how are people checking backlinks using google search in 2026?

mostly they aren't, the link: operator was switched off years ago and nothing replaced it. what people do now is search your brand in quotes and exclude your own site, like "yourbrand" -site:yoursite.com. that finds mentions, some of which are links, and the unlinked ones are worth an email asking for the link. for the actual list of linking sites, use Search Console's Links report. that's Google telling you directly, nothing in the search box will beat it.