Remove an image from Google

If you want to remove a photo from Google search results, you usually need to contact the site owner, the person who owns the site that has the image.

Important: Most images that show up in Google search results are from websites that aren't owned by Google, so we can't remove these images from the web. This is why you should first contact the site's owner to ask them to remove the image.

How to remove an image from Google search results

We understand that you may want to remove certain images from search results as soon as possible. However, the process of removing images from search results can take some time.

Step 1: Contact the site owner to take down the image

Here are a few ways you can contact the owner of a site:

  • Contact us link: Find a "Contact us" link or an email address for the site owner. This information is often on the site's homepage.
  • Find contact information using Whois: You can perform a Whois (who is?) search for the site owner using Google. Go to google.com and search for whois www.example.com. The email address to contact the site owner can often be found under "Registrant Email" or "Administrative Contact."
  • Contact the site's hosting company: The Whois search result usually includes information about who hosts the website. If you're unable to reach the site owner, try to contact the site's hosting company.

Note: If you prefer not to contact the site owner or are unable to get the image removed from a site, check other cases where Google may remove images from search results.

Tips to remove an image from a site

Remove an image uploaded to a social media platform

To remove an image from Google search results that was uploaded to a social media platform like Facebook and Twitter, you must first remove the image from the platform.

  • If you have access to the account that uploaded the image, remove the image from the platform.
  • If you don't have access to that account, please contact the social media company for help with removing the image.

Check the social media platform's help center

Most social media platforms have help resources on their image removal policies and processes.

  1. Check the social media platform's help center. Here are some help centers of popular platforms:
    • Facebook Help Center
    • Twitter Help Center
    • Instagram Help Center
    • Pinterest Help Center
  2. Search for keywords based on your situation. For example:
    • "Remove a photo"
    • "Report a photo" or "take down photo"
    • "Impersonation" or "Fake accounts"
    • "Image removal policies"

Remove an image from your own site

Remove an image you uploaded to a Google product

You can remove a photo that you uploaded to a Google product from your Album Archive or Google Photos. When you delete a photo from your Album Archive, the photo is removed from all Google products that it appears in, like Blogger, Hangouts, and Google Photos.

  1. Go to your Album Archive.
  2. Open the photo you want to delete.
  3. At the top right, select More More and then Delete photo Delete.
  4. If you don't find "Delete photo," select Manage in Google Photos to delete the photo.

Learn how to delete your photos in Google Photos.

Step 2: Ask us to remove the deleted image from search results

After the site owner removes the image from their site, the image will eventually be removed from Google Search as part of our regular updating process. You can also request to remove the image from Google Search.

Request removal of a deleted image from Google Search

Part 1: Copy the image link address

  1. Search for the image you want to remove at images.google.com.
  2. In search results, right click the image thumbnail and choose Copy link address.
    • Note: Different browsers may have different names for copying link location.

Part 2: Request removal from Google search results

  1. Click Request removal below.
    Request removal
  2. Click New request and then Image.
  3. Select Enter "Copy link address" URL from Image Search results.
  4. In the "Search results URL" box, paste the link address.
  5. Click Submit.

You can check the status of your request on the Remove outdated content page.

Ask Google to remove specific images from Search results

We recognize that it can be distressing to find certain images of yourself or your information in search results.

In limited cases, Google may remove links to the image from Google Search. This doesn't remove the image from the site it was linked from.

To support you through the removal request process of such images and videos from Google search results, follow the steps below for your situation.

Remove image with sensitive financial, medical, or national ID info

We may remove information that we classify as presenting a risk of identity theft or fraud to the individual.

Requirements

For us to consider the content for removal, it must pertain to the following types of information:

  • Confidential government identification (ID) numbers like U.S. Social Security Number, Argentine Single Tax Identification Number, Brazil Cadastro de pessoas Físicas, Korea Resident Registration Number, China Resident Identity Card, etc.
  • Bank account numbers
  • Credit card numbers
  • Images of handwritten signatures
  • Images of ID docs
  • Highly personal, restricted, and official records, like medical records
  • Personal contact info (physical addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses)
  • Confidential login credentials

Request to remove image from Google Search

If the image meets the requirements above, you or an authorized representative can request a removal of the image from Google search results. To make a request, click the button below.

Fill out form

Remove non-consensual explicit or intimate personal image or "revenge porn"

We may remove intimate or explicit images and videos (sometimes referred to as "revenge porn") that were shared without consent.

