Skip to the guide

Order and pages of results

Searching 2 min read Beginner Updated

On this page
  1. How results are ordered
  2. Move through the pages
  3. When the pages run out
  4. Common questions

Results come ten to a page in the News column, best match first. Previous and Next at the foot of the results move through the pages. Images and Videos show more per page.

#How results are ordered

  • The best match comes first. 4Search compares the meaning of your search with each article.
  • Between articles that match about equally well, the newer one comes first.
  • A story many outlets are covering right now can move up a little, but never above a clearly better match.
  • The Web column keeps Google's order.

There is no sort menu. To see only recent articles, narrow the date: choose 24 hours, or type today in your search. See Choose a time window and How 4Search finds and orders results.

#Move through the pages

The Previous and Next buttons at the foot of a column of results

Previous and Next at the foot of the News column. Previous is greyed out on the first page.

  1. 1Previous: greyed out on page one
  2. 2Next page of results
  • Select Next for the next page and Previous to go back. Previous is greyed out on the first page.
  • On a wide screen each column has its own pair of buttons at its foot. They move both columns together, so News and Web stay on the same page number.
  • On a narrower screen, where the columns stack, one pair sits below the results.
  • The page you are on is recorded in the address, so the browser's Back button and a shared link both work. See Share or bookmark a search.

#When the pages run out

A search lists roughly the first hundred matches, about ten pages of News. After that Next is greyed out. Images and Videos show 24 pictures a page and stop after a few pages.

If you have not found what you want by then, change the search rather than paging on:

#Common questions

Can I sort results by date?

There is no sort menu. Narrow the date window to keep only recent articles; within a short window the newest of equally good matches comes first.

Why does the last page have fewer than ten results?

The list ends there. A search lists about a hundred matches.

Why did Next move the Web column too?

The buttons move both columns at once so they stay on the same page.