Cached links removed from search results

What changed

Google confirmed it had dropped the "Cached" link that had appeared alongside results since the early years of the engine, saying it was originally added because pages often failed to load and was no longer needed. Practitioners had used it to inspect what Google had indexed and to check for cloaking. Google later pointed users at the Wayback Machine and retired the cache: search operator in September 2024.

Timing

Rollout began 1 February 2024. No completion date was announced. Rankings typically remain unstable for the whole rollout window, so measurements taken inside it are not a reliable read on the outcome.

What it affected