Google confirmed 6 ranking updates in 2026 so far. This page lists each one with Google's own dates.
It updates whenever the Google Updates tracker records a new confirmation. For today's status, see Is Google updating right now?
Every confirmed Google update in 2026
Newest first, with Google's own start and completion dates from the Search Status Dashboard. Each update links to its own page.
| Started | Completed | Update | Type | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2026 spam update | Spam | Global, all languages; does not target link spam or site reputation abuse | |||
| June 2026 spam update | Spam | Global, all languages; "a normal spam update" per Google | |||
| May 2026 core update | Core | Second core update of 2026; heavy volatility reported | |||
| March 2026 core update | Core | First classic core update of 2026 | |||
| March 2026 spam update | Spam | Fastest rollout ever documented on the dashboard | |||
| February 2026 Discover core update | Discover core | First-ever Discover core update; US English only |
2026 in brief
Counts and extremes, computed from the table above.
Google confirmed 6 ranking updates in 2026 so far: 2 core, 3 spam, 1 Discover core.
The year opened with the February 2026 Discover core update on 5th Feb 2026. The most recent is the August 2026 spam update, which began on 18th Aug 2026.
The longest rollout was the February 2026 Discover core update at 21 days 17 hrs. The fastest was the March 2026 spam update at 19 hrs 30 min.
See also Google updates in 2025, the full history since 2011.
What we published about Google updates in 2026
10 dated entries from the Google Updates tracker, newest first.
- Google stops applying site reputation manual actions for EEA searchers from 30th Aug
- Google: naming an update is "primarily transparency", and anything actionable arrives separately
- Google confirms it is routing search result links through google.com/goto
- August 2026 spam update completes after 2 days 16 hours
- Google releases the August 2026 spam update
- June 2026 spam update finishes rolling out in about 2 days
- May 2026 core update completes after a volatile 12-day rollout
- March 2026 core update completes; Mueller explains staged rollouts
- March 2026 spam update completes in a record 19.5 hours
- First-ever Discover core update completes (US English only)
Sources
Frequently asked questions
How many Google core updates were there in 2026?
2 confirmed core updates so far, out of 6 confirmed updates of all types.
What was the biggest Google update of 2026?
Google does not rank its own updates by size. By rollout length, the February 2026 Discover core update took the longest at 21 days 17 hrs.
Each update page notes what Google said and what trackers observed.
Where do these dates come from?
From the ranking section of Google's Search Status Dashboard, which records when each update began and when it completed. Durations are Google's own figures.
Compiled by Claude from primary sources, checked by Akash Mansukhani before publication. See how we source and correct this page.Keywords Everywhere, "Google algorithm updates in 2026", last updated 6th Sep 2026, https://keywordseverywhere.com/news/google-algorithm-updates/2026/