How to Reverse Image Search an Instagram Photo

When a reverse image search helps

A reverse image search starts from a picture instead of words and returns pages where that picture, or something close to it, appears. For Instagram, that's useful when you want to:

• Find who originally posted a photo, meme or piece of art before you share or credit it.
• Check an account that's contacting you, such as a new follower, a dating match or a "brand" offering a deal.
• See whether your own photos have been reposted or used on a fake profile.
• Spot fake followers, which often use stock or stolen photos. Our guide to checking for fake followers covers the other warning signs.

Step 1: Get the image out of Instagram

Instagram has no image search of its own, so you need the picture as a file or a link:

1. Open the post or profile photo and view it as large as possible.
2. Take a screenshot.
3. Crop it so only the image remains, with no usernames, buttons or captions. Extra interface elements make matches less accurate.

A screenshot is the simplest route for other people's posts. For saving your own content, or posts shared with you, our guide to saving Instagram photos lists the official options.

How to search with Google Lens

Google Lens returns a mix of results, which can include pages that contain the picture, visually similar images and information about objects in it.

On a computer

1. Go to google.com and click the Search by image icon in the search box.
2. Choose Upload a file and pick your screenshot, or drag the image into the box. If you have an image address, paste it into Paste image link instead.
3. In Chrome, you can also right-click an image on any web page and choose Search with Google Lens to see results in a side panel.

On Android

1. Open the Google app or Chrome and tap the Google Lens icon in the search bar.
2. Choose your screenshot from your photos.
3. Drag the corners of the selection box around the part of the image you care about.

In the Google app or Chrome, you can also touch and hold an image on a web page and tap Search image with Google Lens.

On iPhone

1. In Chrome, open a new tab and tap the Google Lens icon in the search bar, or use the Google Lens option in the Google app.
2. Tap the photo picker to choose your screenshot.
3. Adjust the selection if needed.

On web pages in Chrome for iPhone, touch and hold an image and tap Search image with Google.

How to search with Bing Visual Search

Bing's index differs from Google's, so it's a worthwhile second opinion.

1. Go to Bing Images and click the camera icon in the search box.
2. Drag in an image, browse to upload your screenshot, or paste an image or URL. On a computer with a webcam, you can also take a photo.
3. Review the related pages and similar images Bing returns.

On a phone, the same camera option lets you take a photo or pick a saved image.

How to search with TinEye

TinEye is a dedicated reverse image search engine. It's free for non-commercial use, and its sorting options are built for tracing where an image came from and how it's been edited.

1. Go to tineye.com.
2. Upload your screenshot, drag and drop it, paste it from your clipboard, or enter an image URL.
3. Sort the results. Oldest shows the earliest copies TinEye has found, and Most Changed surfaces heavily edited versions.

TinEye also lets you compare a match against your original to see what was cropped or altered, and it says it doesn't save the images you search with. Browser extensions are available for Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Opera.

Which tool to use

Try at least two. A match on one engine and nothing on another is normal.

How to check a catfish or impersonator account

A profile photo that appears elsewhere under a different name is a strong warning sign. The FTC specifically suggests reverse searching a suspected romance scammer's profile picture and treating a photo tied to another name or mismatched details as a sign of a scam.

When you review results, look for:

• The same photo under a different name, or on a model, influencer or stock photo site.
• An older original. If a copy existed years before the Instagram account was created, the account probably isn't the person pictured.
• Several accounts using the same set of photos.

Then check the account itself: recent creation, few posts uploaded all at once, and pressure to move to another app or send money. The FTC's advice is blunt: never send money or gifts to someone you haven't met in person.

Limits of reverse image search on Instagram

• Private accounts are invisible to search engines. Instagram's Help Center says no one can see links to a private account's photos and videos in search engine results. A private account's profile photo, name, username and bio remain visible to anyone, though.
• Public posts are only partly indexed. Instagram says a public account may appear in search engine results, but no engine indexes everything.
• No results isn't proof. TinEye notes that an image with no results may still exist elsewhere online, including on social media.
• It doesn't reveal identities. These tools show where an image is published. Don't use them to track down private individuals, and don't trust sites that promise to unlock private profiles; our guide to private Instagram profile viewers explains why they're scams.

How to report impersonation on Instagram

If an account is pretending to be you, someone you follow, a public figure or a business:

1. Go to the account's profile.
2. Tap Options (the three dots) next to their username.
3. Tap Report, then Report account.
4. Tap It's pretending to be someone else.
5. Choose the type of impersonation and follow the instructions.

Instagram says reports are anonymous, except intellectual property reports. If you don't have an Instagram account, or you're reporting on behalf of someone you're authorized to represent, such as your child, use Instagram's impersonation report form in the Help Center. Note that Instagram only accepts impersonation reports, not reports that an account is "misrepresenting itself" in general. For accounts that are harassing you, blocking stops further contact while you wait. Our Community Guidelines explainer covers what else Instagram treats as inauthentic behavior.

How to report a stolen photo (copyright)

If someone reposted a photo you took without permission, that's a copyright matter rather than impersonation:

• Report it through Instagram's copyright report form in the Help Center.
• Only the copyright owner or an authorized representative can file.
• Instagram says it regularly shares the rights owner's name, your email and the report details with the person who posted the content, so consider using a business or professional email.

If you post original photography or artwork, keep your original files, since they help show the work is yours if you ever need to report a copy. Our #photography and #art pages include tag sets for sharing original work.