A typical Google search yields dozens of results. It usually delivers the latest, freshest results to ensure you get the latest information. But what if you're looking for something published in a specific time frame? What should you do if you need to see search results in chronological order? We've got some sage advice to share.

Google Search by Date: Why Does It Matter?

In most cases, your Google search time range doesn't matter at all—some examples include reading about historical events, fiction, and media (such as your favorite book's Wikipedia synopsis). It also includes learning some skills (how to hard-boil an egg, for instance).

But for some queries, older information may be more trustworthy. If nothing's changed, the best possible version, ideally, is the first one that you find. You could also be looking for an article or content published several years ago, or you may want to see results that show how people reacted to an issue during a particular period.

Alternatively, you may want the latest results on a particular topic. News posts, software reviews, health information, Apple rumor, and other evolving events are items you usually want to get the latest information on.

So, to learn how to search Google by date, you'll need to get a handle on two things:

  1. How to find the date of the page that you're reading
  2. How to search within a specific date

The two are closely related. Let's put the pieces together.

1. Search Google by Date With a URL Hack

Google doesn't always include publication dates next to your search results. Some Google Snippets, however, do display the date.

These dates come from permalinks, bylines, page metadata, sitemap, comments, WordPress, SEO plugins, and sometimes themes that add the timestamp. Google picks them up from the structured data of a webpage when it goes crawling through the blogosphere.

You're actually able to limit your search results, instructing Google to only bring pages created within a specific number of years. Before you hit enter to start your search, suffix this string at the end of the search URL. The number at the end will be how many years back your Google SERP will go:

        &as_qdr=y3
    

For example: https://www.google.co.in/search?q=bpa-toxicity&as_qdr=y3.

The string at the end of the search URL shows web pages indexed by Google over the past three years. You can change the numeric part in bold above to any other number; the search will reach back that exact number of years, no more, no less.

BPA toxicity search results screenshot

This is one convenient way to search by date when researching or studying unfolding topics where new information is coming to light constantly.

If it's a date range that you utilize often, you can set up a custom Google Search in Google Chrome with this URL string. It only takes a couple of minutes.

How to search by date on Google with a custom search engine.

Using a specific number of years in the URL parameter is one quick way to filter by date, the same convenience conferred by Google's default time filter.

2. Search by Date Using the Google "Any Time" Tool

To search Google by date using this feature, submit your query. Hit the Tools button under the search bar. You should see two dropdowns appear, labeled Recent and Sort by Relevance. Both of these search by date tools can help you narrow things down.

The first limits your SERP to a limited period; you can select Past 24 hours to find sites updated within the last 24 hours. For even more control, toggle Sort by Relevance to Sort by Date instead. If you do this sort of thing a lot, you might often find yourself seeing the exact results you had visited the day before. Use the Past hour option for the absolute latest.

How to search by date on Google.

The Custom range option included in this list is also a handy investigative tool; you can specify for results within a certain period. If you wanted to dig into the archive of a newspaper website like The New York Times, you could do a site search and then filter the results by date.

A Google search by most recent date.

Using advanced Google search operators along with the date range might help you sort through non-relevant results more efficiently than searching outright.

3. Use Google's Advanced Search Page to Search by Date

Google's complete range of search operators can be helpful, as well. Bookmark the Advanced Search page on your bookmarks bar for easy access.

The advanced Google Search page can help you search Google by date, file type, usage rights, region, and language too, all using keywords.

How to Google search by date with the Advanced Search page.

With your keywords filled in, select your date choice from the last update dropdown. This dropdown does not include a custom date range; for that, you should use the main search page.

These fields can help you construct a more targeted search query. You'll then be able to apply the tools that we've mentioned previously to hone in on something more specific.

4. Go Into the Source Code

Digging into the source code of a webpage is a lot of hassle just to find the date that the page was published. But if you're out of options, this is one reliable way to proceed.

Click on the result you're interested in from the Google SERP. Right-click anywhere in the body, then select View page source from the context menu.

The source HTML opens in another window. Press CTRL + F to call up the search box. Type "publish" in the box; you should be led right to the day and time that the page was uploaded.

How to search Google by date using source code.

In Firefox, right-click on the screen. Select View page info. Scroll down in the Page info box until you see the meta tag for the date.

5. Find It With a Chrome Extension

Finitimus (beta) is a handy little browser add-on that can find the publish date of a page for you with a single click. You won't have to bother with the source code at all if you've found nothing using the previous approach.

How to Google search by date using Finitimus.

This quick check is useful when the webmaster has suppressed the date of publication from the page. If the information exists, this date can be retrieved.

6. Try Google When

Google When is not an official tool, but this Chrome extension can add a date tag with your last visit time just beside your Google search results. Google does this for you sometimes, but applying this indicator across the board might save you from revisiting the same links again and again.

It's not a direct "search by date" tool but a Chrome extension that tracks the date of your Google Search visits. If you do a lot of formal research, this might be one timesaver to remember.

How to Search by Date on Google With the Best of Them

Pretty much any search engine will offer some assistance in the way of a time-sensitive search. Google is no exception.

Try any of the tips above the next time you're looking to cut straight to the chase. You'll never find yourself wading helplessly through a boatload of outdated or irrelevant results again.