why is my command f not working

Command+F not working on Mac across all applications

superuser.com › questions › 1235432 › commandf-not-working-on-mac-across-all-applications

This has been driving me nuts for months too, and today I figured out that when I press Command+F (in that order), the F key press doesn't register. However, if I flip the order by pressing F + Command, it works again. That seems to "reset" something so that I'm able to continue using Command+F for the rest of that session. I hope this helps!

Answer from user903342 on Stack Exchange

Apple Community

discussions.apple.com › thread › 8245279

Command F does not work - Apple Community

January 19, 2018 - Also, check in System Preferences, Spotlight and make sure the file type is enabled, or it wont show. Also that the location is not I the exclusion list in privacy under the Privacy Tab.

iBoysoft

iboysoft.com › home › news tips › command f not working, why & how to resolve it?

Command F Not Working, Why & How to Resolve It?

February 3, 2026 - If Command + F no longer works to find or search within any application, restart your Mac. A simple reboot will refresh your Mac and drive away the temporary system errors that lead to Command F not working, especially after a system update.

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reddit.com › r/mac › searching via 'command f' suddenly not working...

r/mac on Reddit: Searching via 'Command F' suddenly not working...

November 22, 2024 -

Non Techie here, so pretend you're answering this like you're talking to a five year old. Or a Dodo...

I have a 2020 27-inch iMac...finally upgraded a month ago or so to Sequoia 15.1.1. Everything's been going smoothly until sometime late this afternoon.

I'm an artist/photographer/writer, and if I need to find an image/document/folder, etc., I've always just hit 'command + F', typed in the image or folder name, and it appears.

Not today/tonight. I can't even "find" an image or folder that's clearly on my desktop.

Unsure of what happened, but would sincerely appreciate any tips or advice.

Thanks in advance.

Top answer

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In a pinch you can try "Command Spacebar", that should bring up Spotlight Search. I'm on Sonoma 14.7.1 and Command F still works for me.

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Are you sure you’re actually in Finder when this happens?

Super User

superuser.com › questions › 1235432 › commandf-not-working-on-mac-across-all-applications

keyboard - Command+F not working on Mac across all applications - Super User

Top answer

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This has been driving me nuts for months too, and today I figured out that when I press Command+F (in that order), the F key press doesn't register. However, if I flip the order by pressing F + Command, it works again. That seems to "reset" something so that I'm able to continue using Command+F for the rest of that session. I hope this helps!

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this is old post but it is first in the google search results by "cmd F doesn't work", so let me post a link to working solution

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5471806

TL;DR

remove ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari/Cache.db
restart in safe mode
restart again in normal mode
PROFIT

and i'm not sure about deleting file, please someone check it

reddit.com › r/arcbrowser › bug: cmd+f for searching text often not working

r/ArcBrowser on Reddit: Bug: CMD+F for searching text often not working

September 28, 2023 -

Many times the keyboard shortcut CMD+F does not work when searching for a text string.

Instead i have to click on edit -> find to get to the search box.

Anyone else encountered this issue in Arc browser under macOS?

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you need to press keys harder

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same here

Adobe Support Community

community.adobe.com › t5 › indesign-discussions › the-command-f-does-not-work › td-p › 13861683

the command+F does not work | Community

June 13, 2023 - I'm sorry to hear that you're experiencing issues with the Find/Change command in Adobe InDesign. Please try the suggestions shared by Bill, and if it still doesn't work, you can also check if the language settings of your document match the language version of InDesign you're using.

MacRumors

forums.macrumors.com › macs › macos › macos ventura (13)

Safari no longer recognizes command-option-F to start a search—is there a preference I can delete, or a setting I can change to get the function back? | MacRumors Forums

May 16, 2023 - ... you can use the accessibility keyboard to check wether the hardware key is working - it should show you wether hardware keys you press are registered. What Mac/keyboard model (cable, bluetooth, ..)? ... Click to expand... Command-F is for searching for text within a page...

Apple Community

discussions.apple.com › thread › 250019450

Command+F Stopped Working - Apple Community

... In that case it's a corrupt .plist file in your account. See if moving ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.finder.plist to the Trash then logging out then back in fixes it. It will change some of your Finder settings. If it works you can empty the Trash. If not, open the trash, right/control ...

Find elsewhere

Google Bing Mojeek

MiniTool

minitool.com › home › news › [full fix] ctrl f not working on windows 10 and windows 11

Top 4 Proven Ways to Ctrl F Not Working on Windows 10/11

November 27, 2024 - If Ctrl + F not working still persist, locate and run Command Prompt as administrator again. Type sfc / scannow and hit Enter to fix the corrupted system files. Keyboard Troubleshooter is an inbuilt tool in Windows for troubleshooting keyboard ...

