13 google search tricks that make life a whole lot easier

8/11/2019 13 Google Search Tricks That Make Life a Whole Lot Easier

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13 Google Search Tricks That Make Life A Whole Lot Easier

The Huffington Post | ByCarina Kolodny

You thinkyou know how to Google? You don't know how to Google.

Even the most seasoned Googler might not know every tip and trick available with just a

few extra keystrokes in the search bar. Consider this your instructions manual for the

world's most popular search engine.

Define A WordThe Scenario:You're playing Scrabble and some dumb-dumb says, "Hey, 'panacea'

isn't a word!"

The Solution:Just type "define:" followed by the word you want and Google will take

you straight to the definition. Use the time you save to make smarter friends.

Search For Words In Exact OrderThe Scenario:You want to find out the origin of a quote, but Google keeps giving

results that are nowhere close.

The Solution:Put your search phrase inside quotation marks.

Exclude Certain WordsThe Scenario:You want bread recipes that don't list "yeast" as an ingredient.

The Solution:After you enter your desired search terms, add a minus sign (-) followedby the words you want excluded.

Search Within A Range Of PricesThe Scenario:You want to research digital cameras that fall within a certain price

range.

The Solution:First type in your term. Then separate the lowest and highest prices

you're willing to pay with two periods (..). This trick also works for dates, if you're, say,

looking for a news article published during a certain time.

Search Within A WebsiteThe Scenario:You read an interesting article about Nelson Mandela on The

Huffington Post, but you don't have the link and you can't remember the article's name

or its author.

The Solution:Type "site:" followed by the URL of the website you'd like to search.

Then add your search terms.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carina-kolodnyhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/carina-kolodnyhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/carina-kolodny


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Fill In The BlanksThe Scenario:You once heard that mixing Pop Rocks with _________ would result

in _______, but you can't remember what either of those two blanks are.

The Solution:Enter your search terms using asterisks as stand-ins for the unknowns.

Google will fill in the blanks with possibilities.

Search By File TypeThe Scenario:You have to do a PowerPoint presentation on 1920s slang, either

because you're still in college or you live in Brooklyn, and you want to see how others

have done it.

The Solution:Search by file type to find other PowerPoints. Enter your search terms

followed by "filetype:PPT."

Set A TimerThe Scenario:Your brain is fried and you want to take a break on YouTube. You alsowant to make sure you don't get sucked down the rabbit hole.

The Solution:Type "set timer for" into the search bar and a Google timer will appear

as the first result. Enter the time you want in hours, minutes or seconds and start the

timer. Google will start beeping at you when your time runs out.

Do MathThe Scenario:You're terrible at math. Like, really bad at it. Or you're pretty good at

math but have a really complicated problem to solve.

The Solution:To the chagrin of your math teacher, you can type in an equation and

Google will give you the answer on its calculator. That's right, Mr. Campisano: I didn't

need Algebra II after all.

Convert CurrencyThe Scenario:You're planning a trip to Thailand but have zero idea how far your

American dollars will get you.

The Solution:Type in the name of the currency you currently own, add "to" and thentype in the name of the currency you need to get.

Find A GIFThe Scenario:You know the exact GIF you need to send to your friend. But how do you

find it?

The Solution:Go toGoogle Images.Click "Search tools" and then "Type." Then check

off "Animated." Prepare to impress.
https://images.google.com/https://images.google.com/https://images.google.com/https://images.google.com/


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Search By TitleThe Scenario:You want to search for a photo of the sexiest man alive when he was in

his prime. To be specific, you want to find Joe Biden's yearbook photo.

The Solution:Type "intitle:" then the term you want. This will ensure the specified

term is in the title of all the webpages in your results.

Make Google Flip OutThe Scenario:You want to freak out a friend.

The Solution:Type "do a barrel roll" and hit enter.

You're welcome.

Correction: A previous version of this post included the tilde key for finding relatedsearch terms. Google has removed the tilde key functionality.


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Google search: 15 hidden featuresGoogle is used by millions of people to navigate the web every day, but how many ofus really put it through its paces? The Telegraph digs out a few of the search engine'shidden gems.

BySophie Curtis

1. Calculator

Google's calculator function is far more powerful than most people realise. As well as doing basic

maths (5+6 or 3*2) it can do logarithmic calculations, and it knows constants (like e and pi), as

well as functions like Cos and Sin. Google can also translate numbers into binary codetry

typing '12*3 in binary'.

2. Site search

By using the 'site:' keyword, you can make Google only return results from one site. So for

example, you could search for "site:telegraph.co.ukmanchester united" and only get stories on

Manchester United from the Telegraph website.Related Articles

3. Conversions
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/journalists/sophie-curtis/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/journalists/sophie-curtis/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/journalists/sophie-curtis/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/journalists/sophie-curtis/


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Currency conversions and unit conversions can be found by using the syntax:

in . So for example, you could type '1 GBP in USD', '20 C in F' or '15 inches in cm' and

get an instant answer.

4. Time zones

Search for 'time in ' and you will get the local time for that place, as well as the time zone

it is in.

5. Translations

A quick way to translate foreign words is to type 'translate to '. So for

example, 'translate pomme to english' returns the result apple, and 'translate pomme to spanish'

returns the result 'manzana'.

6. Search for a specific file type

If you know you are looking for a PDF or a Word file, you can search for specific file types bytyping ' filetype:pdf' or ' filetype:doc'


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7. Check flight statusIf you type in a flight number, the top result is the details of the flight and its status. So, for

example, typing in BA 335 reveals that British Airways flight 335 departs Paris at 15.45 today and

arrives at Heathrow Terminal 5 at 15.48 local time.

8. Search for local film showings

Search for film showings in your area by typing 'films' or 'movies' followed by your postcode. In

the UK, this only narrows it down to your town or city. In the US this is more accurate, as results

are displayed according to zip-code.

9. Weather forecasts


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Type the name of a city followed by 'forecast', and Google will tell you the weather today,

including levels of precipitation, humidity and wind, as well as the forecast for the next week,

based on data from The Weather Channel.

10. Exclude search terms

When you're enter a search term that has a second meaning, or a close association with

something else, it can be difficult to find the results you want. Exclude irrelevant results using the

'-' sign. So for searches for 'apple' where the word 'iPhone' is not used, enter 'apple -iPhone'.

11. Public data

To see trends for population and unemployment rates of different cities andcounties, type

'population' or 'unemployment rate' followed by the location. So for example, typing

'unemployment rate uk' returns the answer 7.7 percent, and shows a graph of unemployment

rates over the last 10 years

12. Related search


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To search for web pages that have similar content to a given site, type 'related:' followed by the

website address into the Google search box. For example, typing 'related:telegraph.co.uk' gives

a list of other UK newspaper websites.

13. Package tracking

If you have a package tracking number from the USPS, UPS or FedEx, simply plug it into Google

Search and it will provide a convenient link for you.

14. Define

Google's dictionary functionallows you to type define:term and get definitions of words. So a

search for define:discombobulated tells you that it is the past participle, past tense of

discombobulate, which means to disconcert or confuse.

15. Barrel Roll

Simply type do a barrel roll into the search bar and Google dutifully obeys. Warning: this

Google trick is known to make grown men squeal with delight.

13 google search tricks that make life a whole lot easier

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