How to Do a Reverse Image Search and Verify a Photo
In short: To reverse image search, upload a picture or paste its address into Google Lens, Bing Visual Search, Yandex Images or TinEye. The search shows where that picture, or a version of it, already appears online. To verify a photo, look for the oldest copy and compare its date, place and caption with the claim.
Key facts
Google says that in Chrome on a computer you can right-click an image and choose "Search with Google Lens".
TinEye says it finds copies "that have been cropped, edited or resized", but "does not typically find similar images".
TinEye's "oldest" date is when it found an image: "we can't tell you when an image first appeared on the internet" (TinEye Help).
Yandex says its results "depend on whether the images exist on the internet and whether they've been indexed by Yandex".
In December 2025, Full Fact used reverse image search to show that a photo shared as a family "from Sheffield" was a 2014 AFP picture from Pakistan.
Debunk.org tested Google Lens and Yandex Images. Both were free, with no account needed.
What is a reverse image search?
A reverse image search uses a picture instead of words as the query, and finds copies and similar versions of it online, which can show where it came from.
You give the search engine an image: a file, a screenshot, a photo you take, or the image's web address. The engine returns pages that use the same picture, other sizes of it, and images that look similar (Google, Bing, Yandex).
This matters because some misleading photos are not fake: they are real photos from another time or place with a new caption, as in our worked example. A reverse search can find the older copy and its original caption.
How to reverse image search on Google (desktop and phone)
On a computer, use "Search by image" on google.com or right-click an image in Chrome; on a phone, tap the Google Lens icon in the Google app or Chrome (Google Search Help).
On a computer: upload a file
Go to google.com.
Click Search by image, then Upload a file.
Select the image and click Open (or Choose).
On a computer: use an image from a website
Right-click the image and click Copy image address.
On google.com, click Search by image and paste the link into Paste image link.
Click Search.
In Chrome, there is a shorter route: right-click the image and click Search with Google Lens to see results in a sidebar (Google Search Help).
On an Android phone
Open the Google app or Chrome and tap Google Lens in the search bar.
To search a photo or screenshot you already have, select it under Screenshots. To search something in front of you, point the camera and tap Search.
Drag the corners of the box around the part you want to search, then scroll down for the results.
For an image on a website, touch and hold it and tap Search image with Google Lens (Google Search Help).
On an iPhone or iPad
Open the Google app, Chrome or Safari and tap Google Lens in the search bar.
Tap Photo picker to choose a photo or screenshot from your camera roll, or point the camera and tap Search.
Drag the corners of the box around the part you want to search.
For an image on a website, touch and hold it. In the Google app, tap Search inside image; in Chrome, tap Search image with Google (Google Search Help).
Google notes that, to search a website image in the Chrome app, Google must be your default search engine.
Other engines: Bing, Yandex and TinEye
Each engine searches its own index (the collection of images it has already found and stored), so the same image can give different results; when it matters, use at least two.
Engine | How to start | Good for | Watch out for |
Google Lens | Camera icon on google.com, or right-click in Chrome (Google Search Help) | Fast first check; similar images and pages with the image | In our test it found similar images, "not always the original" (Debunk.org tool tests) |
Bing Visual Search | Images tab or bing.com/images, then the camera icon; drag, upload, paste an image or URL (Microsoft Support) | A second index; shows "pages that are using the image" (Microsoft Support) | Microsoft says uploaded photos "may be used to improve Bing image processing services" (Microsoft Support) |
Yandex Images | Button to the right of the search bar; drag, select a file, paste, or enter the image address (Yandex Help) | Another index; Yandex says part of an image can be enough to find its full version (Yandex Help) | Results depend on what Yandex has indexed (Yandex Help); it found no matches for our test picture (Debunk.org tool tests) |
TinEye | On tineye.com, upload an image or enter a link to it; browser extensions add a right-click search (TinEye) | Exact copies, including cropped, edited or resized ones; sort by "oldest" (TinEye Help, sorting) | Not built for similar images (TinEye Help); free use is non-commercial, 100 searches a day (TinEye Help) |
Debunk.org analysis of 19 free OSINT tools. OSINT (open-source intelligence) means research using public information. Our analysts used each tool on a real query; see our guide to free OSINT tools.
Google Lens: "Finds similar images, not always the original". Free, no account needed.
Yandex Images: "Results vary; none for our test image". Free, no account needed.
TinEye and Bing Visual Search were not in the tested list: a bot check blocked our TinEye test, and Bing was opened but not used.
The lesson: one engine returning nothing proves nothing. Try a second one.
