As a classic among search engines, Google is also popular for image searches. Yet there are powerful alternatives. How to find every picture. Including reverse search (inverse search).
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Backward and Inverse Searches for Images: Google and Alternatives
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As a classic among search engines, Google is also popular for image searches. Simply type in the desired motif on Google and press Enter: Google will deliver more or less suitable images in abundance. If, on the other hand, you already have a photo and want to know what is depicted on it, or if you are looking for similar image content, things get trickier. We introduce the best online tools for any image search.
Search images with Google
The Google search engine is also the most common for image searches, in which you can enter the URL of an image after clicking on the camera symbol or, alternatively, upload the file from your computer. You can use Google’s image search to search for similar or identical images from the Internet
You can call up the image search with google.de/imghp or images.google.de, for example. You can drag and drop an image from your PC into the search box. The search then shows the websites on which the image or similar images can be seen. Alternatively, you can copy the URL of the image into the search field or drag it from another browser window into the search field. The hit page will then show you where this image is used.
Search images on smartphones
If you use Google Chrome on devices with Android or iOS, you can call up a menu by long tapping on an image. The option “Search for the image in Google” is available here. On Android phones, you can also select the “Search with Google Lens” option here. Google Lens is an app with which all possible data about an object or an image can be displayed.
The mobile view of Google Search doesn’t list all of the options available in the desktop versions. Here, however, you can start the “Desktop website” option in the Google Chrome options, which you can call up via the menu with the three dots in the top right corner. You then have the same options as on desktop PCs.
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You can also use the desktop version of Google on smartphones, for example to search for images
The images are usually not available as quickly and easily on smartphones as they are on desktop computers, for example because an image cannot be selected from the Internet for a search. Here you have the option to create a screenshot and then use the screenshot to search if the original image cannot be used for any reason.
Another site that can also be used on smartphones, for example, is labnol.org/reverse. However, the page does display advertisements. The site uses Google’s image search, but also makes the functions of the desktop version available on smartphones.
Search for images using Microsoft Bing
However, because searching for images is much more complex than searching for terms, it is definitely worth trying an alternative to Google. Microsoft offers the same features in its Bing search. To search for images, go to Bing and click the image icon in the search bar
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Microsoft Bing also offers a good image search
The image search is one of the strengths in Microsoft Bing. If you often search for images, you should always use the image search in Bing in parallel to the Google image search.
Tineye and Yandex for the reverse image search
The Tineye website specializes in backward searching for images. The inverse search also works well in many cases at Yandex. The Russian-Dutch search engine has a large index and can also find similar and edited images. With both search engines you can enter the URL of an image or upload the image to be researched from your PC.
Direct search for images with picsearch.de
Picsearch is a quick and easy way to search for images. To do this, enter the search term in the window and then let the search engine search for images. On the very left side of the website you can still find the pull-out menu item “Advanced Search”. Here you can refine the search, for example only search for images with a certain size and also search for animations and specifically for faces. Picearch.de has the reputation of being suitable for children too. In general, the family filter is set very strictly so that pornographic images and images with scenes of violence are filtered out.
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Picsearch.de can also be used to search for images
Search for images with DuckDuckGo
The search engine DuckDuckGo is one of the most popular search engines when it comes to data protection and anonymity. An image search is also available here. To do this, you have to enter the search term and start a search. In the search results, you can then search for images directly by clicking on “Images”. You can enter more precise filters in the upper area of the image search.
Meta search engines use many other search engines and filter out the best results. One of the best known meta search engines is the German search engine metager.de. You can also use it to search for terms and then use “Images” to display the recordings from the search results. Further adjustments to the search can then be made via “Settings” and “Filter”.
It works the same way with MetaSpinner. With this meta search engine, you can also find images that match your search terms.
Ecological picture search with Ecosia
The German search engine Ecosia offers an image search and at the same time donates a large part of its income to nature conservation organizations. Since Ecoisa works with Microsoft Bing, the results of the image search are quite acceptable here.
Image search for children – fragFINN.de
The search engine fragFINN.de is specially designed for children. If you click on the “Pictures” tab when you get a result, fragFINN.de will display pictures that are especially suitable for children. So this search does not provide all images on a topic that can be found on the web.
Search images with ReverseImageSearch.com
With the search engine ReverseImageSearch.com you can search the Internet for images that you upload or embed from a URL. You can also search for passwords. The search engine only shows pictures. After you have selected an image, you can do a reverse search with Google, Bing or Yandex via the website, all in a common interface.
