Using Google reverse image search
Google now processes over 3.5 billion searches per day. This includes image searches but did you know you can also do reverse image searches? This is a function where you can use an image you already have to search for similar images online, to find other websites that use the image or to find the image in different sizes.
To use this function visit Google and click on the link that says ‘Images’. You will then see a different Google search screen appear with a search box that has a small camera icon in the far right hand corner.
When you click the camera icon you will be given two options to help you search for your image. You can either ‘Paste by URL’ or ‘Upload an Image’. If you are searching for similar images to one you already have then click ‘Upload an Image’. From here you can follow the directions to upload your chosen image from your computer. Google will automatically search for the picture and generate a list of website pages that use this image. It will also show a selection of visually similar images. You can also search for similar images by choosing the ‘Paste by URL’ option and copying and pasting the URL of an image into the search to find images that are similar to your selected photo.
You can retrieve the URL of an image by right-clicking on the image of your choice and copying the link then pasting this into the search. Searching by images works best when the image is likely to show up in other places on the Internet, for example you will get more results for famous landmarks than you will for personal images.