{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "BlogPosting",
  "schema_version": "1.1",
  "content_item_id": "briefing-google-search-console-multimodal-filter.en",
  "translation_group_id": "briefing-google-search-console-multimodal-filter",
  "locale": "en",
  "type": "briefing",
  "section": "briefings",
  "slug": "google-search-console-multimodal-filter",
  "title": "Search Console’s multimodal filter: exporting image-initiated search",
  "description": "Which search experiences the multimodal filter covers, where to apply it, and what context to preserve with an export.",
  "direct_answer": "To isolate searches initiated with an image, select the multimodal search type in Search Console’s Search results or Generative AI performance report, then click Export. Google includes Lens, Circle to Search on Android, image uploads to Google Search, and image searches from Chrome’s context menu in this segment.",
  "sections": [
    {
      "heading": "What was announced and when rollout began",
      "paragraphs": [
        "In its announcement dated 2026-09-24, Google introduced multimodal reporting for Search results and Generative AI features. It dated the start of global rollout to that day. Checking the snapshot on 2026-10-27 does not move the launch date into October.",
        "For a site owner, the practical change is the ability to isolate searches initiated with an image. This is a narrower task than analyzing generative-feature reporting overall: the relevant distinction here is how the search query begins."
      ],
      "source_ids": [
        "public-a88e24112a42eec8"
      ]
    },
    {
      "heading": "How to interpret the segment’s coverage",
      "paragraphs": [
        "Google’s list names Lens, Circle to Search on Android, uploading an image to Google Search, and the image-search command in Chrome’s context menu. Their shared characteristic is using an image to initiate a search.",
        "Our editorial inference is to label the export as the multimodal segment of the selected report. The list of supported experiences does not establish that the downloaded file lets you count each experience separately. The announcement does not describe that breakdown."
      ],
      "source_ids": [
        "public-a88e24112a42eec8"
      ]
    },
    {
      "heading": "What to check when exporting",
      "paragraphs": [
        "The documented route is short: open the relevant performance report, select the multimodal search type filter, and click Export. Google explicitly suggests using the downloaded data for analysis in other tools.",
        "To keep the export understandable outside the interface, we recommend recording the report name, selected period, and filter alongside the file. Then open the file and check that its contents can be associated with the recorded selection. This is a proposed verification workflow, not the result of an export we performed."
      ],
      "source_ids": [
        "public-a88e24112a42eec8"
      ]
    },
    {
      "heading": "Avoid an unsupported conclusion when data is missing",
      "paragraphs": [
        "Google says the metrics will appear if the site receives traffic from the corresponding queries. A global rollout announcement therefore does not, by itself, establish that a particular site has data.",
        "If you cannot obtain the intended segment, first record the observed state: the filter is unavailable, the report is empty, or the download failed. Our editorial recommendation is to leave the cause unresolved pending investigation. The announcement supplies no diagnostic rule that turns every such state into evidence that the site’s images are absent from search."
      ],
      "source_ids": [
        "public-a88e24112a42eec8"
      ]
    },
    {
      "heading": "Checking method and interpretation boundaries",
      "paragraphs": [
        "We computed the supplied public snapshot’s SHA-256, matched it against the specified value, and extracted the announcement body. We separately checked the date, report names, covered experiences, export instruction, and condition for metrics to appear. The check took place on 2026-10-27; no Search Console interface or actual exports were examined.",
        "To repeat the check, match those provisions against the body of Google’s announcement. Our added recommendation concerns preserving export context; the source does not measure the effect of that workflow. Original editorial copy is licensed CC BY 4.0; the source remains subject to its own terms."
      ],
      "source_ids": [
        "public-a88e24112a42eec8"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "published_at": "2026-10-28",
  "modified_at": "2026-10-28",
  "data_through": "2026-10-27",
  "next_review_at": "2026-11-03",
  "author": "GeoAeoAle Editorial",
  "origin": "editorial",
  "topics": [
    "Search Console",
    "Multimodal search",
    "Search analytics"
  ],
  "publisher": "GeoAeoAle Editorial",
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "canonical_url": "https://geoaeoale.com/en/briefings/google-search-console-multimodal-filter/",
  "claims": [
    {
      "claim_id": "multimodal-rollout",
      "text": "Google announced the start of the global rollout of Search Console multimodal reporting on 2026-09-24.",
      "status": "observed",
      "confidence": "high",
      "source_ids": [
        "public-a88e24112a42eec8"
      ],
      "publication_status": "public",
      "confidentiality": "public"
    },
    {
      "claim_id": "multimodal-coverage",
      "text": "The announcement covers Search results and Generative AI performance reports and names Lens, Circle to Search on Android, image uploads to Google Search, and image searches through Chrome.",
      "status": "observed",
      "confidence": "high",
      "source_ids": [
        "public-a88e24112a42eec8"
      ],
      "publication_status": "public",
      "confidentiality": "public"
    },
    {
      "claim_id": "multimodal-filter-export",
      "text": "Google instructs readers to select the multimodal search type filter in performance reports and use Export to download the data.",
      "status": "observed",
      "confidence": "high",
      "source_ids": [
        "public-a88e24112a42eec8"
      ],
      "publication_status": "public",
      "confidentiality": "public"
    },
    {
      "claim_id": "multimodal-traffic-condition",
      "text": "Google links the appearance of these metrics in the report to the site receiving traffic from the corresponding queries.",
      "status": "observed",
      "confidence": "high",
      "source_ids": [
        "public-a88e24112a42eec8"
      ],
      "publication_status": "public",
      "confidentiality": "public"
    },
    {
      "claim_id": "multimodal-export-context",
      "text": "The editorial recommendation is to preserve the report name, period, and selected multimodal filter alongside the export so that the segment retains its context.",
      "status": "inference",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "source_ids": [
        "public-a88e24112a42eec8"
      ],
      "publication_status": "public",
      "confidentiality": "public"
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "source_id": "public-a88e24112a42eec8",
      "canonical_url": "https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2026/09/web-multimodal-in-sc",
      "title": "Announcing web multimodal Search performance reporting in Search Console",
      "publisher": "Google Search Central",
      "source_type": "official",
      "locale": "en",
      "published_at": null,
      "checked_at": "2026-10-27",
      "sha256": "94b1e94b4ce294e8904a5dfc70bcb348cb498c8483671ab8690e082163f2ef36",
      "license": "Source terms apply",
      "visibility": "public"
    }
  ],
  "related_slugs": [
    "google-search-console-generative-ai-report",
    "google-ai-search"
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "One official snapshot was examined. No comparison between earlier and current versions of the announcement was performed.",
    "The announcement does not establish historical data depth, the exported file’s schema, or separate rows for each listed search experience.",
    "The source does not confirm rollout completion for every account or demonstrate traffic, ranking, or source link gains from using the filter."
  ],
  "corrections": []
}