Important: To report imagery that is sexually abusive towards children, follow the steps to report child sexual abuse imagery.

Requirements

For us to consider the content for removal, it must meet both of these requirements:

  1. The imagery shows you (or the individual you're representing) nude, in a sexual act, or an intimate state.
  2. You (or the individual you're representing) didn't consent to the imagery or the act and it was made publicly available OR you intended the content to be private and the imagery was made publicly available without your consent.

Request to remove image from Google Search

If the image meets the requirements above, you or an authorized representative can request a removal of the image from Google search results. To make a request, click the button below.

Tip: You'll need to provide screenshots of the image you want us to remove. We encourage you to edit the screenshots to obscure the sexually explicit portions, but please ensure we can still identify the image.

Fill out form

What we include in our review

We take public interest and newsworthiness into account when determining if content will be removed.

  • In the vast majority of cases, these types of images and the content that accompanies them have no public interest value.
  • In very rare cases, we may not remove reported content based on a strong public interest.
  • In other cases, there may be information provided alongside an image that is in the public interest to remain available in our results, but instances of the image itself without context may be removed.

Remove involuntary fake pornography

We may remove involuntary fake pornography of you from Google search results, if the image or video meets the requirements below.

Requirements

For us to consider the content for removal, it must meet all of these requirements:

  1. You're identifiably depicted in the imagery.
  2. The imagery in question is fake and falsely depicts you nude or in a sexually explicit situation.
  3. The imagery was distributed without your consent.

Request to remove image from Google Search

If the image meets the requirements above, you or an authorized representative can request a removal of the image from Google search results. To make a request, click the button below.

Tip: You'll need to provide screenshots of the image you want us to remove. We encourage you to edit the screenshots to obscure the sexually explicit portions, but please ensure we can still identify the image.

Fill out form

Remove personal image hosted on a site that has exploitative removal practices

Upon request, under some circumstances, we may remove links to content from Google search results when a site or other agency requires you to pay them directly to remove the content.

Requirements

For us to consider the content for removal, it must meet all of these requirements:

  1. You are the subject of the content in the submitted URL.
  2. The website is not a business review site.
  3. The website has removal practices that necessitate payment to the site, or other agencies, to have content removed.

Request to remove image from Google Search

If the image meets the requirements above, you or an authorized representative can request a removal of the image from Google search results. To make a request, click the button below.

Tip: You'll need to provide screenshots of the image you want us to remove. We encourage you to edit the screenshots to obscure the sexually explicit portions, but please ensure we can still identify the image.

Fill out form

Remove image of a minor (anyone under 18)

Google removes images of anyone below the age of 18 from search results at the request of the individual under 18 or their parent or guardian, with the exception of cases of compelling public interest or newsworthiness. This means these images won't appear in the Images tab or as thumbnails in any feature in Google Search. This article is intended to support you through the process for removal requests of such content from Google search results.

Important: If your request is to remove an explicit image of a minor, report content that is sexually abusive towards children.

Requirements

For us to consider the content for removal, it must meet all of the following requirements:

  1. The URLs submitted are image URLs.
    • Web URLs (pages with both text and images) are not eligible for removal under this policy, which seeks to limit the presence of images in Google search results.
  2. The imagery includes an identifiable individual who is currently under the age of 18.
    • We'll also remove images in the tragic situation of a child who has died before reaching the age of 18.
  3. The removal requestor is either the individual themself, a legal guardian for the individual, or an authorized representative of either.

Request to remove image from Google Search

If the image meets the requirements above, you or an authorized representative can request a removal of the image from Google search results. To make a request, click the button below.

Important: We only review the URLs that you or your authorized representative submit in the form.

Fill out form

Remove image for legal reasons

We remove content from Google's services under applicable laws.

Intellectual property issue

To request the removal of an image from Google Search due to an intellectual property violation, like copyright infringement or circumvention, trademark infringement, and counterfeit, click the button below.

Fill out form

Other legal reasons

We can remove images from Google Search for other legal reasons, specifically requests associated with:

  • Court orders, where a court determined that specific content is unlawful.
  • Child sexual abuse material, which is any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct that involves a minor.
  • Legal issue: a legal issue not already listed.

To request the removal of an image from Google Search for a legal reason listed above, click the button below.

Fill out form

Related resources

  • Remove your personal information from Google

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