- Still work in 2026:
site:,filetype:,intitle:,inurl:,"exact phrase",before:,after:,-exclude,OR,define:,AROUND(n) - Removed / broken:
link:,cache:(killed March 2024),inanchor:(unreliable) - Add
verbatimto the search bar (under Tools → All results) to skip AI Overviews and get literal matches - Combine operators for surgical research —
site:reddit.com "topic" after:2025-01-01is more useful than any AI summary
Quick reference tables
Core operators — confirmed working in 2026
| Operator | Syntax | Example | What it finds |
|---|---|---|---|
| site: | site:domain.com query | site:github.com fastapi | Pages on a specific domain |
| filetype: | filetype:ext query | filetype:pdf machine learning | Specific file types |
| intitle: | intitle:word query | intitle:cheatsheet python | Pages with word in <title> |
| allintitle: | allintitle:word1 word2 | allintitle:docker compose tutorial | All words in title |
| inurl: | inurl:word query | inurl:login admin panel | Pages with word in URL |
| allinurl: | allinurl:word1 word2 | allinurl:github actions workflow | All words in URL |
| intext: | intext:word query | intext:"API key" | Word in page body |
| "phrase" | "exact phrase" | "react server components" | Exact phrase match |
| -exclude | query -word | python -snake | Exclude a word |
| OR | query1 OR query2 | vue OR react tutorial | Either term |
| AND | query1 AND query2 | docker AND kubernetes | Both terms (default) |
| before: | query before:YYYY-MM-DD | gpt-4 before:2024-01-01 | Results before date |
| after: | query after:YYYY-MM-DD | llm tools after:2025-06-01 | Results after date |
| define: | define:word | define:entropy | Dictionary definition |
| AROUND(n) | word1 AROUND(3) word2 | react AROUND(5) tutorial | Words within n words of each other |
| * | "best * for python" | "best * for python" | Wildcard within a phrase |
| $ | laptop $500 | laptop $800 | Price search |
| #..# | number range | camera $300..$600 | Numeric range |
| @ | @username | @elonmusk | Social media handle |
| # | #hashtag | #buildinpublic | Hashtag search |
Removed / deprecated operators
| Operator | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| cache: | Removed March 2024 | Use Wayback Machine instead |
| link: | Removed 2017 | Use Ahrefs/Moz for backlinks |
| related: | Unreliable | Sometimes works, often returns nothing |
| inanchor: | Unreliable | Returns inconsistent results |
| info: | Removed | Was a site overview shortcut |
File types supported by filetype:
| Type | Use for |
|---|---|
| pdf | Research papers, reports, whitepapers |
| ppt or pptx | Presentations, slide decks |
| doc or docx | Word documents |
| xls or xlsx | Spreadsheets, datasets |
| csv | Raw data files |
| txt | Plain text, config files |
| xml | Feeds, sitemaps |
| json | API responses, config dumps |
AI Overview bypass techniques
Google’s AI Overviews (formerly Search Generative Experience) often push organic results below the fold. Here is how to get back to primary sources:
Method 1 — Verbatim mode
Click Tools → All results → Verbatim in the search results page. This forces Google to match your exact words, skips personalization, and suppresses most AI Overviews. No operator needed — it is a UI toggle.
Method 2 — Exclude AI source signals
topic -site:quora.com -site:reddit.comAdding -site: for aggregator domains often surfaces original research and documentation that AI Overviews mine from.
Method 3 — Date filter
Results from the last month rarely have AI Overview coverage yet:
topic after:2026-04-01Method 4 — Force a specific source
site:arxiv.org transformer attention mechanism
site:developer.mozilla.org CSS grid
site:docs.python.org asyncioPower-user search recipes
Research a company before an interview
"company name" site:glassdoor.com OR site:levels.fyi OR site:blind.app
"company name" layoffs OR "hiring freeze" after:2025-01-01
"company name" filetype:pdf annual report after:2025-01-01Find open-source alternatives
"open source alternative" "product name" site:github.com OR site:alternativeto.net
"product name" self-hosted OR "self-host" OR "open source"Find specific code examples
site:github.com "fastapi" "async def" filetype:py
site:stackoverflow.com "react hooks" "useEffect" after:2025-01-01Academic and technical papers
filetype:pdf "machine learning" "2025" site:arxiv.org
intitle:"research paper" "large language model" after:2025-06-01Find leaked or exposed data (security research)
intitle:"index of" "config.env"
filetype:env "DB_PASSWORD"
inurl:"/phpinfo.php"These operators can surface publicly indexed but unintentionally exposed files. Only use for authorized security audits or to check your own exposure. Accessing unauthorized data is illegal.
