The ‘cache’ option used to appear as a link in a search result, giving the option of accessing a previously cached version of a page, but it was recently removed. For now, the feature remains accessible using the search format cache:domain, i.e. cache:betanews.com, but this option is going to be eliminated as well.

There are hopes that the option to view cached versions of web pages may be restored, perhaps using the Internet Archive, but this is yet to be confirmed. Writing on X via its Google SearchLiaison account, the company explains that although the feature has been removed, they hope to add links to the Internet Archive within About This Result. The company mentioned that the removal of the feature was due to the significant improvement in page loading speed and reliability, which made the cache option less necessary.

There are no promises of reintroducing the feature, and the decision involves discussions with external parties. The company also affirmed that they would continue to respect the “noarchive” tag, which allows pages to be excluded from caching. The reasons for Google’s decision to remove the feature and the potential implementation timescale for any new features remain unclear.