AOL Search

Web results are Web sites listed with the highest relevance appearing first. These listings are administered, sorted and maintained by Google™. These results may contain objectionable material not endorsed by AOL®. For information about how Google sorts these listings, go to About Google.

Image search results are images sorted by relevance with images of the highest relevance appearing first. These listings are administered, sorted, and maintained by Google™. Google considers a number of factors when determining whether an image is relevant to your search request. Because these methods are not entirely foolproof, it's possible some inappropriate pictures may be included among the images you see.

Search for Pictures and Images

The easiest way to search for pictures/images is to simply include the word "images" in your web search query. For example, a search for puppy images will return image results, in addition to Web results.

To search exclusively for pictures and images:
1. Go to AOL Search.
2. Click the Images link above the search box.
3. Type a word or a phrase in the search box, then click the Search button.
4. When you see the image results, click the thumbnail image you want to view. This displays a larger version of the image, as well as the page on which the original image is located.

Copyright Restrictions Associated with Images

Images identified by AOL® Search may be protected by copyrights. You can locate and access images through our service to view them only on the web and not for any other purpose. Accordingly, if you would like to use any images you have found through our service, we request you to contact the site owner to obtain the requisite permissions.

Image Search Result in a Frame

This is to show more details of the image. After you click an image thumbnail from the image results page, you will see more details of the image, including the Web site page where the image is originally located. In the top half of the image result details page, you can see the image thumbnail and the Web site address. You can find the Web site page where the image is located in a frame on the bottom half of the page.

Prevent Inappropriate / Mature Images

AOL Search uses a mature content filter by default. You can change the SafeSearch setting by going to the Settings page. The SafeSearch filter removes many adult images but it's not guaranteed that all such content will be filtered out.

Remove a Copyrighted Image that You Don't Want Displayed

To remove a copyrighted image from AOL Search, please visit the Remove Content page on the Google Web site (Google™ provides the search results to AOL). Here you will find instructions on what to do or how to contact Google regarding copyrighted images that need to be removed.

Could Not Find an Image that You Know is Online

You can search millions of images on the Web with AOL Search. However, there are many more images on the Internet that our partner Google has not yet added to its index. As Google continues to index more images into their database, the quality and quantity of your search can only increase! It's likely Google will add the image you're looking for in the near future.

News search results include news articles from an extensive database of news and multimedia content from news providers such as Associated Press®, Reuters®, CNN®, People® Magazine and Fortune®. The articles that are presented come from all the providers and sources offered on AOL® News.

Search for News Articles

The easiest way to search for news articles is to simply include the word "news" in your web search query. For example, Ireland news returns search results that include Ireland news, in addition to Web results.

To search exclusively for news:
1. Go to AOL Search.
2. Type a word or a phrase in the search box, then click the News link above the search box.
3. Click the desired news result link to view the news article.
4. At the top of the results page, next to Sort by: click the Relevance or Date links to sort the news search results.

The easiest way to search on AOL® Search is to simply type a word or a phrase that describes what you're looking for in the search box on search.aol.com, then tap the Enter key on your keyboard or click the Search button. If you are looking for images, video, audio, news or shopping information, try one of our specialized search features. Just select the appropriate link above the search box.

Tips to help your search:

• Select your search terms carefully. Use specific, descriptive words instead of general ones. For example, searching for blueberry pancake recipes instead of recipes increases your chances of finding blueberry pancake recipes.
• To find an exact phrase, put quote marks around your search terms. For example, use "Charlie and the Chocolate factory" to find content for the movie. You can also use hyphens to connect a phrase such as brother-in-law.
• To exclude specific words in your search, type a minus sign (-) in front of the search term. For example, to find content about vegetables with no mention of zucchini, search for vegetables -zucchini. Make sure to include a space before the minus sign (-), but not after.
• To find content for two or more topics of equal interest, use or in between your search words. For example, to find information on either poodles or schnoodles, search for poodles OR schnoodles.
• If you don't get any results with search words, try using different words with the same meaning.
• You do not have to worry about capitalization when entering search terms. AOL Search does not differentiate between upper-case and lower-case letters.
• You don't need to use " and " between words in your search. AOL Search automatically inserts and between words separated by a space.

Use Advanced Search to Control Your Search Results

You can use the Advanced Search feature to get more precise results or control over the results:

Using Advanced Search, you can:

• Include or exclude specific words in your search results.
• Include or exclude specific Web sites or domains in your search results.
• Search for words anywhere on the page, in the title, text, URL or links.
• Specify language of Websites that you would like to see in your search results.
• Specify how long ago the information has been updated in your search results.

To access this feature, click on the Advanced Search link in the upper right corner of the AOL® Search home page or a search results page.

The Search History feature keeps track of your searches for the last 30 days, making it easy to get back to your previous search results. The Search History feature is only available when you are signed in, and AOL Search will only display Search History for searches done while signed in. If you would like to see Search History, please sign in using the link at the upper right corner of this page.

View Search History

To view your search history, click on the Search History link in the upper right corner of the AOL® Search home page or a search results page.You will see your most recent Search History sorted by date.

Manage Search History

To manage your search history, click on the Search History link in the upper right corner of the AOL® Search home page or a search results page. You can view your search history by the type of search results, such as Web, Images or News.

In addition, you can search on the terms recorded in your search history by clicking the search term.

Delete Search History

To clear all your search history, click on the Search History link in the upper right corner of the AOL® Search home page or a search results page, then click the Clear All link.
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To delete a specific search just click the "X" icon to the right of any search that you want to delete. Please note that this will also remove any items that you might have clicked on from that search results page.

Turn Off Search History

To turn off the Search History feature, click on the Search History link in the upper right corner of the AOL® Search home page or a search results page, then click the Suspend History link.

Many users prefer not to have adult sites included in search results, especially if their kids use the same computer. SafeSearch screens for sites that contain explicit sexual content. No filter is 100% accurate, but SafeSearch should eliminate most inappropriate material.

Determine if SafeSearch Feature is On

To determine if SafeSearch feature is in use, click on the Settings link in the upper right corner of the AOL® Search home page or a search results page, then look for the selected option within the SafeSearch section. Strict filtering and moderate filtering are two different ways to use SafeSearch.

Turn SafeSearch On or Off

To turn on your SafeSearch feature, click on the Settings link in the upper right corner of the AOL® Search home page or a search results page, then choose the desired setting within the SafeSearch section, then press the "Save Setting" button to save your SafeSearch preference.

To turn off your SafeSearch feature, click on the Settings link in the upper right corner of the AOL® Search home page or a search results page, then choose "Turn SafeSearch Off" preference within the SafeSearch section, then press the "Save Setting" button to save your SafeSearch preference.

Find helpful tips to find what you're looking for with AOL® Search.

Help on Search Features and Tools
Find more details on AOL Search features and tools, such as image search, news search, SafeSearch and more.

About AOL Search
See what search results you'll get with AOL Search.

Update Your Search Settings
Update your settings for AOL Search, including SafeSearch, your search history and location management for local searches.

AOL Search Blog
Get the latest scoop and helpful search tips on the official AOL Search blog. Also find press releases and product announcements.

Hot Searches
See what's hot on AOL Search and share your comments on hot topics, such as entertainment news, breaking news and more.

Get Help via Twitter
AOL Search is on Twitter so follow us and give us feedback on your experience using AOL Search.

AOL Toolbar
Search the Web, block unwanted pop-ups and have easy access to your AOL or AIM® mail.

Add AOL Search to Internet Explorer 7 and Firefox
Fast searching within your Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer 7 browsers.

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