Find salary and pricing data
"software engineer" salary "India" OR "remote" site:levels.fyi after:2025-01-01
"SaaS pricing" "$99/month" OR "$199/month" after:2025-01-01Competitor research
site:competitor.com -site:competitor.com/blog # Non-blog pages only
intitle:"case study" site:competitor.com
"powered by competitor" OR "built with competitor" -site:competitor.comFind job postings directly (bypass aggregators)
site:greenhouse.io "senior engineer" "remote" after:2026-01-01
site:lever.co "product manager" "Series B"Combining operators: visual reference
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ FULL OPERATOR ANATOMY │
│ │
│ site:reddit.com intitle:"react hooks" after:2025-06-01 -ads │
│ ─────────────── ───────────────────── ───────────────── ─── │
│ Domain filter Title must contain Freshness filter Exc │
│ │
│ Result: Reddit threads, titled around "react hooks", │
│ published after June 2025, excluding results with "ads" │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘Search operator combinations by use case
| Goal | Search string |
|---|---|
| Find a PDF tutorial on a topic | filetype:pdf "topic" tutorial |
| Find recent discussions on Reddit | site:reddit.com "topic" after:2026-01-01 |
| Find a config or env file example | filetype:env OR filetype:yaml "DATABASE_URL" site:github.com |
| Check if a competitor mentions you | site:competitor.com "your brand" |
| Find broken links or 404 pages | site:yourdomain.com inurl:404 |
| Find all subdomains indexed | site:*.yourdomain.com -www |
| Find hacker news threads | site:news.ycombinator.com "topic" |
| Find specific version of docs | site:docs.djangoproject.com "4.2" |
| Research before a meeting | "person name" site:linkedin.com OR site:twitter.com |
| Find free dataset | filetype:csv OR filetype:json "dataset" "license" |
Keyboard shortcuts in Google Search
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| / | Focus the search box |
| Enter | Submit search |
| Tab → Enter | Select autocomplete suggestion |
| Alt+← | Go back to previous result |
| Arrow keys | Navigate search results (after clicking one) |
What changed in 2026
- AI Overviews expanded to 40+ countries and now appear on 30–40% of informational queries
cache:is gone — archived pages only via web.archive.org or Google’s cached links in the three-dot menu (inconsistent)before:/after:now accept partial dates:before:2025works,after:2025-06works- Verbatim mode now requires two clicks: Tools → All results → Verbatim (was one click before 2025)
- SGE / AI Overviews cite sources — check the citations panel for primary sources instead of using the AI summary directly
Summary
site:,"quotes", and-minuscover 80% of power-user needsfiletype:pdfandafter:unlock research and fresh content unreachable in normal search- Verbatim mode + date filter is the fastest AI Overview bypass
- Combine 2–3 operators per search; more than that rarely narrows results usefully
cache:is dead — use the Wayback Machine or the three-dot menu on any result
FAQ
Why do some operators return zero results?
Google silently ignores operators when it has no confidence the query can be satisfied. Try relaxing constraints — remove filetype: first, then loosen the phrase match.
Does capitalization in operators matter?
Operators like site:, filetype:, intitle: are case-insensitive. OR must be uppercase — lowercase or is treated as a regular word.
How many operators can I combine in one search? Google supports up to 32 words in a query. Practically, more than 4–5 operators starts returning near-zero results. Combine two or three for best precision.
Can I use search operators in Google Images or Video?
site: and filetype: work in Images. Most others are web-search only. For video, use site:youtube.com or the dedicated filter UI.
Do operators work in Google Scholar?
Partially. author:, source:, and "exact phrase" work in Scholar. The standard site:, filetype: operators do not apply.
What to read next
- Gmail Cheat Sheet — search operators work in Gmail too
- Regex Cheat Sheet — pattern matching beyond what Google operators can do
- Markdown Cheat Sheet — format your research notes
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