# HowTo schema

Category: [Structured Data & SERP Features](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/category/structured-data-serp-features/) › [Schema types](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/category/structured-data-serp-features/schema-types/) · Also known as: HowTo markup · Historical

**HowTo schema** is a schema.org type for instructions that lead to a result in a sequence of steps. Google used to show these steps as rich results in Search. It no longer does.

## What is the status today?

Google removed its HowTo structured data documentation on September 14, 2023, stating that the rich result is no longer shown in search results on desktop or mobile. The change was announced in a Search Central blog post on August 8, 2023, which first limited How-to rich results to desktop. Since September 13, 2023 they no longer appear on desktop either.

The schema.org vocabulary itself still exists. `HowTo` can describe a `step` list, `supply` (consumed materials), `tool` and `totalTime`. `Recipe` is a subtype of `HowTo`, and Google still documents rich results for recipes.

Guides that recommend HowTo markup to win step snippets in Google are out of date.

## Example

```html
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "HowTo",
  "name": "Change a bike tire",
  "totalTime": "PT20M",
  "step": [
    { "@type": "HowToStep", "text": "Remove the wheel." },
    { "@type": "HowToStep", "text": "Pull off the tire and inner tube." }
  ]
}
</script>
```

## Do you need to remove existing markup?

Google's documentation gives no instruction for that. The markup does no harm, but it adds no visible feature in Google Search (assessment).

## At a glance

- **Format:** Structured data using schema.org (JSON-LD, Microdata or RDFa)
- **Where:** in the HTML of the page
- **Vocabulary:** HowTo with HowToStep
- **Rich result:** No longer shown in Google Search (desktop since 2023-09-13)
- **Status:** Rich result retired, Google documentation removed on 2023-09-14
- **Docs:** [Google: Changes to HowTo and FAQ rich results](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2023/08/howto-faq-changes)

Last checked: October 8, 2026

## Retired search features and rich results

- **September 5, 2014:** Google introduces the improved sitelinks search box. It sends queries straight to the site's own search pages. ([Source](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2014/09/improved-sitelinks-search-box))
- **August 23, 2016:** Google announces it will remove the “mobile-friendly” label from mobile results, as 85% of pages already meet the criteria. ([Source](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2016/08/helping-users-easily-access-content-on))
- **January 21, 2020:** Google announces the end of data-vocabulary.org. Markup in this format is to lose rich result eligibility from April 6, 2020. ([Source](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2020/01/data-vocabulary))
- **October 30, 2020:** Google moves the end of data-vocabulary.org support to January 29, 2021. ([Source](https://developers.google.com/search/updates#october-2020))
- **November 10, 2020:** Google announces that from May 2021, non-AMP pages will also be eligible for the mobile Top Stories feature. ([Source](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2020/11/timing-for-page-experience))
- **April 19, 2021:** New timing from mid-June 2021. AMP is then no longer required for Top Stories, and Google stops showing the AMP badge. ([Source](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2021/04/more-details-page-experience))
- **July 18, 2023:** Google removes the related: search operator from its documentation, as it is no longer supported. ([Source](https://developers.google.com/search/updates#july-2023))
- **August 8, 2023:** Google limits FAQ rich results to well-known government and health websites. How-to rich results are shown on desktop only. ([Source](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2023/08/howto-faq-changes))
- **September 13, 2023:** How-to rich results are no longer shown on desktop either. Google calls the result type deprecated. ([Source](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2023/08/howto-faq-changes))
- **October 13, 2023:** Google removes the host group element from its visual elements gallery, as it no longer appears in search results. ([Source](https://developers.google.com/search/updates#october-2023))
- **April 17, 2024:** Google removes the guidance for the limited-access video carousel after the markup proved not useful at scale. ([Source](https://developers.google.com/search/updates#removing-video-carousel-limited-access-documentation))
- **August 9, 2024:** The Notes experiment, which let users add notes to search results, has ended. Google removes its documentation. ([Source](https://developers.google.com/search/updates#notes-gone))
- **September 24, 2024:** The cache: search operator no longer works. Google removes its documentation. ([Source](https://developers.google.com/search/updates#cache-docs))
- **October 2, 2024:** The cached link is no longer available in search results. Google keeps noarchive only as a historical rule. ([Source](https://developers.google.com/search/updates#removing-noarchive))
- **October 21, 2024:** Google announces that it will remove the sitelinks search box worldwide from November 21, 2024. Other sitelinks remain. ([Source](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2024/10/sitelinks-search-box))
- **November 29, 2024:** Google removes the sitelinks search box documentation and archives the nositelinkssearchbox rule. ([Source](https://developers.google.com/search/updates#bye-sitelinkbox))
- **January 23, 2025:** Mobile search results no longer show breadcrumbs in the visible URL, only the domain. They remain on desktop. ([Source](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2025/01/simplifying-breadcrumbs))
- **June 12, 2025:** Google announces it will phase out several structured data features, including Book Actions, Course Info, ClaimReview, Estimated Salary, Learning Video, Special Announcement and Vehicle Listing. ([Source](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2025/06/simplifying-search-results))
- **September 9, 2025:** Google removes the documentation for course info, estimated salary, learning video, special announcement and vehicle listing. These types no longer appear in results. ([Source](https://developers.google.com/search/updates#simplification))
- **November 5, 2025:** Google phases out the practice problem and dataset types in Search. For Book Actions, Google withdraws the deprecation notice. ([Source](https://developers.google.com/search/updates#simplification-nov))
- **May 7, 2026:** FAQ rich results no longer appear in Google Search. Google announced this in its changelog entry of May 8, 2026. ([Source](https://developers.google.com/search/updates#deprecating-the-faq-rich-result-feature))
- **June 15, 2026:** Google removes the documentation for the FAQ rich result. ([Source](https://developers.google.com/search/updates#removing-faq-rich-result))
- **July 1, 2026:** Google now sends users directly to AMP pages on the publisher's own host. The AMP viewer, AMP Cache and signed exchanges are no longer involved. ([Source](https://developers.google.com/search/updates#updating-amp-documentation))

## Related terms

- [FAQ schema](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/faq-schema/index.md)
- [Recipe schema](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/recipe-schema/index.md)
- [Schema.org](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/schema-org/index.md)
- [JSON-LD](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/json-ld/index.md)
- [Rich results](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/rich-results/index.md)
- [Schema Markup Validator](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/schema-markup-validator/index.md)
- [Structured data](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/structured-data/index.md)

## Sources

- [Search Central documentation updates (Sept 14, 2023)](https://developers.google.com/search/updates)
- [Changes to HowTo and FAQ rich results – Google Search Central Blog (Aug 8, 2023, updated Sept 14, 2023)](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2023/08/howto-faq-changes)
- [HowTo – schema.org](https://schema.org/HowTo)
- [Intro to structured data – Google Search Central](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/intro-structured-data)

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Last updated: October 8, 2026
URL: https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/howto-schema/