Google-style operators
On this page
Operators are short commands you type with your words, such as site:energy.gov or filetype:pdf. 4Search sends them to the Web column exactly as you typed them, where Google reads them. The News column ignores the commands and searches your other words.
#Type an operator
- Type your words, then the operator with no space after the colon:
heat pump site:energy.gov. - Press Enter.
- Read the Web column for the narrowed results, and the News column for the coverage.
#The operators 4Search recognizes
| Operator | Asks Google for | In the News column |
|---|---|---|
site:energy.gov | Pages from that site only | Ignored |
-site:example.com | No pages from that site | Ignored |
intitle:word, allintitle: words | Pages with the word or words in their title | The words are searched |
intext:word, allintext: words | Pages with the words in their text | The words are searched |
inanchor:word, allinanchor: words | Pages linked with those words | The words are searched |
inurl:word, allinurl: words | Pages with the word in their address | Ignored |
filetype:pdf, ext:pdf | Files of that type | Ignored |
after:2026-01-01, before:2026 | Pages from after or before a date | Ignored |
related:, cache: | Passed to Google as typed | Ignored |
Dates for after: and before: can be a year (2026), a month (2026-10) or a day (2026-10-01). Anything else after them is treated as ordinary words. Operators work in any letter case, and a minus sign in front of any of them asks Google for the opposite.
Google decides how each operator behaves, and it does not honor all of them in the same way. The Web column shows whatever Google returns.
#What happens around the operators
- You stay on the tab you chose. A search with an operator never opens News, Shopping or Websites for you. See Why a search opens on News, Shopping or Websites.
- The box keeps what you typed. The address and the Web column keep the operators too, so you can share the search.
- The News column searches the words alone.
fed rates site:reuters.comlists coverage of fed rates from every outlet. Words that belong tointitle:and similar operators stay in the News search. - Dates on the All tab. The date menu adds its own
after:to the Web column while Apply to web is ticked. If you typedafter:orbefore:yourself, yours is used instead. See Narrow results with filters.
#Quotes and minus signs
Google also reads quoted phrases and minus signs on plain words: "heat pump" -geothermal. In the News column, quotes, + and - work only with a (Text) option in the match menu. See Meaning, text or both.
#Search one website in the News column
site: narrows the Web column only. To see one outlet's articles in the News column, select the three dots on one of its result cards and choose Search this website, or select the outlet's name. Both open that website's profile with its articles. See Find a website.
#Common questions
Why does the News column ignore site:?
Operators are Google commands for web pages. The 4Search index has its own way to search one outlet: Search this website on a result card.
Do I need operators to search well?
No. Plain words and questions work. Operators are for when you need the Web column narrowed precisely.
Why did my operator do nothing?
Check there is no space after the colon, and that a date after after: or before: looks like 2026, 2026-10 or 2026-10-01. Google may also ignore some operators.
Can I combine operators?
Yes. inflation site:bls.gov filetype:pdf after:2025 combines four.