A LMGTFY alternative that still works

You probably got here because you typed "lmgtfy" into your browser out of habit, hit enter, and got something that wasn't what you remembered. It happens to a lot of people. Let Me Google That For You was one of those tiny internet jokes that everyone knew, and then one day it just sort of stopped being reliable. The cursor animation that made the whole thing funny went missing somewhere along the way.

LMFIFY is what I built to replace it. Same joke, same gentle nudge, except it doesn't assume everything worth finding lives on Google.

So what actually happened to LMGTFY?

The short version: it stopped being dependable. Depending on when you tried it you might have hit a domain change, a version without the animation, or a page that loaded but did nothing clever. The idea behind it never stopped being useful, though. Somebody asks you a question they could have typed into a search box in four seconds, and instead of writing out a whole answer you send them a link that shows them how.

That was always the trick. It isn't really about being rude. Done right it's a joke you're both in on, and the person on the other end learns something. Done badly it's just snark. More on that further down, because it matters.

What LMFIFY does differently

It isn't Google-only

This is the big one, and honestly it's the reason I built the thing. LMGTFY had exactly one destination. But half the questions people ask me aren't Google questions at all. "Which robot vacuum should I buy?" is a Reddit question. "How do I replace a headlight bulb?" is a YouTube question. "Why is my build failing?" is a Stack Overflow question. And these days an awful lot of them are just ChatGPT questions.

So you pick the platform from the dropdown before you make your link. Right now that's Google, ChatGPT, Reddit, X, YouTube, Wikipedia, Amazon, GitHub, Stack Overflow, Google Maps and DuckDuckGo. The ChatGPT one is my favourite, because the link arrives with the question already asked and sent. Your friend clicks and lands on an actual answer, not an empty prompt box.

The cursor animation is back

This was the bit everyone remembered and the bit that quietly disappeared. When someone opens a link you made, a little mouse pointer drifts across the screen to the search box, the query types itself out one character at a time, and then the pointer slides down to the search button and waits there with a small pulse. Then it fades away.

It takes about five seconds and it does nothing useful whatsoever. That is entirely the point. Without it you've just sent someone a hyperlink, which is not funny. With it you've sent them a tiny performance.

No account, no shortener, no database

You don't sign up. You don't log in. There's nothing to install. The query lives in the link itself, which means two useful things: the link never expires because there's no database row anywhere waiting to be deleted, and anyone can read the URL before they click it. Given how many shortened links turn out to be something you didn't want to open, that second one is worth more than it sounds.

The trade-off is honest: the links are longer than a shortened one. I decided I'd rather have links that keep working in five years than links that look tidy today.

How to use it

It takes about ten seconds, and there are four steps, none of which involve reading instructions:

1. Type the question your friend just asked you.
2. Pick where it should be answered — Google, ChatGPT, Reddit, wherever fits.
3. Hit Create a link and copy what comes back.
4. Send it. Wait. Enjoy.

There's a Search button too, which just runs the search yourself in a new tab. Handy when you were only ever going to look it up for them anyway.

Every platform you can point a link at

A word on not being a jerk about it

I should say this plainly, because it's the difference between a funny link and a friendship-damaging one. Sending one of these to your mate who asked what year Jurassic Park came out is great. Sending one to your mum, who is genuinely stuck and asked you because she trusts you, is not.

The best use I've seen of it isn't sarcasm at all. It's teaching. Someone who isn't confident with computers watches the pointer move, watches the words appear, watches where the button is, and the next time they don't need to ask. That's a genuinely nice thing to do for a person. Read the room and you'll be fine.

Common questions

Is this free?

Yes. No account, no limits, no upsell. If you want to support it there's a sponsor slot, and that's the whole business model.

Do my old LMGTFY links still work here?

No, and they can't — those pointed at a different site entirely. You just make a new one, which takes less time than reading this answer.

Can I use it for Reddit or YouTube instead of Google?

That's the main reason it exists. Pick the platform in the dropdown before you create the link and it's baked into the URL you share.

Does the person clicking need an account?

For most platforms, no. ChatGPT links may ask them to sign in, but that's ChatGPT's rule, not mine.

Does it work on a phone?

Making and opening links works fine on mobile. The pointer animation only plays on larger screens, because a cursor gliding around a touchscreen doesn't mean anything.

Who made this?

I did — I'm Peter, and the longer version of why is on our story.

Go make one

Someone will ask you something today that they could have looked up themselves. That's not a complaint, it's an opportunity.