Features
Here is where you can explore a wide range of Google Search features. You can find different categories, such as Research or Fast Facts, to find new ways to search for information and get answers. Go ahead and start exploring.
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The Basics
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Advanced Tricks
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Fast Facts
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Local
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Research
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On Your Phone
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The Basics
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Spelling
Google's spell checker automatically defaults to the most common spelling of a given word, whether or not you spell it correctly.
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Web history
Web History offers you a log of websites you've visited, a timeline of your actions and the ability to search your own online history. Try it out at www.google.com/history.
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Start Simple
No matter what you're looking for, our motto is "keep it simple." Start by entering a basic name or word. If you're looking for a place or product in a specific location, enter the name along with the town or zip code.
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Use web-friendly words
A search engine works by matching the words you enter to pages on the web. So using words that are most likely to appear on pages will yield the best results. For example, instead of saying my head hurts, say headache, because that's the term a medical website would use.
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Less is more
Simple, one or two word search terms will usually give you the broadest results. Start with short search terms, then refine your results by adding more words.
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Use descriptive words
The more unique the word, the more likely you are to get relevant results. So [celebrity ringtones] is probably better than [celebrity sounds]. Keep in mind though, that even if the word has the correct meaning, if it's not the one most people use, it may not match the pages you need.
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Don't worry about cases
Search isn't case sensitive. A search for new york times is the same as a search for New York Times.
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Don't worry about punctuation
Search ignores punctuation. This includes @#%^*()=[]\ and other special characters.
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Advanced Tricks
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Search by file type
Search for specific types of files, such as PDFs, PPTs, or XLS, by adding filetype: and the 3-letter file abbreviation.
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Find related pages
Use the related: operator to find pages that have similar content by typing related: followed by the website address. For instance, if you find a website you like, try using related:[insert URL] to locate similar websites.
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Fill in the blanks
Put an asterisk * in a phrase or question you want completed and we'll fill in the blanks. For example, you can find the lyrics to a song even if you only remember a few words.
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Exact phrase search
Put quotation marks around words "[any word]" to search for an exact phrase in an exact order. Keep in mind that searching with quotes might exclude relevant results. For instance, a search for "Alexander Bell" will miss pages that refer to Alexander G. Bell.
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Specific site search
Precede your query with site: if you know you want your answer from within a specific site or type of site (.org, .edu). For example: site:edu or site:nytimes.com.
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Include or ignore words and characters
Highlight common words and characters such as the and & if they are essential to your search (as in a movie or book title) by putting quotation marks "the" around them. You can also use the minus - sign to specify particular items you don't want in your results, like ingredients in a recipe.
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Advanced image searching
Use Advanced Image Search to find an exact size, color or type of photo or drawing. With the tools in the left panel, you can filter your search to include only photos with faces, clip art, high-res images or only images that are available for commercial use.
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Numbers in a range
Stay within your budget by searching only for items within a number range by putting a string .. between amounts.
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Search all languages
When you're searching, click "More search tools" on the left panel of your results page, then select "Translated foreign pages." The feature will choose the best language in which to search and deliver results translated back in English.
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Get recipes
After searching for a specific recipe or ingredients, select "Recipes" in the left panel to see recipe results.
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Fast Facts
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Convert any measurement
Convert any measurement -- like miles to kilometers or ounces to liters -- by typing in the number and unit of measurement.
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Realtime stock quotes
Typing any ticker symbol into the search box will get you realtime stock quotes that update live in your search results. Click the link on the results page for a detailed market analysis from Google Finance.
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Track your packages
Track your UPS, FedEx, or USPS packages by typing the tracking number directly into the search box. The results will show you the status of your shipment.
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Get definitions
Put define: in front of any word to get its definition.
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Calculate anything
Enter any math equation into the search box and we'll calculate your answer.
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Sports scores and schedules
Get scores and schedules for your favorite NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB teams simply by typing the team or league into the search box.
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Locate earthquake activity
Type earthquake in the search box and your results will feature U.S. Geological Survey info showing the time, place and magnitude of recent earthquakes.
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Get the time
To see what time it is anywhere in the world, search time and the city or country.
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Convert currencies
Get current exchange rates by searching [currency 1] in [currency 2].
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Get sunrise and sunset times
To see the exact times of sunrises and sunsets in cities around the U.S. and the world, search sunrise or sunset followed by the city name.
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Local
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Zip and area codes
Want to know where a given zip code or area code is located? Just type it into the search box.
