If you often share articles or blog posts, you’ve likely wanted to link to specific text rather than the entire page. Instead of telling someone to scroll endlessly, now you can direct them to the exact sentence or paragraph using text fragment links.
This feature is available in Safari 18.2, Chrome, and other Chromium-based browsers like Microsoft Edge, Opera, and Vivaldi. Here’s how to use it to send highlighted web links that jump to a chosen text snippet.
What Is Scroll to Text Fragment?
Scroll to Text Fragment (STTF) is a browser feature that lets you share a link that highlights and scrolls directly to selected text. Introduced by Google in 2020 for Chrome, it’s now supported across most modern browsers except Firefox (which requires an extension).
When used, the URL contains a #:~:text= hash fragment, which tells the browser which passage to highlight and scroll to on page load.
How to Link to Specific Text in Safari
Safari gained support for this feature in version 18.2. Here’s how to use it:
- Visit the webpage where the text you want to highlight appears.
- Select the desired text with your mouse or trackpad.
- Right-click (or Control-click) the highlighted text.
- Choose “Copy Link to Highlight” from the context menu.
- Paste and share the URL. When someone clicks it, the browser will scroll to and highlight the exact text you selected.
🟢 Works on:
- macOS Safari 18.2+
- iOS/iPadOS Safari (WebKit engine)
How It Looks
When the recipient opens the link:
- The browser automatically scrolls to the highlighted passage.
- The text appears with a distinct visual style, depending on the site’s CSS (if any).
- The page loads as normal, but the user’s focus lands right on your key point.
Chrome, Edge, Opera, and More
The same feature works in:
- Google Chrome
- Microsoft Edge
- Opera
- Vivaldi
You can highlight any portion of text, right-click, and choose “Copy link to highlight.” The link will be auto-generated with a visible #:~:text= component.
🔺 Note: Brave browser does not support STTF due to privacy concerns.
Firefox Users Need an Extension
Firefox does not support this feature natively. Instead, install the Link to Text Fragment extension by Thomas Steiner to unlock it.
Once installed:
- Highlight text
- Right-click and choose “Copy Link to Selected Text”
- Share the link as usual
Limitations
- PDF files do not support Scroll to Text Fragment links.
- Not all websites visually style highlighted text, so it may look subtle.
- Dynamic content (JavaScript-heavy pages) might prevent the scroll/highlight from working reliably.
Conclusion
Creating a link to specific text saves readers time and helps you make your point faster. Whether you’re referencing a fact, guiding someone through a tutorial, or quoting an important line, this simple tool can streamline your communication.
Start using “Copy Link to Highlight” in Safari, Chrome, and other browsers today to share smarter, not harder.
