Practical understanding of every Google search operator that still works, along with some advice on how to use them.
What Search Operators Are
Search operators are special commands typed directly into the search box, like site:, filetype: or a quoted phrase, that override Google’s default guessing and tell it exactly how to filter results. A normal query asks Google to interpret what you probably mean; an operator removes the interpretation and states a hard constraint: only this site, only this file type, only pages containing this exact phrase.
They exist because relevance ranking is built for the average searcher, and some work is not average. SEO audits, competitive research, security reviews, legal discovery and plain old finding-that-one-email all need precision that natural language cannot express. Operators are the query language Google has always kept underneath the friendly search box, and the same idea repeats across its products, which is why this reference covers web search, Google Images, Gmail, Vault and Cloud Search in one place.
How Google Interprets Queries
Before diving into operators, you need to know how Google reads your searches.
Parentheses
Parentheses don’t work the way most people think. If you search for [ (A B) OR (C D) ] to get results containing either “A B” or “C D”. Google doesn’t support it. The parentheses are ignored, which means you’re actually searching for [ A B OR C D ], returning results with just A and either B or C and D. If you need to search multiple phrase combinations, you have to run separate searches and combine results yourself. Most people get this wrong.
Word Order
Word order matters. The query [ to be or not to be ] returns very different results than [ be to not or be to ]. Google uses word order as a ranking signal, so always consider phrasing when conducting research.
Operator Syntax
No space between the operator and its term. site:nytimes.com works; site: nytimes.com is treated as a plain word search. This single typo accounts for most “the operator doesn’t work” complaints.
site: Is Not a Site Audit
Google’s own documentation notes that results for a bare site:domain.com query aren’t ranked in any meaningful order and won’t return every indexed URL. Use it for spot checks; use Search Console for real coverage data.
Google Search Operators Reference
| Operator | Syntax Example | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| site: | penguins site:aqaccidents site:bls.gov |
Restricts results to specific domain or subdomain. Works with or without periods (.gov or gov). Essential for competitive analysis. | Active |
| -site: | site:nyc.gov -site:www.nyc.gov |
Excludes specific domain from results. Useful for finding subdomains or excluding sites like Wikipedia. | Active |
| – (minus) | jaguar -cars -football -osanti-virus -software |
Excludes terms from results. Must immediately precede word with space before it. Can exclude multiple terms or entire sites. | Active |
| “phrase” | "Alexander Bell" |
Forces exact phrase matching. Use sparingly as it may exclude good results with slight variations. | Active |
| “word” | "ca" history |
Forces exact word match without synonym expansion. Use when Google is being too helpful with synonyms. | Active |
| OR | mesothelioma OR "lung disease" treatment |
Specifies alternatives. Must be uppercase. Returns results matching either term. | Active |
| ***** (wildcard in URL) | site:www.*creative.com |
Matches any token in URL. Token = complete term without spaces. Matches prefix strings before tokens except TLDs. | Active |
| ***** (wildcard in phrase) | "whenever * says * whenever" |
Fill-in-the-blank search within quotes. Google finds best matches for that position (up to 5 terms). Dramatically more effective than searching without. | Active |
| .. (number range) | Willie Mays 1950..1960DVD player $50..$100 |
Searches for results containing numbers in specified range. Can include units of measurement. | Active |
| filetype: | search engine guidelines filetype:pdffiletype:pptx superconductor lesson plan |
Limits results to specific file extensions. Works with any extension. Note: MP3 files removed due to copyright, CSV removed in 2023. | Active |
| define | define perusedefine Hobson's choice |
