Google Images (formerly Google Image Search) is a Google-owned search engine that allows users to search the World Wide Web for images. It was created on July 12, 2001 in response to a request for images of Jennifer Lopez wearing a green Versace gown in February 2000. Reverse image search functionality was implemented in 2011.

When you search for an image, a thumbnail of each matching image appears. When a user clicks on a thumbnail, the image is enlarged, and the user can visit the webpage where the image is utilized.
Google Images
Google Images is a tool for visually discovering information on the internet.
With new features like picture descriptions and prominent badges, users can rapidly explore information with greater context surrounding photos.
Results can become much more relevant by providing more context to images, which can lead to higher quality traffic to your site. You may help the discovery process by optimizing your photographs and your website for Google Images. Follow these recommendations to improve the chances of your content appearing in Google Images search results.
Google Images Search
Everything you wanted to know about Google Images’ reverse photo search.
Google’s image search feature is presently only available for desktop computers, not your iPad or smartphone.
As a result, if a friend sends you a forwarded image on WhatsApp or Facebook that you want to verify, you must first copy the image to a desktop and then run a reverse image search.
Isn’t it a lot of work?
You can run reverse picture searches on Android and iPhone in a few simple steps with Reverse Photos. Simply click the “Upload Image” button and select an image from your cell phone’s photo gallery. Then, click the “Show Matching Images” button, which will upload your photo to Google’s image database and display aesthetically comparable images.
How to do Reverse Image Search on your Mobile Phone
Google Reverse Image Search allows you to rapidly find visually comparable images from the web.
Upload a photograph from your desktop to Google Images, and it will almost instantly show you related images used on other websites, as well as multiple sizes of the same photo.
What Is a Reverse Image Search used for?
Journalists can use the reverse search function to determine the original source of a photograph or the approximate date it was first published on the Internet. Photographers can utilize the’search by image’ tool to find out which websites are exploiting their images without authorization.
During the Ukraine-Russia conflict, propaganda operations are rife. Reverse image search is being utilized by open-source intelligence (OSINT) enthusiasts and practitioners on Twitter and Reddit to verify the source and validity of popular photographs that may be exploited to promote disinformation.
Image Search & Privacy
Reverse Search can be used to determine the origin of photographs, WhatsApp images, screenshots, and Internet memes. Search by Image has been used by Tinder and Facebook users to study profile photographs of potential dates, by travelers to locate the location of photos, and by matrimonial services to detect false uploads.
All of your uploaded photographs are hosted anonymously on the Google Cloud and are inaccessible to other users. Within a few hours of posting, all photos are instantly erased from cloud storage.
How to use Google’s reverse image search to obtain information on a given photo
You can use Google reverse image search to search using an image rather than written keywords.
Reverse image search on Google can help you find content connected to a given image.
- When you perform a reverse image search, Google discovers webpages, images, and information connected to your photo.
- A Google reverse image search can be performed on an iPhone or Android device using the Chrome mobile app, or on any PC.
Google Images is an excellent resource for searching for images and photos using relevant keywords. However, you can also use an image to search Google, which is known as a reverse image search, to learn more about a specific photo or graphic.
Quick Tip: Though Google Images is free and simple to use, alternative reverse image search engines with more extensive capabilities, such as TinEye, are available.
Here’s why you should use it, as well as how to Google reverse image search on a desktop computer browser or the Google Chrome mobile app on your iPhone or Android.
What Is Reverse Image Search?
When performing a reverse image search on Google, you enter a photo or a link to a photo into the search field rather than a word query. Google then searches for websites that include your image as well as comparable images.
Google Images also detects the subject of your photo and recommends websites linked to the subject of your image.
When should you use Google reverse image search? Searching with an image on Google is particularly useful in the following situations: Find out more about a photograph.
A reverse image search may yield a webpage including a person’s name or product details. Detect plagiarism. Similar photos will be returned by a reverse image search. This can identify whether or not an image was plagiarized. Look for similar photos. If you wish to find other photos relating to a given image, a reverse search will also return results.
Google Images Reverse Search on iPhone or Android
To run a reverse image search on your mobile device, first download the Google Chrome mobile app.
Then, on iPhone or Android, you may reverse image search with a photo from the internet or one from your camera roll. Here’s how to go about it.
To conduct a reverse search utilizing an internet image
Open the Chrome app on your iPhone or Android and navigate to images.google.com.
In the search bar, enter the type of image you’re looking for.
How to Download Google Images Image Search
How to Download Images From Google Images Search
Images on Google Sometimes the search results are so lovely that you want to save some of them on your device. If you’re in this circumstance, here’s how to download photographs from search results on desktop and mobile.
Save Google Images Search Photos to Desktop
To download an image on desktop, simply select your image, click an option, and your photo is saved to your computer.
- To begin, open your preferred web browser and Google Image Search on your PC. Find the photo you wish to save to your machine there.
- Access the photo you want to download from the search results page.
- Right-click your shot and select “Save Image As” from the menu that appears.
- Your browser will launch the regular “Save As” window on your machine. Choose a folder to put your photo in, type the name of your photo in the “File Name” area, then click “Save.”
You’ve also successfully downloaded your favorite image from the Image Search results. Check your Downloads folder if you’re not sure where the picture file went.
If the downloaded file has a low resolution, try downloading it directly from the source site. To do so, on the Image Search results page, click the link beneath the photo rather than the photo itself to be directed to the photo’s website. Right-click the image and select “Save Image As.”
Download Pictures From Google Image Search on Mobile
You can download images from Google Image Search results on your mobile phone using Google Chrome, Apple Safari, or Microsoft Edge. You can’t use Mozilla Firefox since it doesn’t allow you to save photographs.
