Search this webpage or search the web?

01Choose where to search

Safari documents finding text within a page separately from using its Smart Search field. Decide whether you want something inside the document you are viewing or a different page elsewhere.

For example, an installation guide may mention several operating systems. To locate a setting described in that guide, search within the page. To look for another guide or a broader answer, use the address/search field. The same words can return different results because the search scope is different.

02Keep a useful source open

1. Choose a public documentation page and find a term below the visible area. Read the surrounding explanation, then dismiss the page’s find interface.
2. If that document cannot answer your larger question, open a separate tab or web search while keeping the source available. This gives you a route back for comparison. An unsuccessful local search does not require an immediate reload or another duplicate tab; first decide whether the page can answer the question.

03Interpret an empty result

A page may load text dynamically, put information in an image or use a different word. It may also spread instructions across several linked pages.

Try a simpler term or read the relevant headings before widening the search. No match for one query does not establish absence from the entire website. Extensions, custom bindings and focus can change which search opens, so confirm the field you are typing into rather than relying only on its magnifying-glass icon.