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Google search "old style"

Change style in google search results page to look like the old design

< Feedback on Google search "old style"

Question/comment

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Posted: 2022/01/08

Looks like Google made a recent update. Any search result with a thumbnail image no longer displays in the 'old' style format. Example, search for 'Donkey Kong', the first 6 matches all have thumbnails and display in the new format. Hope you can fix this, thanks!

AchernarAuthor
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Posted: 2022/01/08

I've used my debug method to test multiple searches with different set of cookies, but I'm currently unable to get a "faulty" layout. I'll continue trying.
In the meantime, can you check to see if you haven't disabled to userstyle, or if it's not set to show the size only when the mouse pointer is over the thumbnail. Also, try restarting the browser in case somehow the userstyle's extension is in an unstable state. It happened once to a user, and to me too (a long time ago with another extension).

Another solution, if google is indeed at fault, is to clear google's cookies. But you'll have to reconfigure it if you don't use in its defaults.

Anyway, if google is testing/implementing modifications, I'll release a new version as soon as I see it.

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Posted: 2022/01/08

Ah it is the cookies. Deleting them and the style works fine. But as soon as I sign back in, the issue returns. I've tried VPN, clearing cache, different browsers, etc, all the same. Seems the issue follows my Google profile for some strange reason..

Something similar happened about a year ago. I was getting a different font suddenly on google searches, a few others on reddit reported the same, but no one else (and the font was normal when signed out of Google). It's as if a few of us are in a small B group of some type of A/B test Google is running. After a few days the font reverted back to standard. Hopefully this does too.

AchernarAuthor
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Posted: 2022/01/09

> Ah it is the cookies.
The behaviour of google is triggered by the cookie. When google tried new layouts in the past, only a small portion of the users were targeted. Always the same ones recognized by their cookie (SNID i think).
And, as you've discovered, identified users are checked by their userid instead of only the cookie. So you'll always get the same "layout".

> After a few days the font reverted back to standard. Hopefully this does too.
I have another userstyle handling the font problem. https://greasyfork.org/scripts/395346-google-search-old-style
I does more than that. It makes google results look like the old design of 2-3 years ago. But you can disable this by switching off options in stylus's popup menu, and only enable the font "override".

Anyway, I will update the style if/when I see the new design.

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Posted: 2022/01/09

I wish Chrome supported 'containers' like Firefox (so that my google session cookie was limited to just my gmail tab only). That would solve this issue. Or maybe it's finally time for me to switch default browsers. I've already been on my last straw with Chrome given the permanent additions to the right-click menu they keep forcing upon us.. (create QR code, send to device, copy link to highlight)

I also don't why Google ever switched to this new search style with the URL shown above the page title, ugh. The old style you've preserved is so much more visually appealing. Thanks for keeping this updated!

AchernarAuthor
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Posted: 2022/01/09

OK, I finally got the different display. I'll look at a fix later today.

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Posted: 2022/01/17

Thanks for that quick fix before. Looks like another update from Google just hit again. I'm using Firefox containers now so it's not a cookie issue this time. Appears to affect all basic results, thumbnails are mostly unaffected this time.

AchernarAuthor
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Posted: 2022/01/17

Fixed.
You can update.

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Posted: 2022/01/18

Thanks!

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Posted: 2022/06/25

Looks like Google updated again. Any search result with a preview image has reverted to the new style (white URL on top).

AchernarAuthor
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Posted: 2022/06/25

I've tried several searches on 7 google TLDs, but can't reproduce a problem so far. I'll update the userstyle as soon as I can.

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Posted: 2022/06/25

Thanks for checking. I forgot that my primary Google account must be in the 'early' update group. Searching while in incognito or a different Google profile is completely fine style-wise. I just switched my default profile for searches for now.

If this plays out like the last time, the global update might be pushed in the next day or two.

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Posted: 2022/07/13

Are you seeing the updated search results now? They now show in my alt google account and incognito.

AchernarAuthor
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Posted: 2022/07/13

Thanks for the reminder. I didn't check this week (didn't pay much attention).
I see the change now. It's fixed. Update the userstyle.

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Posted: 2022/07/13

Great, thanks for the quick update, cheers.

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Posted: 2022/08/20

Looks like G pushed out another change. I waited this time to notify until it showed up on incognito as well (as it always shows up on my account cookie sessions earlier, a couple weeks ago this time around).

AchernarAuthor
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Posted: 2022/08/24

Fixed.
The weird thing is that, while testing with the same cookie, the layout kept changing from new to old depending on the search text.

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Posted: 2022/08/24

Thanks for the fix!

I was experiencing the same effect (layout changing depending on search text). I hope G isn't going to adopt randomized CSS tags like other sites are implementing..

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Posted: 2022/09/14

Looks like a very minor G update - Twitter user links in search results are showing in the new style (I think b/c G increased the font size of Twitter user links). Same result in signed-in and incognito.

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Posted: 2023/08/01

Looks like a new update was pushed which broke the theme again (tested in incognito as well, so not cookie/session-related). VPN checks show the update is live in Europe and Asia but not the US yet.

AchernarAuthor
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Posted: 2023/08/01

I'm unable to trigger the new update at the moment. I'll continue to try.

stay tuned...

AchernarAuthor
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Posted: 2023/08/02

It should be fixed in the new version.

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