Returns definitions from web pages. Works for words and phrases. | Active |
| allanchor: | allanchor: best restaurant Sunnyvale |
Returns only pages where ALL query terms appear in anchor text of links pointing to page. Don’t combine with other operators. | Active |
| inanchor: | inanchor:sales offer 2011 |
Searches for next term only in anchor text. Other terms can appear anywhere on page. | Active |
| alltext: | alltext: camping tent stove |
Returns pages containing all specified terms in page text. | Active |
| intext: | intext: Victorian artists |
Searches for next term only in page text. Same as alltext when applied to all terms. | Active |
| alltitle: | alltitle: university relations |
Returns pages containing all query terms in the title. | Active |
| intitle: | flu shot intitle:help |
Searches for next term only in title. Other terms can appear anywhere on page. Useful for competitive title research. | Active |
| allinurl: | allinurl: google faq |
Returns pages containing all query terms in the URL. | Active |
| inurl: | inurl:mp3 |
Searches for next term only in URL. Other terms can appear anywhere on page. | Active |
| AROUND | search AROUND 3 engine"Politician Surname" AROUND 5 "Major Donor" |
Finds documents where term1 appears within specified number of words from term2. Doesn’t preserve order. Useful for proximity research. | Active |
| before: | avengers endgame before:2018-1-1 |
Finds results published before specified date. Format: YYYY-MM-DD. If only year specified, defaults to first day of that year. | Active |
| after: | avengers endgame after:2020 |
Finds results published after specified date. Format: YYYY-MM-DD. If only year specified, defaults to last day of that year. | Active |
| imagesize: | kevin leary imagesize:1200x800 |
Restricts Google Images results to exact pixel dimensions (width x height). Officially documented, Images only, and combinable with src: and site: for refined debugging queries. | Active |
| src: | src:example.com/photo.jpg |
Returns pages whose img src attribute references that exact URL, from any domain, which makes it the official way to find sites hotlinking your images. Images only. Google notes both debugging operators can return fewer results than a standard query. | Active |
| cache: | cache:example.com |
Showed Google’s cached copy of a page. Cache links were retired in 2024 and the operator followed. | Deprecated |
| link: | link:example.com |
Showed pages linking to specific URL. Heavily abused, removed mid-2016. | Deprecated |
| + (plus) | +term |
Forced exact match without synonyms. Removed during Google+ era. Use verbatim mode or double quotes instead. | Deprecated |
| ~ (tilde) | ~mesothelioma |
Searched term and all synonyms. Removed because Google handles synonyms automatically now. | Deprecated |
| related: | related:wikipedia.org |
Listed pages similar to specified URL. Removed June 2023. | Deprecated |
Google Mail / Gmail Search Operators
Gmail’s search box supports its own set of operators, separate from web search. They work in the Gmail web app, the mobile apps, and in filter criteria, and they can be combined freely.
| Operator | Syntax Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
| from: | from:mefrom:[email protected] |
Finds emails sent from a specific person or address. |
| to: | to:meto:[email protected] |
Finds emails sent to a specific person or address. |
| cc: / bcc: | cc:[email protected]bcc:[email protected] |
Finds emails with specific people in the “Cc” or “Bcc” fields. |
| subject: | subject:dinnersubject:anniversary party |
Matches a word or phrase in the subject line. |
| after: / before: / older: / newer: | after:2024/04/16before:04/18/2024 |
Finds emails received during a certain time period. Dates work as YYYY/MM/DD or MM/DD/YYYY. |
| older_than: / newer_than: | older_than:1ynewer_than:2d |
Relative time periods using d (day), m (month), or y (year). |
| OR / { } | from:amy OR from:david{from:amy from:david} |
Matches any of the search criteria. Curly braces are shorthand for OR. |
| AND | from:amy AND to:david |
Matches all of the search criteria. A space between terms behaves the same way. |
| – (minus) | dinner -movie |
Excludes emails matching the term that follows. |
