12 ways to search more precisely
Search features change. The first group below is documented by Google; the second consists of useful queries whose special result cards may vary by language, country and date.
Documented refinements
- Exclude a word:
jaguar speed -car. - Exact phrase:
"core web vitals". - Search a site:
robots.txt site:developers.google.com. - File type:
accessibility checklist filetype:pdf. - Before a date:
browser release before:2025-01-01. - After a date:
search documentation after:2025-01-01.
Do not insert a space between an operator and its value. Google may still broaden a query when it considers that useful, so inspect the actual snippets and pages.
Useful queries without a guaranteed operator
- Enter a calculation, for example
51*3.14. - Ask for a unit conversion:
1.35 GB in MB. - Ask for current time in a city:
time in New York. - Ask for a currency conversion and verify the rate with your bank before a transaction.
- Search an unfamiliar term together with “definition” or “what is”.
- Use two numbers separated by two periods to explore a range, but treat the result as a hint rather than a strict filter.
Removed from the old version
The tilde for synonyms, the vertical bar as a promised four-query combination, and colon forms such as define: or time: are no longer presented as guaranteed operators because current Google Help does not document them that way.
Search history and privacy
Google My Activity can help locate a previously visited result when the relevant account activity is enabled. It also contains controls for viewing and deleting stored activity; availability depends on account settings.
