Below is a brief description of what every Google search operator does.
I’ve grouped them into three categories:
Here’s the full list:
| Search operator | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
“ ” |
Search for results that mention a word or phrase. | “steve jobs” |
OR |
Search for results related to X orY. | jobs ORgates |
| |
Same as OR: |
jobs |gates |
AND |
Search for results related to X andY. | jobs ANDgates |
- |
Search for results that don’t mention a word or phrase. | jobs -apple |
* |
Wildcard matching any word or phrase. | steve *apple |
( ) |
Group multiple searches. | (ipad OR iphone) apple |
define: |
Search for the definition of a word or phrase. | define:entrepreneur |
cache: |
Find the most recent cache of a webpage. | cache:apple.com |
filetype: |
Search for particular types of files (e.g., PDF). | apple filetype:pdf |
ext: |
Same as filetype: |
apple ext:pdf |
site: |
Search for results from a particular website. | site:apple.com |
related: |
Search for sites related to a given domain. | related:apple.com |
intitle: |
Search for pages with a particular word in the titletag. | intitle:apple |
allintitle: |
Search for pages with multiple words in the titletag. | allintitle:apple iphone |
inurl: |
Search for pages with a particular word in theURL. | inurl:apple |
allinurl: |
Search for pages with multiple words in theURL. | allinurl:apple iphone |
intext: |
Search for pages with a particular word in their content. | intext:apple iphone |
allintext: |
Search for pages with multiple words in their content. | allintext:apple iphone |
weather: |
Search for the weather in a location. | weather:san francisco |
stocks: |
Search for stock information for a ticker. | stocks:aapl |
map: |
Force Google to show map results. | map:silicon valley |
movie: |
Search for information about amovie. | movie:steve jobs |
in |
Convert one unit to another. | $329 inGBP |
source: |
Search for results from a particular source in Google News. | apple source:the_verge |
before: |
Search for results from before a particular date. | apple before:2007-06-29 |
after: |
Search for results from after a particular date. | apple after:2007-06-29 |