Finding the original source of an image can be a difficult task. Sometimes, the source is difficult to find and even harder to track down. Here are a few tips to help you find the original source of an image:

  1. Check online archives or search engines for images that have been shared publicly. This can be a good place to start because it can give you access to images that have been archived by other people or search engines.
  2. Check social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for images that have been shared and tagged with specific sources. This will help you find IMAGES that are associated with specific sources or archives.
  3. Try contacting the original creator of an image if you don’t know who it is. Sometimes, they may be willing to share their image with you in order to help you learn more about it or connect with the person who created it.

What do you do when you have an awesome image that you downloaded long ago, but are unable to remember the website you found it on? Are there any easy ways to find the original website again?

Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-driven grouping of Q&A web sites.

The Question

SuperUser reader temerariomalaga wants to know how to find the original website he downloaded an image from long ago:

Is there a way for temerariomalaga to find the website in question again, or is he out of luck?

The Answer

SuperUser contributors private_meta and Ceiling Gecko have the answer for us. First up, private_meta:

Note from Akemi: You can also drag-and-drop the image in question onto the search blank on the Google image search page.

Followed by the answer from Ceiling Gecko:

As you can see, there are some quick and easy options that will not only help you find the original source of an image, but may also help you find a larger, better quality version while you are at it!

Have something to add to the explanation? Sound off in the comments. Want to read more answers from other tech-savvy Stack Exchange users? Check out the full discussion thread here.