Privacy. TinEye says: "We never add your image to the TinEye index and we only keep your image briefly in order to show you your results." Microsoft says photos you give Bing "may be used to improve Bing image processing services". The Yandex help page we read doesn't say how it stores uploaded images. Don't upload private photos of people to any of them.
How to verify a photo with the results
Find the oldest credible copy, then check whether its date, place and caption match the claim you are checking.
Search with at least two engines. Use the largest, clearest version of the image.
Look for the oldest copy. In TinEye, sort by "oldest". Remember that this is the date TinEye found the image, not proof of when it was taken (TinEye Help). On other engines, open the results and compare publication dates.
Find the first credible publisher. A news agency, a photographer's own page or an archive is a stronger lead than an anonymous repost. Read its caption for who, where and when.
Compare the context. Does the place, season, language on signs, or event in the original match the new claim? A real photo with a false caption is still misleading.
Check for edits. Compare the new version with the original side by side. Look for added or removed people, objects or text. TinEye can sort by "most changed", which it says "is usually the most heavily edited image result".
Look for an existing fact-check. Search the claim's keywords with "fact check".
Write down what you found. Save the links, dates and, if you can, an archived copy.
No results at all proves nothing either way: the image may be new, heavily edited, shared only in private, or made by AI.
A worked example
In December 2025, a reverse image search showed that a picture shared as a British family was an agency photo taken in Pakistan in 2014.
The claim: a graphic shared on Facebook and Instagram said a picture showed a family "from Sheffield" welcoming the UK government's removal of the two-child benefit limit.
The search: Full Fact, the UK fact-checker, ran a reverse image search and found the same photo published in 2014 by the news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP). AFP's caption described a family displaced by a military operation in Pakistan.
The verdict: Full Fact rated the claim false: "This picture is from 2014 and shows a family in Pakistan, not Sheffield."
How Debunk.org uses it. We use the same check on accounts, not just news photos. In Debunk.org's analysis of how "Belarusian Silovik" content spreads across X (published 18 August 2025), we ran a reverse image search on one account's profile picture. It showed the image "had been stolen from the original user multiple times", which the report says further suggested the account was inauthentic. More methods: OSINT investigation techniques.
Limits of reverse image search
A reverse search only finds what the engine has already indexed, so "no results" does not prove a photo is new or real.
The engine may not have seen it. Results depend on what the engine has indexed (Yandex Help). A very recent photo, or one shared only in private chats or closed groups, may not be there.
Edits can hide a match. TinEye finds cropped, edited and resized copies, but not a different photo of the same subject (TinEye Help). If you get nothing, try a second engine, a better-quality version, or a crop of the key part, which Yandex says can be enough (Yandex Help).
Dates are clues, not proof. TinEye's dates show when it found an image (TinEye Help). A website can also show a wrong date.
Similar is not the same. In our test, Google Lens found similar images, "not always the original". Check that a result really is the same photo.
It can't tell you if a picture is AI-made. It only shows where an image has appeared; see our deepfake checklist.
FAQ
How do I reverse image search on my phone?
Open the Google app or Chrome, tap the Google Lens icon in the search bar, then choose a photo or screenshot, or point your camera. On an iPhone, you can also start from Safari (Google Search Help).
Can I reverse search a screenshot?
Yes. On Android, open Google Lens and pick it under "Screenshots"; on an iPhone, use "Photo picker". Then drag the box around the picture itself, leaving out the phone's status bar and app buttons (Google Search Help).
Is reverse image search free?
Yes. In our test, Google Lens and Yandex Images were free with no account. TinEye is free for non-commercial use, up to 100 searches a day and 300 a week.
Which reverse image search is best?
No single engine finds everything. Debunk.org's tool guide names Google Lens as the best free tool for reverse image search. Add Bing, Yandex or TinEye for a second index, and use TinEye when you need exact copies sorted by date (TinEye Help, sorting).
How do I do a reverse image search on Google with an image I uploaded?
On a computer, go to google.com, click "Search by image", then "Upload a file" and choose the image (Google Search Help).
Can a reverse image search tell me who is in a photo?
Yandex says its image search can help you "find out what or who is in a photo". But a match only shows where a picture appears, and its caption may be wrong. Don't use it to identify private people.
Course: Learn to recognise, analyse and counter AI-driven disinformation and FIMI in Debunk.org's 10-hour, self-paced online course → Start FIMI 101
Note: We tested Google Lens and Yandex Images on 23 October 2026 and checked every link on 27 October 2026.
