How to Reverse Image Search on iPhone, Android and Desktop

To do a reverse image search, you search with a photo instead of words, using Google Lens, Bing or TinEye. The search engine then shows you which websites already have the same image or a similar one. On a computer, start at google.com. On a phone, use the Google app, Chrome or, on an iPhone, even Safari.

That's how you catch a Facebook Marketplace listing that uses photos from an online store, or a dating profile built on a model's pictures. Old news photos passed off as breaking news show up too. At TrustCamera we build a camera app that attaches a check code to photos when they are taken. Reverse image search is the opposite approach: it tries to work out after the fact where a picture came from.

What a reverse image search shows and when it helps

A reverse image search compares your photo with the images a search engine has already found online. You get back web pages that contain the same picture, plus visually similar images. If a supposedly private photo already appears on someone else's page, maybe under another name or with an older date, that's a strong warning sign.

It helps most in three situations. When you shop online, it exposes listings whose photos come from a retailer, a manufacturer or an older listing. On dating apps, it unmasks profiles built on stolen pictures. The Federal Trade Commission suggests running a reverse image search on a love interest's profile picture: if it's associated with another name or with details that don't match up, those are signs of a romance scam. With viral images, it shows whether a photo is really new or comes from a different context.

Reverse image search is one of several ways to tell if a photo is real. That guide gives you the overview. This one goes deep on a single method: how it works on every device, which services complement each other and how to read what you find.

How to reverse image search with Google on desktop, Android and iPhone

Google runs its image search through Google Lens. On a computer, it works in most browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge, according to Google Search Help. The same help page covers Android and iPhone. If a menu item looks different on your device, look for the Lens icon.

On a computer and in Chrome

1. Go to google.com and click the "Search by image" icon in the search box.
2. Choose "Upload a file" or drag the image file straight into the search box.
3. For an image on a website, right-click it, choose "Copy Image Address" and paste it under "Paste image link".
4. Go through the results, especially the websites that show exactly this image.

In Chrome it's even quicker: right-click any image and choose "Search with Google Lens". The results open in a sidebar, so the page you were on stays visible. After uploading, you can type extra words into the "Add to your search" box, such as the model name of a phone. Google says image URLs you search aren't saved in your browsing history, but Google may store them to improve its services.

Reverse image search on Android

Open the Google app or Chrome and tap the Lens icon in the search bar. To use a saved picture, pick it under "Screenshots", or point your camera at something. For an image on a website, touch and hold it and tap "Search image with Google Lens". In Chrome, this only works if Google is your default search engine. Drag the corners of the box to search just part of the image.

On select Android phones, including Pixel 6 and later, there's also Circle to Search. Touch and hold the Home button or navigation handle, then circle the image, whatever app it's in. That lets you check a profile or listing photo without saving it first. Google notes that it may not work in some apps, such as banking or medical apps.

Reverse image search on iPhone

You don't need an extra app on an iPhone. Open google.com in Safari, tap the Lens icon in the search box and use the photo picker to choose a picture from your library. It works the same way in the Google app and in Chrome. To search an image on a website, touch and hold it: in the Google app, tap "Search inside image", and in Chrome, tap "Search image with Google". Chrome again needs Google as its default search engine.

TinEye and Bing: get a second opinion

Each service searches its own collection of images. If Google finds nothing, or only lookalikes, try TinEye or Bing next. Before a big decision, such as paying a deposit, it's worth checking a suspicious photo with at least two services anyway.

TinEye: find copies and sort them by date

TinEye looks for copies of an image, including modified versions. You can drag the photo onto the page, paste it from your clipboard, upload it or enter an image URL. Sorting is what makes it useful for checking: "Oldest" puts the earliest finds on top, and "Most Changed" shows the most heavily edited versions first. "Compare Match" lets you flip between your image and a match, so differences stand out. You can also limit results to stock photo sites, which is handy for dating profiles.

According to its tutorial, TinEye doesn't save the images you search and doesn't add them to its index. If it finds nothing, that only means the image isn't in TinEye's index. It may still exist somewhere online.

Bing: Visual Search with the camera icon

On Bing, switch to image search and select the camera icon in the search box. On a computer, you can drag an image into the box, upload it, or paste an image or URL. On a phone, pick a saved photo or take a new one. According to Microsoft Support, the results include pages that use the image and related images. Microsoft also notes that photos you provide may be used to improve Bing's image processing.

Can you reverse image search a screenshot or a video?

Not every image can be saved, especially inside apps or chats. A screenshot solves that. Crop it so only the photo itself is left, without the status bar, names or buttons. The less clutter in the image, the better the matches tend to be. On Android phones with Circle to Search, skip the screenshot and circle the image right on your screen.

You can't search a whole video at once, because the common services work with still images. Pause the video at distinctive moments and take a screenshot of each. Scenes with buildings, street signs, landscapes or a logo work well. If a still turns up in a much older video, the footage was probably reused.

What a reverse image search can't tell you is whether a video was manipulated with AI. It only finds sources that are already online. For signs to watch for in suspicious clips, read our guide on how to spot a deepfake.

How to read the results: the oldest match matters most

A list of matches is not a verdict yet. What counts is where an image appears and since when. These five questions help you sort through the results:

1. Where did the image appear first? The earliest find is often the source. A product photo that sat in an online store two years before the listing hardly belongs to the seller.
2. Which name is attached to it? A profile picture that belongs to someone with a different name elsewhere is a clear red flag.
3. Is it a stock photo? Stock images in private listings or dating profiles are suspicious.
4. Is it the same image or just a similar one? Similar images often just show the same subject. Two photos of the same phone model don't prove anything was copied.
5. Was it changed? A different crop, a mirrored version or a retouched detail points to editing.

