How to remove a photo of yourself from Google Images

Google Images is a reverse image search and an index, not a photo host. Every picture it shows lives on some other website. That shapes everything about removal: Google can stop showing a result, but only the website can delete the file, and Google only acts on specific URLs you give it, under specific policies. This guide covers the four routes that apply to a photo of yourself, as Google's help pages describe them on 6 November 2026, and says where each one stops. If your problem is a face search engine rather than Google, the engine-specific guides for PimEyes, FaceCheck.ID, Lenso.ai and FaceSearch are the right pages.

Which Google removal route fits your case?

The last row is the one that surprises people. Google does not remove a plain photograph of you from Search because you would prefer it gone; its policies cover contact details, sensitive records, sexual content and doxxing. For an ordinary photo, the route runs through the website that published it, and how to remove your photos from the internet walks through that.

How do you use Results about you?

Results about you is Google's self-service tool for results that show your contact details. It finds matching results for you, lets you request removal in two clicks, and keeps watching for new ones if you turn notifications on.

1. 1

   Open the tool

   In the Google app, open the menu and choose Results about you, or go to the Results about you page on myactivity.google.com while signed in.

2. 2

   Enter your details

   Add your name, including nicknames or a maiden name, and the contact details you want found: phone numbers, home address, email addresses. Turn notifications on; Google says matching results usually appear within a few hours.

3. 3

   Review and request

   Open the To review tab, select a result, and choose Request to remove. You can also mark a result as reviewed if it is fine. For a result you found by searching, open About this result from the three-dot menu and choose Remove result.

4. 4

   Track the request

   A confirmation email arrives within a few hours. Progress shows under Removal requests as in progress, approved, denied or undone. A denial comes with the reason by email.

How do you request removal of personal information?

For sensitive details beyond contact information, Google's personal information policy covers government ID numbers, bank and card numbers, images of your signature or ID documents, private records such as medical files, confidential logins, and doxxing content shared with threats or in large aggregated amounts. A photo of you qualifies when it is one of these things, for example a scan of your passport, or when it is part of a doxxing page.

1. 1

   Collect the exact URLs

   Google reviews only the page URLs you submit. For an image, copy the address of the page it sits on, and the image address from Google Images if the image itself is the problem.

2. 2

   Take screenshots on the device you will submit from

   Google asks for screenshots to locate the content; they may be cropped or edited to show only the relevant part.

3. 3

   Submit the form

   Open the Remove my private info from Google Search help page, follow its link to the request form, choose the type of information, and paste the URLs and screenshots.

4. 4

   Wait for the email

   Google emails its decision. Removal may be full, so the page stops appearing in Search, or partial, so it stops appearing for searches that include your name.

How do you remove explicit or fake sexual images of yourself?

Google's personal sexual content policy covers real nude or sexual images or videos of you shared without consent, fake sexual content such as deepfakes that show you and were shared without consent, and results that tie your name or handle to pornographic sites or ads unrelated to you. It does not cover content you are selling or sharing commercially.

1. 1

   Gather the URLs

   Only the URLs you submit are reviewed. Collect every page you can find; a reverse image search and a face search each turn up copies the other misses.

2. 2

   Take screenshots, carefully

   Crop them so only your face shows if you prefer. Never include sexual content of anyone under 18 in a submission.

3. 3

   Submit through Google's legal form

   Start from the Remove personal sexual content from Google Search help page, which links to the request form. Enter the URLs and screenshots. Google can also remove duplicates of the same image; you can opt out of that if you would rather review them yourself.

4. 4

   Wait for the decision

   Google emails the outcome. Removal may be full or limited to searches with your name. Google says it may decline for newsworthy or public-interest content.

What is the outdated content tool for?

The Refresh outdated content tool handles the case where you have already won: the website deleted or changed the photo, but Google still shows the old image or snippet because it has not re-crawled the page. If the page is still live and unchanged, the tool does nothing, so get the source fixed first.

1. 1

   Find the image on Google Images

   Search images.google.com for the result and copy its link address from the search results.

2. 2

   Open the tool

   On the Refresh outdated content help page select Request refresh, then New request and Image.

3. 3

   Paste the address and submit

   Paste the copied link into the search results URL box and select Submit. For a page rather than an image, use the Page tab and the page URL.

4. 4

   Check the status

   Requests can be followed in the Refresh outdated content tool inside Google Search Console.

Why is the photo still on the website?

Because every Google route removes a result, not a file. Google's own help pages say so on each form: the content may still exist on the website, and you may need to contact the site owner. The removal guide covers the routes that reach the file itself: a request to the site owner, a DMCA notice where you took the photo and own the copyright, platform impersonation and harassment forms, and StopNCII for intimate images. Running those in parallel with the Google request is the fastest path, and the takedown page sets realistic timelines for each.

How long does Google take?

Google publishes no fixed review time. Its help pages say the Results about you confirmation arrives within a few hours, that removal from results can lag a little behind approval, and that denials come with a reason by email. People commonly report personal information and sexual content requests resolving within days, with complex or contested cases taking longer. If a request is denied, the email states why, and a resubmission with better URLs and screenshots is allowed.

How does this apply to FaceSearch?

Google Images and FaceSearch answer different questions. Google finds copies of a picture and pages that mention you by name; FaceSearch finds other photos of the same face, which is how you discover the copies that Google's name search never surfaces. The two are compared on FaceSearch vs Google Lens. Removal from FaceSearch is free and runs by email: send one clear photo of your face and your contact email to contact@facesearch.cc and we exclude matching faces from our results and confirm when it is done. The steps are on remove my photos, and like Google's tools, that removes a result, not the photo on the source site.