How to use reverse image search to find stolen photos

What reverse image search can and can't find

A reverse image search compares your photo against the images a search engine has already found on the web. It shows you exact copies, resized or edited versions, and pages where the image appears.

It has limits:

• It only finds what's been indexed. Brand-new uploads, private groups, most posts behind a login and many adult sites won't show up.
• Heavy edits can hide a match. Strong filters, flipped images, big crops or text over the photo can stop a tool from recognizing it.
• Each tool has its own index. That's why you should use more than one.

So a search that finds nothing doesn't prove your photo isn't out there. It means it hasn't turned up in that tool yet.

Before you search: get your image ready

• Use the original file if you have it, at full size. Bigger, cleaner images match better.
• Make a couple of cropped versions, for example just the main subject or a distinctive background. Copies are often cropped, and a crop can catch them.
• If it's a video, take screenshots of a few clear, distinctive frames and search those.
• If it's an intimate photo, crop to a non-explicit part, like a background, tattoo or piece of clothing. You don't need to upload the explicit image to find copies. If the image shows anyone under 18, don't upload it anywhere. See our guidance on images of minors.

Which tools to use

Each search engine keeps its own index of images, so each one finds different copies. Using more than one catches far more.

• Google's reverse image search has the biggest index, and shows visual matches and the pages that contain your image.
• Bing Visual Search often turns up copies that Google misses, and the other way around.
• TinEye is built for finding copies of an image rather than images that only look similar, which makes it useful for tracing where a photo has been reused.

All three are free for everyday searches. What they can't do is keep checking for you. New copies only show up if you search again.

Check social platforms directly

Most social posts aren't fully visible to search engines, so a reverse search will miss a lot of them. Fill the gap by searching on the platforms themselves:

• Search your name, usernames and business name on each platform.
• Search hashtags or keywords you'd expect someone to use with your photo.
• Ask friends, followers or customers to tell you if they spot your images somewhere unexpected.

Make sense of your results

• Exact matches are your photo, possibly resized. These are the clearest cases.
• Edited versions (cropped, filtered, flipped or with a watermark removed) still count if they come from your photo.
• Similar images are photos that only look alike. Ignore these unless they really are yours.
• Licensed or allowed uses might be in there too, like a client you sold the photo to or a site you gave permission to. Check before you report.

Keep a record

For each copy, note the exact page URL, the date you found it and a screenshot with the URL visible. That record is what every takedown request starts from. Copies keep appearing, so the list is never really finished.

Fake profiles using your photos

Reverse image search is one of the best ways to catch fake accounts using your face, for example on dating apps or in scams. If you find one:

• Screenshot the profile, including the username and URL.
• Report it using the platform's impersonation report, not a general report. Impersonation reports usually go to a specialist team.
• Warn friends or followers if the account is contacting people you know.

If the platform doesn't act, see our personal takedown service.

What to do when you find a copy

• Copied photos on a website or platform: follow our guide on getting stolen content removed from a website.
• Thinking about a formal request: see what's involved in filing a DMCA takedown notice.
• Intimate photos of you: see how to remove nude photos or videos from the internet.
• Still showing in Google after removal: see how to remove a webpage from Google search results.

Finding copies is the easy part. Where people get stuck is working out who actually runs or hosts each site, getting every detail of the request right, and following up when a site ignores it. If you found lots of copies, each site is its own takedown, so the work adds up fast.

Common questions