Google Search Operators

Overview

Use these operators to refine search queries, filter results, and find specific information quickly. Stop guessing and start searching with precision.

Important: Use the native WebSearch tool to perform searches. Do NOT use browser automation (Playwright, navigate, browser tools) for searching.

Research Patterns by Source

Use site: to target specific platforms. Combine with other operators for precision.

Developer Communities

Code & Issues

Documentation & Learning

Academic & Research

Product & Tool Research

News & Analysis

Common Research Scenarios

“What do people think about X?”

site:news.ycombinator.com OR site:reddit.com "{tool/library}" after:2024

“How do I fix this error?”

site:stackoverflow.com OR site:github.com inurl:issues "{exact error message}"

“What are alternatives to X?”

site:alternativeto.net OR site:reddit.com "{tool}" alternatives

“Latest research on X”

site:arxiv.org "{topic}" 2024..2025

“Official documentation for X”

site:{library}.dev OR site:{library}.io OR site:docs.{library}.com {feature}

“Real-world experience with X”

site:reddit.com OR site:news.ycombinator.com "{tool}" "in production" OR "experience"

source: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ydVaJJeL1EYbWtlfj9TPfBTE5IBADkQfZrQaBZxqXGs/edit?tab=t.0

Content Operators

Target specific parts of a webpage (title, URL, text, or anchor links).

Behavior of allin... vs in... prefixes

• allin... (e.g., allintitle:): Applies to all subsequent terms in the query. Do not mix with other operators.
• in... (e.g., intitle:): Applies only to the term immediately following it.

Operators

Logic & Filtering

Refine matches using logic, exclusion, and proximity.

Exact Match ("")

Forces an exact phrase match. Prevents synonym expansion (e.g., "ca" won’t match “California”).

• Syntax: "search query"
• Example: "Alexander Bell" (Excludes “Alexander G. Bell”)

Wildcard (*)

Placeholder for any unknown term (up to 5 words) or URL token. Works best within quotes.

• Syntax: term * term
• Example: "Google * products" or site:www.*creative.com (matches prefixes like av-creative)

Exclusion (-)

Excludes pages containing a specific term or matching a specific operator. Place immediately before the term/operator.

• Syntax: term -exclusion
• Example: jaguar -cars -football or salsa -tomatoes

Boolean OR (OR)

Matches either term. Must be uppercase.

• Syntax: term1 OR term2
• Example: mesothelioma OR "lung disease"

Combinations

Combine operators for complex filtering.

• Syntax: term OR term -exclusion site:domain
• Example: salsa recipe -tomatoes -filetype:pdf (Salsa recipes without tomatoes, excluding PDFs)
• Example: article security -site:wikipedia.org (Security articles excluding Wikipedia)

Proximity (AROUND)

Finds terms within a specified number of words of each other. Order is not preserved.

• Syntax: term1 AROUND n term2
• Example: search AROUND 3 engine

Number Range (..)

Finds numbers in a range (prices, years, measurements).

• Syntax: number..number
• Example: DVD player $50..$100 or 1950..1960

Metadata & Source Operators

Filter by domain, file type, date, or definition.

Site (site:)

Restricts results to a specific domain or TLD.

• Syntax: site:domain.com
• Example: tax site:.hk (Hong Kong TLD)

File Type (filetype:)

Restricts results to pages ending in a specific suffix.

• Syntax: filetype:suffix query
• Example: filetype:pdf "search engine guidelines"
• Note: filetype:csv is deindexed (use Google Dataset Search). filetype:mp3 works via inurl:mp3.

Date (before: / after:)

Finds results published before or after a date (YYYY-MM-DD). Defaults to Jan 1 if only year provided.

• Syntax: after:2020-01-01
• Example: avengers after:2020

Definition (define)

Shows the dictionary definition of a word or phrase.

• Syntax: define term
• Example: define peruse or define Hobson's choice

Special Characters

Google supports specific special characters in search:

• Symbols: $, %, #, ∞ (e.g., $50, 24%, #cute).
• Time/Verses: : (e.g., 10:27).
• Math: + at the end (e.g., C++, 40+), ½ (synonymized to 0.5).
• Emoji: Fully searchable (e.g., 🍺 pub, I ❤ NY).

Powerful Search Idioms

Combine operators for precise extraction.

1. Find Subdomains

Exclude the www subdomain to find other hosts.

• Query: site:nyc.gov -site:www.nyc.gov

2. Strict Pattern Matching

Use wildcards inside quotes to enforce word order with variable gaps.

• Query: "whenever * says * whenever"

3. Wildcard Subdomains & Tokens

Find specific subdomain patterns. * matches any token or prefix string (except TLD).

• Query: site:*.law.*.edu
• Query: site:www.*creative.com (Matches av-creative.com)

Nuances & Limitations

• Parentheses: Ignored by Google. Do not use for grouping logic (e.g., (A OR B) C is treated as A OR B C). Run separate searches instead.
• Word Order: Matters. to be or not to be yields different results than be to not or be to.
• Fraction Synonyms: Characters like ½ are synonymized (e.g., size 7½ matches 7.5). Use quotes for exact match: "size 7½".

Advanced Search UI

Some features are only available via the Advanced Search page and have no operator equivalents:

• Usage Rights: Filter by Creative Commons license.
• Reading Level: Filter by Basic, Intermediate, or Advanced.
• Language: Filter by specific language (e.g., Spanish, Chinese).

Deprecated Operators (Do Not Use)

These operators no longer function or are unreliable:

• related: (Deprecated June 2023)
• link: (Removed 2016)
• info: (Removed 2017)
• + as a prefix (Use quotes for exact match)
• ~ (Synonym operator – now automatic)
• daterange: (Use before:/after:)