Google Search Operators Cheat Sheet

Add these to your search to get exactly what you need. No space after the colon: site:github.com, not site: github.com.

36 entries
5 sections
Updated 1 Oct 2026

F

36 entries

On this page

Core Operators #

Operator	Example	Finds
`"..."`	`"booking system" payload`	The exact phrase
`-`	`jaguar -car`	Excludes a word
`OR` or `\|`	`astro OR nextjs`	Either word
`( )`	`(react OR vue) tutorial`	Groups terms
`*`	`"how to * a cheat sheet"`	Wildcard for any word
`site:`	`site:stackoverflow.com mongodb index`	Only that website
`site:.be`	`bakkerij site:.be`	Only that domain ending
`-site:`	`tutorial -site:w3schools.com`	Excludes a website
`filetype:`	`excel shortcuts filetype:pdf`	A file type (pdf, docx, xlsx, pptx)
`intitle:`	`intitle:"cheat sheet" git`	Word in the page title
`allintitle:`	`allintitle: esp32 deep sleep`	All words in the title
`inurl:`	`inurl:docs payload cms`	Word in the URL
`intext:`	`intext:"error 0x80070005"`	Word in the page text
`before:` / `after:`	`astro after:2025-01-01`	Pages dated before / after
`AROUND(n)`	`metar AROUND(3) parser`	Words within n words of each other (unofficial)

Instant Answers #

Search	Gives
`define: idempotent`	Definition
`weather Antwerp`	Weather forecast
`time in Tokyo`	Local time
`25 * 1.21`	Calculator
`100 usd to eur`	Currency conversion
`5 miles in km`	Unit conversion
`timer 10 minutes`	Countdown timer
`flight SN2153`	Flight status
`color picker` / `#3b82f6`	Color tool
`flip a coin` / `roll a die`	Random

Combos That Work Well #

Goal	Search
Error message	`"exact error text" site:stackoverflow.com`
Official docs only	`useEffect cleanup site:react.dev`
GitHub examples	`site:github.com "platformio.ini" esp32-s3`
Free PDFs	`"raspberry pi" handbook filetype:pdf`
Recent news only	`chrome update after:2026-09-01`
Find a page you know the title of	`intitle:"windows terminal" settings json`

Search Settings #

Setting	How
Only recent results	Tools → Any time → Past week / Custom range
Exact words (no synonyms)	Tools → All results → Verbatim
Plain web links (no AI overview)	Click the Web tab, or add `&udm=14` to the search URL
Search by image	Camera icon (Google Lens)
Advanced search form	google.com/advanced_search

Tips #

Google ignores most punctuation. Use quotes when symbols matter: "C++".
Operators also work in Google Drive, Gmail and Google Scholar (Gmail adds from:, has:attachment, older_than:7d).