Google Support

support.google.com › docs › thread › 227657103 › the-shortcut-for-command-f-to-search-within-google-sheets-is-not-working

The shortcut for Command F to search within Google Sheets is not working - Google Docs Editors Community

July 27, 2023 - Send feedback on...

Microsoft Learn

learn.microsoft.com › en-us › answers › questions › 5221815 › the-(control-f)-short-cut-function-isnt-working-ho

The (control + F) short cut function isn't working. How do I fix this? - Microsoft Q&A

March 13, 2023 - I shut my system down completely, not a restart. After that, my <ctrl+F> works!

Manjaro Linux

forum.manjaro.org › support › kde plasma

CTRL+F not working in browsers (Firefox, Chromium, Brave) - KDE Plasma - Manjaro Linux Forum

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Thank you all for kind suggestions! Finally I figured out, what was the issue. I’m using KDE and wanted to have dynamic zoom with certain key + mouse scroll, which was achieved via xbindkeys in KDE, because KDE directly does not support it (hopefully yet), besides - such dynamic zoom support with co…

AskWoody

askwoody.com › home › forums › frequently asked questions, feedback, suggestions › suggestions about improving the forum › the search function ctrl-f, or command-f (mac) not working in askwoody threads.

Topic: The search function Ctrl-F, or Command-F (Mac) not working in AskWoody threads. @ AskWoody

October 16, 2021 - In this instance I have to ask: Do you mean that my browser settings, that were never an issue before in this respect, were changed, somehow, some time ago, without my knowledge? The only changes I have made in recent times to each of the browsers has been to update them and install some of those protecting applications (Privacy badger, uBlock Origin, Tampermonkey) in Waterfox; AdBlock in both. Those applications have been installed for quite a while, I had them last year, when the search function was still working without problems.

Vivaldi

forum.vivaldi.net › topic › 88950 › ctrl-f-does-not-do-anything

Ctrl + F does not do anything | Vivaldi Forum

July 18, 2023 - If that does not help, check Extensions Manager (Ctrl+Shift+E) and check "Keyboard Shortcuts" if a extension had hijacked the Ctrl+F. _Bug hunter · Volunteer helper · Language DE,EN · ♀👵 Known as old dragon lady from Germany: Gwen / Dr.

Google Support

support.google.com › chrome › thread › 18003665 › ctrl-f-not-working-properly

CTRL + F not working properly - Google Chrome Community

Send feedback on...

Microsoft Learn

learn.microsoft.com › en-us › answers › questions › 5680191 › on-macbook-i-can-no-longer-use-the-command-f-searc

On MacBook, I can no longer use the "command F" search function. The outlook search function doesn't work at all. - Microsoft Q&A

December 24, 2025 - If you're experiencing issues with the search function in Outlook on your MacBook, particularly with the "command F" shortcut, it may be due to the Spotlight search returning results from an Outlook profile that is not set as your default.

Lifewire

lifewire.com › control-f-on-mac-6385777

How to Control F On a Mac

September 16, 2022 - ... You can't use Control + F on an iPhone, but you can use the search bar in Safari to perform a similar function. ... Go to the Apple menu > System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts and make sure that Command + F is enabled.

reddit.com › r/techsupport › some keyboard shortcuts stopped working (ctrl + f)

r/techsupport on Reddit: Some keyboard shortcuts stopped working (CTRL + F)

September 22, 2023 -

Out of the blue, CTRL + F stopped working. All other keyboard shortcuts I tried (CTRL + A, CTRL + T, CTRL + Z, CTRL + B) are working. The only one not working is CTRL + F. Any ideas how to fix this?

Top answer

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In my case, i just restarted vs code : p

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I came here for the same problem, I was scanning and trying around until I noticed my f7 key just got stuck (I spilled cola on my keyboard last week, it's sticky enough to keep keys pressed down). Smh my head, 30 mins for nothing.

The Windows Club

thewindowsclub.com › the windows club › ctrl+f does not work or bring up find on this page in windows 11

Ctrl+F does not work or bring up Find On This Page in Windows 11

It is quite possible that the relevant Active Accessibility Core Component oleacc.dll, situated in C:\Windows\System32 may have got un-registered or even corrupted. You will have to re-register this DLL file. ... Type cmd in Start Box and in the result which appears, right-click on cmd and select Run as Administrator. ... This will re-register the DLL file. Restart and check. If it still does not work, I suggest you click Start > Search Menu Bar > CMD > Right-click on the result > Run As Administrator > Type sfc /scannow > Hit Enter.

Published March 10, 2025

Apple Community

discussions.apple.com › thread › 253217118

Command + F in pages stopped working - Apple Community

October 4, 2021 - I'm glad I have nothing of value to steal on my computer. That is a terrible failure when Find doesn't even work. ... I'm having the same problem. I think it's a Pages issue as I've tried the Find function (command + F) in Acrobat Reader and it works perfectly.