If you’re searching for records in another country, you used to be able to use that country’s Google domain to get results localized for that country.
Google now gives localized results based on your current location, not the extension you’re searching with. So if you’re in the United States and want to search in England, you can’t type google.co.uk into the URL window and trick Google into giving you UK results.
But Google hasn’t left us high and dry. They now allow us to change the settings for our searches.
Whatever Google extension you use, in the bottom right-hand corner of the page there is a Settings menu where you can request results be localized to somewhere other than your current location.
Here’s an example of how you can get Google search results for another country by changing the settings on your search window.
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In the lower right-hand corner of your search window, select Settings, then Search Settings
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In the Region Settings window, select Show More to see all your country/region options
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Select the Region or Country for which you want localized results.
You can also make region settings changes on the Google app on your phone or tablet using these instructions.
Google explains:
“If you’re signed in when you save your settings, your settings will be the same in every browser you’re signed in to.
- Visit the Search settings page.
- Make sure you’re signed in to your Google Account. (If you see a blue Sign in button in the top right corner, you aren’t signed in.)
- Choose your search settings.
- At the bottom of the page, click Save.”
And if you’d like an example of why it’s helpful to change your location setting for genealogy searches, here’s an older blog (with outdated instructions) explaining why researchers use this technique.
Best in your research!
Here’s a pinnable image to save for future reference!
