Google Search Tips That Still Work in 2026 (and Save Real Time)

Most of us type a few words into Google and scroll. That works for simple questions, but when you’re hunting for a specific piece of guidance, a form or a document, a few search operators can take you straight to it.

Google has quietly retired some of the old tricks, and added AI answers on top of the results. Here are the ones that still work, checked against Google’s own help pages in October 2026.

1. Use quotes for an exact phrase

Put a phrase in double quotes and Google looks for those words together, in that order.

• "making tax digital for income tax"
• "subject access request" template

Useful when the words are common on their own, or when you’re looking for the exact wording of an error message.

2. Use a minus sign to leave words out

Put a minus sign directly in front of a word to exclude it.

• jaguar -car for the animal rather than the car
• teams training -school -teacher to cut out results meant for schools

No space between the minus and the word.

3. Search one website with site:

Type site: followed by a website or domain, then your search words. This is the single most useful operator for UK businesses, because official guidance is often easier to find this way than through the website’s own search box.

• site:gov.uk making tax digital searches GOV.UK and other .gov.uk sites
• site:ico.org.uk subject access request searches the ICO’s guidance
• site:ncsc.gov.uk small business guide searches the NCSC
• site:legislation.gov.uk Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 goes straight to the legislation

4. Find documents with filetype:

Type filetype: followed by a file extension to find documents rather than web pages.

• filetype:pdf cyber security breaches survey
• filetype:xlsx VAT return template
• filetype:pptx data protection training

Common types are pdf, docx, xlsx and pptx.

A word of caution: only open documents from websites you recognise. Files from unknown sites can carry malware, and spreadsheets that ask you to “enable content” or turn on macros are a classic way in.

5. Filter by date with before: and after:

Old results are a common problem when you need current figures or rules. Add before: or after: with a year or a date (written year-month-day).

• cyber essentials requirements after:2025
• site:gov.uk national minimum wage after:2026-03-31

If you prefer menus, run your search, select Tools, then change Any time to a preset range or a custom date.

6. Combine them

Operators work together, which is where they really save time:

• site:gov.uk filetype:pdf "making tax digital" after:2025
• site:ico.org.uk "personal data breach" -"law enforcement"

Getting plain links instead of AI answers

Google now shows AI Overviews (a written summary at the top) for many searches, and some people see AI Mode, a chat-style version of search. Google says AI Overviews can’t be turned off, but you can select the Web filter under the search box (look under More if you can’t see it) to get a list of plain text links.

Google’s own help page warns that AI Overviews “can and will make mistakes”. For anything that matters, such as a tax deadline, a legal requirement or a security setting, click through to the original source and check it there.

Watch out for sponsored results and copycat sites

The top results for popular searches are often adverts, marked as sponsored. The Advertising Standards Authority has warned about copycat websites that look official and charge extra for services you can get directly, sometimes for free, from the official site.

Two habits help:

• For government services, check the address ends in gov.uk before you enter any details.
• For sites you use often, such as HMRC, Companies House or your bank, use a bookmark rather than searching each time.

The same goes for staff. A search that lands someone on a fake login page is just as dangerous as a phishing email. Our cyber security service includes security awareness training and DNS filtering, which blocks known harmful websites before they load.

Tips we’ve dropped

Our original 2022 version of this post included two tricks that no longer work:

• related: used to show websites similar to one you named. Google retired it in 2023.
• cache: used to show Google’s saved copy of a page. Google removed it in 2024.

Neither appears in Google’s current help pages, so if you see them recommended elsewhere, the advice is out of date.

If you’d like more ways to save time at work, see our seven Microsoft 365 tips.