GOOGLE users have just learned of a handy way to keep track of their packages.
Billions of people use Google every single month, making it one of the most popular websites on the planet.
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As such, the website has developed a number of ways to help its large user base search for what they want more efficiently.
And to help you yield better results, we have compiled a list of these tips.
Search for your packages
Many users don’t know that you can use Google to keep track of your packages.
Thanks to Google’s interface, you can enter any UPS, USPS, or Fedex tracking number into Google and get tracking information.
To do this, just enter your tracking number directly into the Google search bar.
This is much easier than going to your confirmation email page or the carrier’s website.
Search for a specific file
Google search has the ability to help you locate a specific file or file type – such as a PDF.
To do this, simply follow this syntax: *Search term here* filetype:pdf
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For example, if you are searching for a PDF on oil spills for your school assignment, just type: Oil spills filetype:pdf
Search exact words
If you are searching for something and want to limit irrelevant results, you can scour for exact phrases and keywords.
To do this, put specific keywords in quotation marks, like so: “Purple iPhone”
You can also search specifically on a certain website by typing in Google Site:website.com keywords.
For example, you could search The US Sun for Meghan Markle news by typing in: Site:The-Sun.com Meghan Markle
Exclude a search
You can also exclude certain words from a Google search by adding a minus sign.
To do this, type in your query and then add a hyphen next to the term you don’t want to appear: Red lipstick -matte
Search for multiple things
You may know have known this, but you can search Google for multiple things at once.
To do this, add AND or OR between the two searches. This will provide results for both or either search queries, respectively.
Search by date
If you’re doing research for a paper and need to find results from a certain year or time period, there’s a code for that!
You can use before:<date> and after:<date> to filter out the results.
This would look like this: Drunk driving accidents in the USA before:2021
Search shortcuts
Google has a number of other handy shortcuts that help cut down your search time.
To quickly find the weather in a specific location, search Weather *zip code*
If you’re looking to get the definition of a word, type What is the definition of *word* or Define: *word*
You can quickly find the local time in a different zone by typing in Time *place*
And last, you can check any stock by typing its ticker name into Google.
This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
