Google Search Operator Cheatsheet 🔍

Basic Operators

Operator	Description	Example
""	Exact match	"how to center a div"
OR	Either term	python OR javascript
-	Exclude term	javascript -jquery
*	Wildcard	how to * in python
()	Group terms	(javascript OR python) tutorial

Advanced Operators

Operator	Description	Example
site:	Search specific website	site:github.com react hooks
filetype:	Search for file types	filetype:pdf javascript guide
intitle:	Term in page title	intitle:react tutorial
inurl:	Term in URL	inurl:react
related:	Related websites	related:microsoft.com
cache:	Cached version	cache:website.com

Time-Based Search

Operator	Description	Example
before:	Before date	javascript before:2023
after:	After date	react after:2022
..	Number range	phone $100..$500

Code-Specific Search

Operator	Description	Example
language:	Programming language	language:javascript promise
repo:	GitHub repository	repo:facebook/react hooks
error:	Error messages	error:"npm ERR!"

Social Media Search

Operator	Description	Example
@	Social tags	@username twitter
#	Hashtags	#javascript

Combinations for Developers

Finding Code Solutions

Search: site:stackoverflow.com OR site:github.com "specific error message"

Finding Documentation

Search: site:docs.microsoft.com OR site:developer.mozilla.org javascript

Finding Recent Tutorials

Search: intitle:tutorial react after:2023

Finding Code Examples

Search: site:github.com filetype:js "function example"

Finding API Documentation

Search: site:docs.* api reference "endpoint"

Pro Tips 💡

Use Multiple Operators

Search: site:github.com "react hooks" filetype:md after:2023

Exclude Multiple Terms

Search: javascript -jquery -wordpress -php

Find Similar Sites

Search: related:netflix.com streaming service

Find Specific Versions

Search: "react tutorial" "version 18" OR "v18"

Find Source Code

Search: site:github.com filetype:js "function name"

Common Development Searches

Error Messages

Search: "error message" site:stackoverflow.com OR site:github.com

Library Usage

Search: site:github.com "import library" filename:js

Best Practices

Search: intitle:"best practices" javascript after:2023 -wordpress

Security Issues

Search: site:cve.mitre.org OR site:nvd.nist.gov vulnerability library

Performance Tips

Search: site:web.dev OR site:developers.google.com performance optimization

Remember 🤔

• Google search is not case-sensitive
• Order matters - put important terms first
• Use fewer, more specific terms
• Update date ranges for current information
• Check multiple pages of results
• Verify information from multiple sources

Additional Resources 📚

• Google Advanced Search https://www.google.com/advanced_search
• Google Search Console https://search.google.com/search-console
• Google Developers Search https://developers.google.com/search/

Expert Tips 🎯

Finding Specific File Types

• PDFs: filetype:pdf subject
• PowerPoints: filetype:ppt subject
• Excel files: filetype:xlsx OR filetype:xls subject
• Word docs: filetype:doc OR filetype:docx subject

Academic Research

• Search: site:.edu OR site:.gov subject
• Search: filetype:pdf site:.edu research paper subject

Technical Documentation

• Search: site:readthedocs.io OR site:docs.* subject
• Search: inurl:docs OR inurl:documentation subject

Forum Discussions

• Search: site:reddit.com OR site:stackoverflow.com subject
• Search: inurl:forum OR inurl:discussion subject

Price Comparisons

• Search: price OR cost $50..$100 product
• Search: compare OR vs product1 product2

Troubleshooting Tips 🔧

Too Many Results?

• Add more specific terms
• Use exact phrases in quotes
• Add site: operator
• Specify date ranges

Too Few Results?

• Remove some terms
• Try synonyms
• Remove quotes
• Broaden date range

Wrong Context?

• Add context terms
• Use -term to exclude irrelevant results
• Specify industry/field

Outdated Results?

• Use after: operator
• Sort by date
• Add year to search
• Include "current" or "latest"

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