Search guide
Image Search Techniques
Image search techniques answer different questions. Google Lens tells you what is in a picture. TinEye finds copies of that file. Neither one is built to name a person from their face.
Pick the method from the job, crop to the part that matters, and run a second engine when the first result is thin.
By the Facial Recognition TeamLast updated
Which Image Search Technique to Use
Start with what you want back. A product, a landmark, and a person are three different searches.
| What you want | Best method | Where to start |
|---|---|---|
| Identify an object, place, plant, or product | Google Lens | google.com or the Google app |
| Find pages that show the same picture | Google Lens, then TinEye | Upload the file |
| Find the earliest indexed copy | TinEye, sorted by oldest | tineye.com |
| Read text printed in the photo | Google Lens | Add the words to your search |
| Check a second index, including faces in some regions | Yandex or Bing | Camera icon on the image search |
| Find a person from their face | Face search | The search box on this page |
On an iPhone, the menus differ. The iPhone reverse image search guide covers Lens in the Google app, Safari, and Chrome.
Search with Google Lens
Use Google Lens when you want similar images, the pages those images appear on, or a name for an object in the frame. Results can include an AI overview, similar pictures, and websites that show the image or something like it.
Upload a file on a computer
- Go to google.com.
- Click the camera icon, labelled Search by image.
- Choose Upload a file, then select the image.
- Or drag the image file onto the search box.
Search with an image address
- Right-click the image on its page and copy the image address.
- On google.com, click Search by image.
- Paste the address under Paste image link and click Search.
After the upload, type a few words in Add to your search when the frame is busy: a colour, a brand, or the object you care about. In Chrome you can also right-click an image on a page and choose Search with Google Lens.
Google documents these steps in Search with an image on Google. Menu names move. If the camera icon is missing, the same upload still lives at lens.google.com.
Find copies with TinEye
TinEye is the reverse image search technique for one file. It looks for that picture and for versions that were cropped, resized, or recoloured. It does not tell you what the picture depicts.
- Open tineye.com.
- Upload the file, paste an image URL, or drag the image onto the page.
- Sort the matches. Best match is the default. Oldest surfaces the earliest copy TinEye has seen. Biggest image favours higher resolution. Most changed puts heavy edits first.
- Filter by domain when you already know the site, and open Compare match to see what changed.
An empty TinEye result does not mean the image is original. The index misses plenty of pages. Treat oldest as the earliest copy TinEye crawled, not the day the photo was taken. When the job is identifying a person rather than a file, a TinEye alternative built around faces is the closer fit.
Check Bing and Yandex
A second index is worth the extra minute when Lens and TinEye disagree, or when both come back thin. The engines do not share a crawl.
Yandex
- Go to yandex.com/images.
- Click the camera icon in the search bar.
- Upload the file or paste an image URL.
- If the frame is crowded, crop to a face, a logo, or a sign and search that crop on its own.
Bing Visual Search
- Go to bing.com/visualsearch.
- Upload the image or drag it onto the page.
- Use it as a check on products and stock-style pictures, not as a replacement for TinEye's oldest sort.
If any engine returns a caption, search that caption in quotes. A dated caption from a news site is a stronger clue than a "first seen" date inside the image tool.
When the Photo Is of a Person
Reverse image search techniques match pictures. A different selfie, a crop, or a screenshot of the same person usually will not line up. Google says Lens does not use biometric facial recognition.
A face search compares the face with publicly indexed faces and returns pages where that face, or a similar one, appears. Our facial recognition search is that job. It is not a substitute for Lens or TinEye when you are tracing one file.
Search the face
- Use a photo where one face is clear, front-facing, and well lit.
- Crop out other people if the frame is a group.
- Upload it in the box below.
- Open the pages behind the matches and check them yourself. A similar face is a lead, not proof.
Search a face from this photo
Upload your photo
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The search runs in the browser. Uploaded photos are deleted within 24 hours and are not added to the index.
Image Search Techniques FAQ
What are image search techniques?
Image search techniques are ways of searching with a picture instead of words. Google Lens matches what is in the photo. TinEye finds copies of that file. A face search compares the face itself when the goal is to find a person.
Which image search technique finds exact copies?
TinEye. Upload the image, then sort by oldest to see the earliest copy TinEye has indexed, or by biggest to find a higher-resolution version. Google Lens is better at similar pictures than at exact duplicates.
Can Google Lens identify a person?
Not as a face match. Google says Lens does not use biometric facial recognition, though it may show results for notable public figures. For a private person, use a face search and treat every match as a lead.
Does TinEye search by face?
No. TinEye compares the image. A different photo of the same person will not match. It is the right tool for tracking where one picture was posted, including cropped or edited copies.
Should I use more than one technique?
Yes, when the first result is thin. Crop to the distinctive part and search again. Run TinEye for copies, Google Lens for context, and a face search only when you need the person rather than the file.
Related reading: reverse image search on iPhone, facial recognition search, and TinEye alternatives.
Steps checked against Google Search Help and TinEye's own how-to page in October 2026. Button labels change. Face search results are leads, not proof of identity.