| AROUND | holiday AROUND 10 vacation"secret AROUND 25 birthday" |
Finds words near each other; the number sets the maximum words apart. Quote the expression to lock the first word’s position. |
| label: | label:friendslabel:important |
Finds emails under one of your labels. |
| category: | category:primarycategory:promotions |
Searches within an inbox category: primary, social, promotions, updates, forums, reservations, or purchases. |
| has: | has:attachmenthas:drivehas:youtube |
Finds emails that include attachments, inline images, YouTube videos, Drive files, or Google Docs/Sheets/Slides (has:document, has:spreadsheet, has:presentation). |
| list: | list:[email protected] |
Finds emails sent through a mailing list. |
| filename: | filename:pdffilename:homework.txt |
Finds attachments by file name or file type. |
| ” “ (quotes) | "dinner and movie tonight" |
Matches an exact word or phrase. |
| ( ) | subject:(dinner movie) |
Groups multiple terms together, unlike web search, parentheses actually work in Gmail. |
| in:anywhere | in:anywhere movie |
Searches all of Gmail, including Spam and Trash, which normal searches skip. |
| in:archive | in:archive payment reminder |
Searches archived messages. |
| in:snoozed | in:snoozed birthday reminder |
Finds emails you snoozed. |
| is:muted | is:muted subject:team celebration |
Finds conversations you muted. |
| is: | is:importantis:starredis:unread |
Filters by message status: important, starred, unread, or read. |
| has: (star types) | has:yellow-starhas:red-banghas:green-check |
If you use multiple star options, finds emails marked with a specific one: yellow/orange/red/purple/blue/green-star, red-bang, orange-guillemet, yellow-bang, green-check, blue-info, or purple-question. |
| deliveredto: | deliveredto:[email protected] |
Finds emails delivered to a specific address, useful with aliases and forwarding. |
| size: / larger: / smaller: | size:1000000larger:10M |
Finds emails by size, in bytes or with M suffix. |
| + (plus) | +unicorn |
Matches a word exactly, disabling Gmail’s spelling and synonym expansion. |
| rfc822msgid: | rfc822msgid:[email protected] |
Finds an email by its Message-ID header, handy for deliverability debugging. |
| has:userlabels / has:nouserlabels | has:userlabelshas:nouserlabels |
Finds emails that have (or don’t have) any of your own labels. Labels apply to individual messages, not whole conversations. |
| label:encryptedmail | label:encryptedmail |
Finds emails sent with Gmail client-side encryption. |
| header: | header:X-Google-Calendar-Notification:rsvpWithNote |
Finds emails with a specific custom header or header value. |
Gmail Power Operators from Google Vault
Google documents a second, lesser-known operator set for Vault, the Workspace eDiscovery tool. Google doesn’t state whether these work in regular Gmail search, but several do in practice, and they’re worth knowing if you administer Workspace.
| Operator | Syntax Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
| replyto: | replyto:[email protected] |
Matches the Reply-To header rather than From. |
| listid: | listid:team.example.com |
Matches a mailing list’s List-ID header. |
| filename_exact: | filename_exact:Report.PDF |
Case-sensitive attachment name matching, unlike filename:. |
| sent_before: / sent_after: / received_before: / received_after: | sent_after:2026-01-01 |
Date filters split by direction: when a message was sent versus when it was received. |
| size comparisons | size>=1000000 |
Comparison syntax for message size in bytes, alongside the plain size: operator. |
| is:sent / in:inbox / in:spam / in:trash | in:trash invoice |
Location and status scopes beyond the ones in regular Gmail docs. |
| * (wildcard) | invit*from:*@example.com |
Wildcard matching, but only at the end of a term. |
| system labels | label:^deletedlabel:^scheduledlabel:confidentialmode |
Internal labels: ^deleted, ^vault_deletion, ^admin_quarantine, confidentialmode, ^scheduled (waiting to send), ^f_sd (sent on a schedule), ^r_ad (old draft versions). |
Vault also documents hard query limits: fewer than 20 OR terms (fewer than 10 when a date operator is present), no more than 2 AROUND operators per query, and AROUND distances under 20.