- To begin, open your web browser and navigate to Google Image Search. Locate the photo you want to save to your phone.
- Tap the photo to download on the search results screen.
- On the full-screen page of your photo, tap and hold on the photo.
- On Android, select “Download Image” from the menu that appears.
- On an iPhone or iPad, pick “Save Image” from the menu that appears.
- Your phone will download and save the photo to your local storage, and you’ll be good to go.
How to use Google Images Search on an iPhone or iPad
Have you ever wanted to check up a picture but couldn’t because you didn’t have access to a computer? Most of us do our internet surfing on our phones these days, and Google’s picture search on an iPhone is not as user-friendly as it is on a PC.
Google Images Search
It’s also not too difficult: just a few extra steps are required.
On an iPhone or iPad, you can perform a Google image search using the Chrome app (just as it sounds) or the native Safari app. We’ll show you how to mix the two — with Spider-Man as a visual aid, of course.
First, let’s have a look at Safari. To begin, make sure the image is saved to your Photos gallery.
To do so, long-press the image you want to save and then select “Save to Photos.” You can always delete the image once you’ve finished looking it up.
Then, in the address bar, put “images.google.com,” and you’ll be sent to the images site. Then, on the bar’s left side, tap the double-A button.
This will open Safari’s little options menu; from here, select “Request Desktop Website.” As a result of this action, the site will reload in its desktop version. The biggest difference between the desktop and mobile pages on this page is that the desktop site has a camera button, which makes searching with an image relatively simple.
So go ahead and press that camera button. If you copied a picture to your keyboard, paste it here using “Paste Image URL.” However, I recommend that you choose “Upload an Image” to ensure that you get the identical image. You can choose “Photo Library” while utilizing this option. Select the previously saved photo from your image library. Google will now search for photographs comparable to the one you uploaded.
Google Images Search is now available for Google
This solution is also compatible with the Chrome app. Using the Google app complicates things; the Chrome app keeps things simple and is worth downloading on its own.
To do this, long-press the image you want to copy and select “Copy Image” (note: this works even if you’re in Safari when you copy). Then, on the Chrome app, create a new tab and type something into the search field. The option “Image You Copied” is located beneath the bar. That’s the image you’re after. When an image is picked, it is copied, and comparable images are sought.
Using a stored image to perform a browser search
If you’ve taken or downloaded a photograph using your iPhone or iPad, you can use it to search Google Images for further information or related images.
- To submit an image, first use Google Images Search in desktop mode.
- Open the Google Images Search page on your iPad or iPhone first.
- Then navigate to the desktop version of the site. Here’s how you do it.
- By selecting the “aA” icon in the address bar in Safari, pick “Request Desktop Site” from the pop-up menu.
- Tap the three horizontal dots in Google Chrome’s bottom-left corner and select “Request Desktop Site” from the pop-up menu.
A similar option can be found in the page settings of other browsers. The Google Images Search page will look similar to the desktop version in your mobile browser.
- After that, click on the “Search by Image” (camera) icon. Select the “Upload an Image” tab when the “Search by Image” window appears.
- Tap the “Choose File” button and select “Photo Library” to browse, select, and upload a photo saved on your iPhone or iPad.
After you’ve uploaded the photo, Google Images search will send you to a page with Google’s best forecast based on the photo you’ve uploaded. On the same page, you’ll find similar photos as well as links to similar-looking photos.
How to Use the Google App to Search with a Saved Image
You can use the Google app to look for similar images or to learn more about photos on your iPhone or iPad.
Download the Google app for iPhone or iPad to get started. To the right of the “Search” field, tap the “Google Lens” button (a camera icon).
At the bottom of the “Google Lens” interface, tap the media icon.
If the Google app is accessing your photo gallery for the first time, it will guide you through the process of granting permission. When your gallery photos appear, select the one you want to use for the image search. Click on the selected photo when it appears in the Google app.
Google Lens will upload the image, which will be surrounded by selecting handles. You can change the background by dragging the white handles.
A white strip with comparable photographs will appear at the bottom of the screen. To see those photographs, swipe up.
Google Images Frequently Asked Questions
How can I search for a photo on Google?
If this does not work, you can also choose Open Image in New Tab. Then, copy the URL, return to images.google.com, and paste it in. With either technique, reverse image search results are displayed; you may need to click the More sizes option at the top to see only the photos.
Can I photograph something and Google it?
The Google Goggles app was an image identification mobile app that used visual search technology to identify items using the camera of a mobile device. When a user takes a photograph of a physical thing, Google looks for and retrieves information about the image.
Can I photograph anything and find out where I can buy it?
Google Lens is a terrific addition to Google Photos for Android and iOS that allows your smartphone to recognize landmarks and contact information in your photos. You can even use this power to find out how to buy practically any goods you’ve photographed – you don’t even need the barcode.
Can I post a photo to Google? Google Images Upload
You can post your photos to websites that Google will include in its searches, but you cannot upload a photo directly to Google. Can I upload photos to Google? You can post your photos to websites that Google will include in its searches, but you cannot upload a photo directly to Google.
How do I use a photo to search Google?
Use an image from your phone to search.
- Launch the Google app on your Android phone.
- Tap Discover at the bottom.
- Tap Google Lens in the search bar.
- Take or upload a photo to help you with your search:
- Choose the search area you want to use:
- Scroll down to find your search results.
Can you perform a reverse image search on screenshots?
Can I perform a reverse image search on a screenshot? Of course, yes. A reverse image search of a screenshot on a phone is similar to doing so on a desktop. If you’re using an Android or iPhone, open your preferred mobile browser, navigate to images.google.com, and tap the camera symbol.