Google offers extra help in some regions. About this image shows when Google may have first seen the image or similar versions of it. An "Early uses" section can highlight pages that used it much earlier than the other results. To get there, search for an image on Google, open it in the image viewer and select "About".

If you find edited versions, compare them closely. Our guide on how to tell if a photo is photoshopped shows what to look for.

On the other hand, not every match proves a scam. A seller may have used their own photo in an earlier listing, and plenty of people use the same profile picture on several platforms. If in doubt, ask for a new photo with a detail you choose, or better, a short video call that shows the item. Someone who really owns it can do either within minutes.

Stolen photos are just one sign of a fake listing. Our guide to Facebook Marketplace scams covers the others, from deposit requests to fake payment emails, and our guide to rental scams does the same for apartment listings. If copied product photos fill a whole online store rather than a single listing, our guide on how to tell if a website is legit shows how to vet the shop.

Is reverse image search accurate? Why no results proves nothing

Reverse image search is good at finding copies of pictures that are already online. It hits its limits when there's no copy, or when the service doesn't know about it. There are four typical reasons:

• New photos: A picture that was never online has no earlier copies. That goes for genuine snapshots and for photos taken specifically for a scam.
• AI images: A freshly generated image is one of a kind, so the search finds similar subjects at best. Our guide on how to tell if an image is AI-generated covers what to check instead.
• Closed spaces: Search engines usually can't see images in private profiles, chats or groups.
• Heavy changes: Mirrored, tightly cropped, filtered or text-covered images aren't always recognized.

A few tricks improve your odds. Try more than one service, search a cropped detail instead of the whole picture, and flip a suspicious photo back before searching again. If the list stays empty, it only means the image wasn't obviously copied.

Next, look at the file itself. If you check the photo metadata, you may see the camera model and capture date, unless they were stripped. Then check the context: do the profile, the price and the story fit together?

Can you find a person by photo? What works and where to stop

Many people try to find someone with a reverse image search. Google Lens and TinEye search for pictures, though, not faces. According to Google, Lens doesn't use biometric facial recognition, although results may appear for notable public figures. For a private person, you'll at most find the same photo somewhere else, not other pictures of them. That's often enough to spot a fake dating profile or social media account.

There are also face search engines that look for a face and return other photos of the same person. They are controversial because anyone with a single snapshot can use them to track down a stranger who has no idea. We advise against uploading photos of other people to such services.

Searching for yourself makes sense, though. Run your own profile pictures through a reverse image search now and then to see whether someone uses them for a fake profile. If you find one, report it through the platform's reporting tool. Our guide on what to do if you get catfished also covers the next steps when someone uses your photos.

Prove your own photos instead of relying on search results

Reverse image search has a blind spot that hits honest sellers hardest: a genuine photo you just took returns no matches, exactly like a fake. A skeptical buyer can't read anything into an empty results list. Proof that is created at the moment of capture is more convincing.

That's why we start at the other end with TrustCamera. You take the photo or video directly in the app, and uploads from your gallery aren't possible. The app stores a digital fingerprint of the file, the capture time and the approximate location, never the exact position. With the capture's check code, the other person can check in a browser, free and without an account, that the image hasn't changed since.

Such proof shows that the file hasn't been altered since it was taken. It can't tell whether the scene itself was staged. The app is coming soon for Android and iOS. Until then, our homepage shows how verification works.

Frequently asked questions about reverse image search

Is reverse image search accurate?

It's accurate at one job: finding copies of images that are already indexed online. It can't see new photos, freshly generated AI images or pictures in private accounts, and heavy edits can throw it off. Similar-looking results are not the same as a match. Treat a hit as a strong clue and an empty list as no answer at all.

Can you reverse image search on iPhone without an app?

Yes. Open google.com in Safari, tap the Lens icon in the search box and choose a photo from your library. The Google app and Chrome work too and add a touch-and-hold option for images on websites. Bing and TinEye also run in your phone's browser, where you can upload a saved photo.

Is reverse image search free?

Yes. Google Lens and Bing Visual Search don't cost anything. TinEye is free for non-commercial use, and only commercial users pay for search bundles through its API. For checking a listing or profile photo, the free options are all you need.

Can you reverse image search to find a person?

Only to a limited extent. Google Lens and TinEye find the same photo in other places, but they don't recognize faces. For a private person, you'll see where their picture appears, not other photos of them. Face search engines go further but are controversial. Don't upload strangers' photos to them.

Can you reverse image search a video?

Not directly, since the common services work with still images. Pause the video at several distinctive moments, take screenshots and search for those frames. If one of them shows up in an older video, the footage was reused or taken out of context.

Which reverse image search is best?

There's no single best one, because each service knows different images. Google Lens also shows similar images and information about objects, while TinEye focuses on copies and can sort them by date. Other services, such as Yandex's image search, work on the same principle. For important decisions, use at least two.

What happens to the photos I upload?

That depends on the service. TinEye says it doesn't save the images you search and doesn't add them to its index. Microsoft says photos you provide to Bing may be used to improve its image processing. Don't upload private or intimate photos anywhere, not even to check them.

Bottom line: reverse image search finds copies, not proof

A reverse image search is the fastest first test for any suspicious photo. On a computer, google.com is enough. On a phone, use the Google app, Chrome or Safari. TinEye and Bing give you a second opinion when you need one. Look for the oldest match and for names that don't fit.

A match is a strong warning sign, but an empty list is no proof that a photo is real. Combine the search with other checks and don't let anyone rush you into paying. For your own photos, you can go the other way and document where they came from right from the start.