What is reverse image search? Search by image online

What is reverse image search?

The Google reverse image search is a kind of search engine technology that uses the image as an input query and then returns results that relate to that image. Search engines with reverse image capabilities comprise Google. Some websites, including Reddit, pinterest also offer image reverse search capabilities.

Be aware that a reverse search is not 100% reliable. Similar to a normal Google search, there are times when you will not locate what you’re trying to find. When this occurs, it’s most likely that the person who created the image prevented their website from being listed and, therefore, Google can’t find the image. This could also occur when you look up posts by users, like best memes, where the initial source is an online social media website.

How To Do A Reverse Image Search On Computer?

Go over to Google Images and click the camera icon within the box for search. Then, you’ll be in a position to upload an image from your computer or copy and paste a link to an online image.

reverse image search, search reverse image online

To copy a URL to an image that you have found online you need to right-click on the image, and then select Copy image address. Then, paste it in the box for searching which will have the option set for Paste Image URL as the default. When you’re running Chrome as well as Firefox browsers you’ll be capable of dragging an image from your computer to the box for search.

Chrome users also have a benefit, they can do a reverse image search whenever they see images on websites. Anyone who wishes to google image reverse search is required to right-click the image and choose Search Google for Image.

How To Reverse Image Search on Mobile?

Google has integrated image search reverse function for phones and tablets, though only on a limited basis.

If you open images.domain.com on your smartphone the camera icon won’t appear on the page’s search results. To access it, you’ll need to install the desktop version on your smartphone. It is compatible with Safari however, it’s most effective using the Chrome browser application while doing a reverse image search on iPhone or android. 

In Safari Tap the aA icon on the left side and choose Request Desktop Site. In Chrome scroll down until the bottom, then tap the three dots menu, then choose Request Desktop Website. In both mobile browsers, it will open Google Images on the desktop. Google Images and the camera icon will show up. You can then upload images taken from the camera roll.

Another way to reverse search your images is with the Image Prospector app. It lets you bulk upload your images and gives you a sorted table of every page where your images appeared.