I am the opposite of computer savvy. So you guys all probably know this. But Ctrl-F is my new best friend on the keyboard.
Say you are doing a google search for, oh… Pumpkin Patches. This site comes up first. You need to find a pumpkin patch in your state. Let’s say you live in Georgia.
Find the little key that says “Ctrl” – it’s in the bottom left hand corner.
Find the “F” key. The “F” key has a bump on it. Close your eyes. Grope.
Now hold down the “Ctrl” key and the “F” key AT THE SAME TIME.
Did you see that? A little search bar just popped up at the bottom of your screen.
You did that! Yes, you! The power.
Now type in “Georgia”.
Did you see the screen jump to where the first occurrence of the word “Georgia” appeared? And “Georgia” is now highlighted. For easy viewing. Now click on it.
You’re from Atlanta. Type “Atlanta” into your nifty search bar. Click on “Atlanta and surrounding counties.”
This is where Ctrl-F really comes in handy. Type “Alpharetta”. The page will automatically scroll to the first sighting of the word “Alpharetta”. That patch doesn’t sound like fun? Click “Next” on your search bar. It will take you to the next pumpkin patch in Alpharetta.
You now control the technology! Never search for things again! Works for me!
Note: Does not work on remote controls or your husband’s glasses. This is strictly a computer search, people.
Want another test? Just dying to try this trick again? Okay! Type in “Squirrel” Yep, right here on this page. You should have just found my “No, Squirrel, NO!” post. Wait, no. You’ll need to click “next,” won’t you. Twice. Then you’ll find the post. Read it. It’s funny.
Cool! Thanks!
I am amazed at my new found abilities!!
very cool!
Blessings,
Karla
I just learned about control + F last week, but didn’t realize the full capabilities. Too bad about the husband’s glasses, though!
TM
you crack me up.
Oh cool- i always use “edit” “find” – this is quicker
Genius!
Hehe thanks for finding pumpkin patches for me. And when did you move to Georgia?! I want to see you!!
What a cool tip! I am always looking for ways to speed things up. Thanks for sharing!
This is a really cool tip. I’m quite computer savy and even this is a new tip. I’m a firm believer in Ctrl – any key if it will make something simpler for me. Thanks for posting this tip. Ta for now dahling!
Thank you, thank you, thank you – I needed to know this for my job, because I do a lot of internet searches. Just last week I was wondering why nothing you “googled” was highlighted on a page – now I know!
Found your blog via WFMW. Glad I did.
Bethie,
The j key has a bump on it, too!! Just thought you’d like to know in case you need to find the f in the dark some day.
Loved your little pumpkin story yesterday. I made a little booklet out of it for Benjamin and Olivia. It’s in the mail today…enjoy.
Love you.
That is too funny! Thanks for teaching me somthing new today! lol.
Ashley
I have to admit as someone with a degree in computer science I used to think “this is why the home computer was a bad idea”.
Now I’m just so happy that people are learning how to use their computer software more efficiently and effectively. Good for you!
Some other interesting shortcuts, just in case you didn’t know about them:
Ctrl-A – select all, as in select all text in this window
Ctrl-C – copy what I have selected
Ctrl-V – paste what is in my clipboard, what I did Ctrl-C on.
works on a mac too, just tried it, but it’s APPLE – F AWESOME! Thanks!
The funny thing about this is I have used this search method for years in the program I use for work, but just a couple of months ago I realized it works everywhere, so now I use it all the time, not just when I’m working.
That is so cool! I enjoy the computer although I’m not terribly tech-y. I always love learning something new.
That is so cool! I will use that alot!
I am pretty computer saavy and I did not know about this neat trick. Thank you so much for the tip!
In firefox, if you go to tools -> options (edit->preferences on linux/mac) -> advanced then check the “search for text when I start typing” then you don’t even have to use ctrl-f. It searches automatically. So say you want to search for squirrel, well you just start typing ‘squirrel’. You can also hit f3 to advance to the next found item.
PS, a bonus to having it set automatically is that the search thing closes automajically when you click on the page or on a link. That way you don’t have to click the little ‘x’ or hit ‘esc’ when you are done with your search.
PSS, F3 will bring up the search bar just like ctrl-f does.
PSSS, ctrl-f and F3 work the same way in both Opera and IE, it’s just that it’s not a toolbar, but rather a little window that pops up, which is much less useful.