Google Cloud Search Operators (Workspace)
Google Cloud Search is the Workspace-wide search that spans Gmail, Drive, Sites, Groups and Calendar in one box, and it carries its own operator set. The symbols behave as you’d expect: " " for exact phrases (case ignored), - to exclude, OR for either term, and AND as the implicit default. These are the operators specific to Cloud Search:
| Operator | Syntax Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
| source: | quarterly report source:drive |
Filters by product: mail, drive, sites, groups, or calendar. |
| contenttype: | budget contenttype:spreadsheet |
Filters Drive and Groups results by file type: doc, spreadsheet, PDF, image and so on. |
| owner: | roadmap owner:[email protected] |
Finds content a specific person owns, whether yours or shared with you. |
| from: / to: | from:[email protected] |
Emails and calendar events by sender or recipient, or content created by that person. |
| before: / after: | after:2026/01/01 |
Filters by last-modified date. Note the YYYY/MM/DD format, slashes rather than the dashes web search uses. |
| createddatetimestampbefore: / createddatetimestampafter: | createddatetimestampafter:2026/01/01 |
The same date filtering against creation date instead of modification date. |
| itemsize: / itemsizelessthan: / itemsizegreaterthan: | itemsizegreaterthan:1000000 |
Byte-size matching: exact, under, or over a threshold. |
| larger: / smaller: | larger:5M |
Size filters accepting K and M suffixes alongside raw bytes. |
| inurl: | inurl:handbook |
Matches within URLs, but only for non-Workspace connected sources. |
| mimetype: | mimetype:application/pdf |
MIME type filtering, also limited to non-Workspace sources. |
| site: | site:sites.google.com/view/intranet |
Retrieves Google Sites content by URL. |
Advanced Search Page Options
Google’s Advanced Search page (http://www.google.com/advanced_search) provides additional filtering not available as operators:
| Filter Type | Options | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Filter by specific language (Spanish, Chinese, German, etc.) | Finding content in specific languages |
| Date | Filter by time period | Finding fresh content or historical coverage |
| Usage Rights | Creative Commons license filtering | Finding legally reusable content |
| Reading Level | Basic, Intermediate, Advanced | Understanding content complexity |
Special Characters
Most special characters now work in Google searches:
| Character Type | Examples | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Symbols | $, %, # |
Now searchable as part of terms |
| Colon | 10:27 |
Useful for Bible verses |
| Extended Characters | ❤️, 🍺, ½ |
Most Unicode characters work. Note: ½ synonymized with 0.5 |
| Plus in Terms | G+, C++, Coke+ |
Search using * wildcard for terms ending in + |
Searching in the AI Era: AI Mode & udm Parameters
Google has not documented any new AI-specific search operators. What changed instead: natural-language search surfaces, and a set of URL parameters that switch which results view you get. Only the syntax note is official; the udm values are reverse-engineered and could change without notice.
| Parameter | What it does | Status |
|---|---|---|
&udm=50 |
Opens the query in AI Mode. | Reverse-engineered |
&udm=14 |
Classic web-results view with no AI Overviews. The cleanest way to get the old ten blue links. | Reverse-engineered |
&udm=2 |
Images results. | Reverse-engineered |
&udm=18 |
Forums and discussions. | Reverse-engineered |
&udm=39 |
Short videos. | Reverse-engineered |
Two related notes. First, Gmail now answers natural-language questions with AI Overviews instead of requiring operators, launched for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers with the Workspace rollout beginning April 22, 2026; the operators above all still work alongside it. Second, whether classic operators function inside AI Mode is not documented by Google anywhere I could find, so treat operator-dependent workflows as web-view-only for now.
Common Uses
Understanding how to use advanced Google search operators and queries may seem old school, but it can be very powerful. For example, you can adjust drastically improve the quality of output in Gemini or Claude research tasks.
That said, there are definitely some common uses I typically repeat myself and I suspect many others do too. Here are just a few real-world use cases:
site:for competitive domain research and content gap analysis-site:for excluding domains, useful when researching things and excluding specific sourcesfiletype:pdffor finding research papers and technical documentationintitle:for understanding what competitors prioritize in titles"exact phrase"for understanding true phrase competitionAROUNDfor proximity research when analyzing how competitors discuss related conceptsbefore:/after:for understanding content freshness and historical coverage