FAQ

1. Use quotes to search for an exact phrase
This oneís a well-known, simple trick: searching a phrase in quotes will yield only pages with the same words in the same order as whatís in the quotes. Itís one of the most vital search tips, especially useful if youíre trying to find results containing a specific a phrase.

2. Use an asterisk within quotes to specify unknown or variable words
Hereís a lesser known trick: searching a phrase in quotes with an asterisk replacing a word will search all variations of that phrase. Itís helpful if youíre trying to determine a song from its lyrics, but you couldnít make out the entire phrase (e.g. ìimagine all the * living for todayî), or if youíre trying to find all forms of an expression (e.g. ì* is thicker than waterî).

3. Use the minus sign to eliminate results containing certain words
Youíll want to eliminate results with certain words if youíre trying to search for a term thatís generating a lot of results that arenít of interest to you. Figure out what terms youíre not interested in (e.g. jaguar -car) and re-run the search.

4. Search websites for keywords
Think of the ìsite:î function as a Google search that searches only a particular website. If you want to see every time TIME.com mentioned Google, use the search ìGoogle site:TIME.comî.

5. Search news archives going back to the mid-1880s
Google News has an option to search over 100 yearsí worth of archived news from newspapers around the world.

6. Compare foods using ìvsî
Canít decide between a burger or pizza for dinner? Type in ìrice vs. quinoa,î for example, and youíll receive side-by-side comparisons of the nutritional facts.

7. Filter search results for recipes
If you search your favorite food, and then click ìSearch Toolsî right under the search bar, youíll be able to filter recipes based on ingredients, cook time and calories. Itís the perfect tool if you have certain dietary restrictions.

8. Use ìDEFINE:î to learn the meaning of wordsóslang included
Streamline the dictionary process by using, for example, ìDEFINE: mortgage.î For words that appear in the dictionary, youíll be able to see etymology and a graph of its use over time alongside the definition. Google will even sift the web to define slang words or acronyms. Try out ìDEFINE: baeî or ìDEFINE: SMHî.

9. Tilt your screen by searching ìtiltî
This is one of the fun additions built in by Google engineers. Try it out yourself (search without quotes).

10. Search images using images
Ever come across a photo that looks strangely familiar? Or if you want to know where it came from? If you save the image, and then search it on Google Images (with the camera button), youíll be able to see similar images on the web.

11. Why am I seeing ads?
is not popping any ads or pages on your computer.
only offers search help on Safari and/or Chrome and/or Firefox.