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If you want to search for similar images using an image, there are several search engines available.
Google and Google Lens: Reverse image search made easy
The easiest and most convenient way is to use Google. The search engine has already integrated reverse image search into its range of functions.
- Open the Google website. To the right of the search bar, next to the microphone icon, you will find an icon that looks like a camera. When you hover over the icon, the text Search by image will appear.
- Click on the icon. You can now either upload the desired image from your computer or drag and drop it into the search bar.
- Alternatively, simply enter the URL of an image. Google will then search for similar images and display the corresponding websites.
- Google Lens also offers a kind of reverse search. This allows you to use Google’s AI to search for similar results.
- The service is available either as an app for Android and iOS or directly via your browser. To use it, simply right-click on an image and select Search with Google Lens from the context menu. The context menu reverse search is also supported by numerous browsers and apps.
- You will see that the Google Lens icon corresponds to a stylized camera with a colored dot. Both in Google Image Search and in many browsers, this icon now launches image-based search via Google Lens. This differs from classic reverse image search in its AI-supported functionality.
- While Google Lens uses AI to search for similar images, reverse image search also takes into account other characteristics of the image and compares them with others. These include, for example, file names or links associated with the image.
- Note: Microsoft also offers powerful reverse image search via Bing. You can find this via a similar camera icon in the search bar of the search engine in your browser or via the app.
SauceNAO: Effective reverse search without frills
True to the motto “Need to know the source of this now!”, you can use SauceNAO’s reverse search to find the right image sources.
- Simply open the Xamayon search engine. You can then upload an image, drag and drop it, or paste an image URL into the search bar.
- You can customize your search accordingly. For example, you can activate the safe search without explicit content.
- SauceNAO uses a variety of databases as the basis for its search, including Shutterstock, Animes, and deviantART. It is therefore particularly suitable for more specific reverse searches.
TinEye: Search for images using images
TinEye is a search engine that specializes exclusively in images. Similar to Google, it searches the entire web for the image.
- Open the TinEye website and upload an image from your PC on the left or enter the link. Alternatively, you can drag and drop the image here.
- Similar images and the corresponding websites will then be displayed here. Click on the Compare link below an image to compare both images side by side.
- It is also possible to filter the search results. For example, you can search for the best match or the latest result.
- Please note: TinyEye can only process images with a file size of up to ten megabytes. Larger files are not suitable.
Reverse Image Search: Reverse search for images
Reverse Image Search uses several large search engines to search for images and combines the results.
- Open the Reverse Image Search website and select the image from your computer, either by dragging and dropping it or entering a URL. The formats JPG, JPEG, PNG, WEBP, and HEIC work with the reverse search.
- You can then filter whether you want to search for duplicates, similar images, or people. The search results will be adjusted accordingly.
- You can only view the URLs of the search results if you have a subscription. These range from three to nine euros per week, depending on the subscription model. The service is therefore not free of charge.
- Tip: In addition to Google and Bing, the application also uses the reverse search functions of Yandex and Baidu. If you want to save money, simply use the individual search engines and search for the images there directly. However, you need to know Chinese to use Baidu, which can make it difficult to use.
