- Two finger pinch – Pinch two fingers together on text or images to quickly zoom in and out.
Customizing Text Replacements
You can set up custom text replacements so typing a shortcode will expand into a full word or phrase.
For example, create a replacement so “ad1” expands to your lengthy email address. This can save a lot of typing.
To set this up:
- Go to Settings > General > Keyboard
- Tap Text Replacement
- Tap the + icon to create a new replacement
Using Third Party Apps
There are also many third party iPad productivity apps that can enhance your ability to navigate and work with text. Here are some top options:
GoodNotes
This powerful note taking app has excellent PDF annotation capabilities. Easily search through textbooks, research papers, etc.
Notability
Another note taker suited for annotating PDFs and other documents. It has robust organization tools to manage notes.
Trello
Use Trello to manage notes and tasks in an easy to navigate kanban-style board. The iPad app has great text formatting and search.
Scanner Pro
Scanner Pro lets you quickly scan documents into searchable PDFs using your iPad’s camera. It has powerful OCR to identify text.
Use these pro tips to master navigating text on your iPad:
- Use the Apple Pencil to quickly select text by dragging.
- Enable full keyboard access in Settings for additional shortcuts.
- Use Siri commands like “search this document for [term]”
- Create text clips of frequently used phrases and terms.
- Use the dock on an external keyboard to quickly jump between apps.
- Use split view for side-by-side app multitasking.
With all of these tools and tips in your toolkit, you’ll be navigating text on your iPad like a pro in no time! The key is learning the various keyboard shortcuts, gestures, and search functions built into iPadOS. Combine them with powerful third party apps and you’ll fly through documents.