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Shop and compare
Use the "Shopping" link on the left panel on the results page to shop for products and compare prices across the web.
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Discover local businesses
To find a store, restaurant or other business in a given neighborhood, enter the type of business and the location and we'll deliver a list of nearby places, along with a map, reviews and contact info. If you don't include the location in your search, we'll just find locations close to you.
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Search with location
Add a zip code to the end of any place search like barbecue ribs and get results showing the nearest rib joints, along with phone numbers, a map, and even reviews. If you don't include your zip code, we may suggest places near you.
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Get movie times
Search on a movie name or just movie to see theater locations and showtimes in your area.
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Check the weather
Search weather followed by a U.S. zip code or the name of any city in the world to get the current weather and forecast. Enter weather by itself to get the weather report for your current location.
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Get flight schedules
To see flight schedules to or from a particular destination, type flights from or flights to followed by the city or airport of interest. You can also add another location with to or from and view the schedule for a specific route.
*Flight schedule data is provided by OAG and QuickTrip by Innovata. -
Flight times
View live arrival and departure information for U.S. flights just by searching the name of the airline and the flight number.
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Map your location
To map any location, type in the city name or zip code followed by the word [map], and you'll see a map of that location. Click on the map to see it on Google Maps.
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Research
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Public domain books
Read the complete texts of public domain works like Moby Dick for free by selecting "books" in the left panel of your search results.
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Hone in on a particular range
To specify a particular number range, type .. then a space, then the numbers in your range. For example, if you're searching for cars with over 300 horsepower, search cars "300.. horsepower". Here are some other examples: "220.. V" or "1.. RPM" or "8000.. mAh" battery
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Health Conditions
To see information about a common disease or symptom, enter it into the search box and we’ll return the beginning of an expert summary. You can click through to read the entire article.
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World news
Search any topic and then click the "News" tab in the left panel to get news results from sources around the world.
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Similar terms
Get results that include synonyms by placing the ~ sign immediately in front of your search term. A search for Christmas ~dessert recipes, for instance, will return results for desserts, along with candy, cookies and other treats.
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Filter by reading level
Sort your results by reading level by clicking on Advanced Search and filtering the results into basic, intermediate and advanced reading levels.
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Public data
Search demographic terms like population or unemployment rate, followed by a county, state or country, and you'll get instant data about your chosen location directly from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. From there, you can click through to compare rates in different locations.
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Medication information
Search the name of a generic or brand-name prescription drug and we'll display its summary and description. You can also click through to more info about side effects, dosage and precautions from the National Institutes of Health.
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On Your Phone
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Google Goggles
Want to search the web using your mobile phone's camera instead of words? On an Android, open your Google Goggles app (on an iPhone, open the Google Search app and select Goggles), snap a picture of the item you want to search for, and wait for your results. No typing necessary.
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Voice Search
To search the web by speaking, tap the microphone button on the Google search box on your home screen, or press down for a few seconds on the physical search button on your phone to activate the "Speak Now" screen. Voice Search for Android supports Voice Actions on Android 2.2 (Froyo) and above.
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Interactive financial searches
To get interactive financial results, go to google.com on your iPhone or Android-powered device (2.1 or later) and search for your favorite stock symbol. You'll see an interactive graph shown on a card; you can switch views to different date ranges by tapping on the buttons below the graph.
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Instant on Mobile
Google Instant on mobile makes search faster by displaying not just predictions but actual search results as you type. The beta version is available for most iPhone and Android devices in the U.S. To try it, go to google.com in your phone's browser and tap the Google Instant "Turn on" link beneath the search box (if you don't see the "Turn on" link, try waiting a moment and then refresh the page).
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Instant Previews on Mobile
Google Instant Previews is available on mobile for Android (2.2+) and iOS (4.0+) devices across 38 languages. Like the desktop version of Instant Previews, you can visually compare search results from webpage snapshots, making it easier to choose the right result faster.
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Search nearby
If you want to find sushi nearby, go to Google.com on your smartphone and type "sushi". If you've chosen to share your location with Google, you'll get business results near your current location. If you want to search somewhere else, specify a location in the query, like pizza Kansas City.
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Places open now
Go to Google on your iPhone and Android devices and search for a restaurant or place. The "open now" feature lets you filter local search results to show only businesses that are open right now, based on their listed hours.
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Interactive weather
To see a new weather search results snippet that lets you actually play with the results just go to google.com on your iPhone or Android-powered device and search for weather.
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