How to Find Keywords in a Document on Mac

Finding keywords in a document on your Mac is a simple yet powerful way to enhance productivity, whether you're editing, researching, or analyzing text. macOS offers several built-in tools to help you locate specific words or phrases quickly. Here’s how to do it.

Using Spotlight Search

Spotlight is macOS’s built-in search tool that can help you find keywords across documents. Press Command + Space to open Spotlight, type your keyword, and browse the results. This works for files stored locally on your Mac.

Searching in Preview

If you're viewing a PDF or image with text in Preview, use the search function by pressing Command + F. Enter your keyword, and Preview will highlight all instances in the document.

Finding Keywords in TextEdit

For plain text or rich text documents in TextEdit, press Command + F to open the search bar. Type your keyword, and TextEdit will highlight matches as you type.

Using the Find Feature in Pages

In Apple’s Pages app, press Command + F to search for keywords. You can also use advanced options like Match Case or Whole Words for precise results.

Third-Party Apps for Advanced Searches

For more advanced keyword searches, consider apps like Alfred or DEVONthink, which offer powerful indexing and search capabilities for large document collections.

By mastering these tools, you can efficiently find keywords in any document on your Mac, saving time and improving your workflow.