There are times when we want to search for information about a person online, but we don't have his name or the name we have is not real. In this type of situation it is also possible to search for a person by their photo. This is something that we can even do without having to use programs, without having to install something on the computer.
Here we show you so how to search for a person by their photo on the internet. There are several options in this regard, which in many cases may give us good results when it comes to knowing who that person is. Since if we don't have his name or the name we have of this person is not real or correct, it can be a good help in this sense, that perhaps they bring us closer to this person.
The methods that we tell you below they do not require us to install programs on the computer or on the mobile. But we are only going to need an Internet connection to make it possible. So they will be methods that are easy for most users. In many cases they will be something that will work, but we can never guarantee that we will find said person when using this.
Google images
One of the simplest ways to search for a person by their photo is through Google Images, Google images. In Google we can not only search for photos, but for some time we have been able to upload a photo ourselves and have the search engine show us results that match, the so-called reverse search on the platform. It is a search that we can use both on the phone and on the computer. The search engine will show us both web pages where that photo or something similar has been seen or to be able to see similar photos, which in many cases are also a way to reach a specific person, for example. This is a simple method and one that can work very well in most cases.
In the search bar in Google we are going to see that there is an icon of a photo camera. We click on it and then we are going to upload the photo we want to search for, to find out who that person is. When we do this, in a matter of a couple of seconds Google will give us a series of search results. We can see photos that are similar or even identical, as well as web pages. Therefore, if that person has enough online presence, we will not take long to find it. We will only have to enter a website to then know more about it. The results are varied, since they can be profiles on pages like LinkedIn, for example, the ones that come out.
The only thing to do then is to check those search results. Whether it's the images that are similar or entering those websites that have given us as a result of the search and so it is possible that we are going to find this person in question. It should not be something complex and in many cases it gives good results, as surely many of you already know.
TinEye
TinEye is a second option that we can use when we want to search for a person by their photo. This is a web page where we are allowed to upload that photo in question that we have and that we want to use to be able to find that person in question. The way this website works can be reminiscent of the previous method, when we used Google images. Although it may not be as accurate an option as the above, it is still something we can test.
What this website is going to do is carry out that reverse image search, which is what should help us find the person in question. We can upload a photo that we have saved on our computer or copy the URL of a photo that we have found online. When that image has been selected and uploaded, we will then be given all the search results that match the image in question.
As with the previous method, we are going to be shown those photos that are visually similar, which could help us learn more about that person. TinEye also tells us web pages that are considered coincide with said photo that we have uploaded. It may be that this photo is used, for example, in someone's LinkedIn profile, so that it will be something that helps us to find that person. The operation does not change just over the previous option, but it will not always work as well.
This is a web page that we can use, but it is available also as an extension in the main browsers on the market. So if it is something that you are going to use on more than one occasion, you can bet on downloading the extension in Chrome or Firefox, for example. You just have to look for it in the browser extension store that you use and then proceed to install it. The operation is identical to the one in its web version.
CTRLQ.org
The third option that we have available when we want to search for a person by their photo is CTRLQ. It is an online service that we can use on our phone or tablet in a simple way. This is a service that takes advantage of Google search to work, so it is something that is going to be similar to the first option, but it can also expand the search options or the results in some cases. So it is another method that is worth trying in this regard.
We'll have to access ctrlq.org/google/images/ on your computer, tablet, or phone. There we are going to click on the option to upload a photo, so that we are going to upload that photo of the person in question that we have in our possession. We then click on the button that says visually similar photos are displayed, to help us find this person. So we're just going to have to wait for those results to load, to see if we find the person.
As in the previous options, when there is a photo that matches, because it is the same person, for example, we will only have to go to the website where said image has been uploaded. Maybe in this way we will find this person in question. This method can be especially convenient if you are using your phone or tablet, as CTRLQ has been specially optimized for use on these devices.
There are times when the photo we have actually comes from Facebook. If this is the case, you can use the social network itself to find the person who uploaded said photo on the social network. The photos that have been uploaded on the social network usually have a typical name, which is usually made up of numbers that are separated by a hyphen and that end with an underscore and the letter “n”. If this is precisely the pattern of the name of that photo, we can suspect that it has been uploaded to the social network.
We will be able to use Facebook as a way to find this photo. There may be cases in which it works, if this profile in question is public, for example, or if we have mutual friends and so you can see that photo or find out more about the profile. What we have to do in this case is the following:
- Go to your file explorer and look for the photo in question.
- Copy the second section of numbers that appears as the name of the photo.
- Once done, log in to your Facebook account on your computer.
- Edit the Facebook URL so that the photo will be searchable. Therefore, it has to be facebook.com/ and then we insert that second part of the name of the photo that we have copied. It should look something like: https://www.facebook.com/1342812675111457 and then press Enter.
- Wait to see if it redirects us to a specific photo.
- You will then be able to see who has uploaded this photo on Facebook, if there is someone tagged and more. So you may already know who that person you were looking for is.
This is a method that can be of great help, but it is limited to those photos that have been downloaded from the social network and that continue to retain the original name, the name with which they were downloaded from the social network on our computer. Since if we have changed said name it will not be able to be used, since we do not have that vital information that can help us reach it. This process has to be carried out at all times from the PC, otherwise it will not work, it is not possible from the Facebook app on the phone.