Searching for a specific word or phrase in Google Docs is an essential skill for efficiently navigating and editing documents. Here’s a guide on how to perform this task on both desktop and mobile platforms.

On Desktop:

1. Open your document in Google Docs.
2. Press `Ctrl+F` on Windows or `Command+F` on Mac to open the ‘Find and replace’ dialogue box.
3. Type the word you want to search for in the ‘Find’ field.
4. As you type, Google Docs will automatically highlight all instances of the word in the document.
5. Use the arrows in the ‘Find and replace’ box to navigate between occurrences.
6. If you want to replace the word, type the new word into the ‘Replace with’ field and click ‘Replace’ or ‘Replace all’ to update every instance.

On Mobile (Google Docs App):

1. Open your document in the Google Docs app on your mobile device.
2. Tap the three vertical dots in the upper right-hand corner of your screen.
3. Select ‘Find and replace’ from the dropdown menu.
4. Enter the word you wish to search for in the ‘Find’ bar that appears at the top of your screen.
5. The app will highlight all instances of your searched term.
6. To find subsequent occurrences of the word, use the next and previous arrows within the search bar.

Whether you’re proofreading a document, doing research, or simply trying to navigate a large text file, knowing how to quickly find words on both desktop and mobile can save you a great deal of time and effort.