How To Remove Images of Yourself From Google Search

Year after year, Google amasses countless images of people from around the world. If you’re not too keen on having photos of yourself floating around on the internet, there’s something you can do about it: Have them removed.

In this article, I’m going to show you how to get photos of yourself removed from Google search results.

Quick Links:

• How To Remove Images of Yourself From Google Search
• How To Remove Images of a Minor From Google Search

I have found that, in recent years, tech companies have made it easier to control how your data is used online. If you’re concerned about privacy, you’ll be happy to know that you can make a request to have images of yourself removed by Google search results.

Options To Remove Images of Yourself From Google

Let’s go over the two-step process on how you can remove photos of yourself from the internet.

1. Contact the Website Owner

The images you see in Google searches are displayed from individual websites. Clicking on the photo you find in search results should send you to the source website. If you see an image of yourself on a specific website, contact the website to have it taken down.

How to contact a website:

• Contact Us page: Many websites have a "Contact Us" page that contains a form you can fill out to reach the administrators of the website.
• Go to Whois.com: This is a website registry that lists administrator information for websites on the internet. Once you find the website, look for "Registrant Email" or "Administrative Contact" to find out who to contact to have your image removed. If you can't find that, look for "Website Host" and reach out to the hosting company to inquire about a contact for the website.
• Social Media: Look up the social media handles of the website that you want to contact. In some cases, their social media pages will have contact information on them.

2. Ask Google To Remove Deleted Image Results

Once the image has been taken down by the website you’ve contacted, it may still appear in Google search results for a time.

To have it removed more quickly, you’ll need to contact Google to request that it be taken down.

How to contact Google to get an image removed

• In search results,, right-click on the image and copy its link address.
• Click on Google's photo removal tool to make the request. Paste the link address in the box (see screenshot below).

Screenshot via Google

Google doesn't state how long it takes to remove an image from its search results but says that you can check the status of your request on its Remove Outdated Content tool.

How To Remove Images of Minors From Google Search

To request the removal of an explicit image of a minor, Google wants you to report it to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

Google has partnered with NCMEC to help locate images of child exploitation online and get them removed. NCMEC also works with law enforcement to help children who have been victimized.

A list of similar international organizations can be found here.

For non-explicit photos, Google says it will remove images of anyone under age 18 at the request of a parent or guardian. The exception is when the image is “of compelling public interest or newsworthiness.”

Google’s policy on removing images of minors requires the following:

• That the request be made either by the individual in the photo, a parent or guardian of the individual or their representative.
• That the individual in the photo is currently under age 18. Google will also remove images of a deceased minor.
• That you submit an image link, not a webpage link.

To request the removal of the image of a minor, fill out this Google form.

Final Thoughts

As the largest search engine in the world, when Google removes an image, it will no longer be seen by the vast majority of web surfers. But that doesn’t mean it won’t be found anywhere on the web.