10 Google Search Tips Every Coder Should Know

If you’re a programmer, you probably spend a good part of your day searching Google for solutions to bugs, syntax reminders, or obscure documentation. While Google is already powerful, a few search tricks can make it even better for coders.

Inspired by Lifehack and PCMag, here’s a list of useful Google search tips tailored for coding and computer science enthusiasts.

Handy Google Search Tricks for Coders

• Search Within a Specific Site

  Find results only from Stack Overflow:

  site:stackoverflow.com Python list comprehension

• Search for File Types

  Discover Python cheat sheets in PDF format:

  python cheat sheet filetype:pdf

• Use Quotes for Exact Matches

  Look for an exact error message:

  "TypeError: unsupported operand type(s) for +: 'int' and 'str'"

• Exclude Words

  Exclude Java when searching for ‘Python tutorials’:

  python tutorials -java

• Wildcard Searches

  Use * as a wildcard placeholder:

  "how to * in Python"

• OR Operator

  Find results for either C++ or Java tutorials:

  C++ tutorials OR Java tutorials

• Search by Time Range

  Discover recent AI frameworks from the past year:

  AI frameworks after:2024-01-01

• Use Related Sites

  Find sites similar to GitHub:

  related:github.com

• Convert Units or Currency

  Google can convert programming time estimates too:

  3 hours to minutes

• Check Definitions Quickly

  Instantly look up definitions of CS terms:

  define:encapsulation

Bonus Inspiration

“Life is short, Break the Rules. Forgive quickly, Kiss slowly. Love truly. Laugh uncontrollably And never regret ANYTHING That makes you smile.”
—Mark Twain

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