Google Search Tricks You Probably Didn’t Know

You use Google everyday to search for everything that you need to know. Did you know that the popular search engine has hidden games?  Have you ever tried searching for images using a specific image? Here’s a list of useful Google search tricks, from basic tips to hidden games.

• Searching using an image. When we search on Google, we usually type keywords. Now, you can look up an image. Searching images using another image. How cool is that? You just need to go to images.google.com  and instead of typing in a keyword in the search box, you have to click on the camera button. You can either paste the URL of the photo, or you can upload the photo. If you are on your Google Chrome browser, things are easier. Just right click an image in Chrome, select the Search Google for this image option from the popup menu. Then, Google will show you results and tell you where that uploaded image can be found online. This is a great tool for finding duplicated photos. However, it is quite unreliable as Google will also display similar images. Finding the exact image would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. Still, it’s a good start to get leads.

• View the cached version of a website. Did you know that you can view the previous versions of a website? Well, now you know. Once your Google search results appear, notice the ▼ symbol beside the website links. You can click green pointing-down arrow, and choose the cached option. Then, you will be redirected to the website’s previous version. This cached version is helpful when there are network problems, and the live version of the website is unavailable. You do not have to worry when a website is offline because you can access its cached version.

• No dictionary needed. Yes, there are various online dictionaries available, but Google will help you things faster. To look for a word’s definition, you just need to type define:  and then the word you want to search. You view its synonyms and even translate it into a different language. If you are not sure how to do it, you can view this tutorial. Google has been your research companion ever since. Now, it is also your know-it-all dictionary.

• Fun games. There a few casual games on Google. The first one is an Atari Breakout game. To activate the hidden game, you have to go to images.google.com  and type “Atari Breakout” in the search box. The image search results will then transform into a colorful game board. If you do not like it, you can play Pac-Man instead. This mini game is Google’s first-ever playable doodle. Game tip: If you click Insert Coin multiple times,  Ms. Pac-Man will join the game and you can control her with the WASD keys. The last one is Zerg Rush. You have to shoot before the zeroes attack and destroy your Google search results. To play this, go to the Google search box and type in zerg rush.