How To Find Someone Online? (for free)

So, you’ve lost contact with an old friend, your old roommate, (or maybe you want to stay hidden!). Whatever the reasons, knowing how to find someone online is important. However, it’s also important that you’re aware of how easy you can be found online, so you can reduce your public footprint.

This article will show you these tricks, setting you into the world of online investigations. We’ll also show you some free tools to do this, and quickly.

Knowing how to find someone online is a critical skill in this day and age.  Whether you're looking for old friends, or checking your own public footprint.
Knowing how to find someone online is a critical skill in this day and age. Whether you’re looking for old friends, or checking your own public footprint.

Whether you’re trying to find someone online, perform reverse email lookup, or profile search, Google is not your only option. How you actually do your online user lookups is up to you, we just show you how it can be done. With the right tips, you can carry out a deep username search and access a number of websites focused on finding users online by usernames and emails. You can search for your friends, colleagues, or associates with the right resources.

Although most websites that contain personal information about people aren’t always free, don’t let this get in your way. Rest assured that you can find almost anyone online without any fee attached to it.

Why being able to find someone online, is important?

Why are we looking for someone? This is one of the first questions you need to understand.  Why, how and when.
Why are we looking for someone? This is one of the first questions you need to understand. Why, how, and when.

We all desire to be in the company of our loved ones and companions. Thankfully, technology makes it easier to catch up on good old times and reconnects with loved ones.

In the old days, to find someone you had to go house to house, community-community. Such manual ways of searching for someone would surely consume more time, effort, and energy, which is certainly more stressful.

Thanks to some technological development, searching for people online has been made easier. Thankfully, as without, it would be a bit of a nightmare!

Indeed, technology plays a vital role in connecting people back with their loved ones and retaining long-lasting relationships. Apart from over a hundred free people search engines, technology has given birth to too many instant communication apps that are made available at anyone’s disposal.

There is no doubt technology has made it easier to locate people online, from apps to software, to devices. In this guide, we’ll be focusing on twelve ways on how to find someone online.

To start off, a good online searcher will get some groundwork done. We suggest you follow these points before even going online:

1.  Create a document to keep all the information you find about the person

Creating this document is essential while planning to use various search engines/websites to locate a person. If you don’t keep the correct record of the information you find, it is challenging to combine all the information.

2.  Pen down anything you know about the person

Taking a few minutes to pen down everything you know about the person will go a long way in helping you decide what you can use to search for him/her and which search method you can use. The best way to do this is to ponder their workplace, where they might be living, are single or married, their phone number.

3.   Apply all search tools in your toolbox

Don’t limit your search to just a particular search engine or website when searching for someone online. Searching multiple sites can give you different results, which can add more information to the complete summary.

4.   Have some patients

Just as you’re desperate to find someone online, you need to add more patience to your search. As you already know, good things don’t come easily; it requires time, patients. If the person you’re looking for didn’t leave much of a trace, you might not find what you’re looking for with just one search. Be patient, and know that you may need to use different search engines and websites to find the required information.

5.   Save your money

All the methods used in searching for someone online mentioned in this article don’t cost a dime and require little or no personal details. Although paying to get all the information you need is helpful, that comes after you’ve tried the search engine and websites mentioned below.

Now that you’ve done that, let the search begin!

Twelve Ways To Search For People Online

Step one (you guessed it!), start with Google.

12 best ways to search for people online
12 best ways to search for people online

For many internet users, you’ve probably come across the word “Google it” before. It shouldn’t be a surprise to you that you get information about someone on Google. Although you may obtain certain information about someone on Google, the information you find may not be precise or current.

If you to find someone online, follow the tips below when searching on Google:

  • Input the person’s full name along with quotation marks. For example (“Aaron Johnson”) into Google’s search box will help you get closer results than just typing the words on the search box.

While this is better than just entering the names without quotation marks, you can do more by being specific. For example, if you have any idea about the person’s state or country of residence, you can type “Aaron Johnson” Texas, you’ll get better search results.

Adding other details about someone is the best way to get valid results while locating someone on Google. Make sure you search for each person you know about the person.

1. Find someone online using Social Media Lookup

Social Media Lookup lookups can help to find someone you're looking for.
Social Media Lookup lookups can help to find someone you’re looking for.

So, Google is not providing the information you need about the person; you can try other social media platforms such as Friendster. Google is not the best to for more personal experience. You can also try other famous social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, etc. However, some people believe that Google only provides accurate results to anything you’re looking for; many other social media sites can perform well in that also.

For step one, simply visit a website you think they are on and use the social media’s own public search (without logging in!). Yes, this may sound simple, but it works it covers the basics. You don’t want to jump into advanced searching if the job can be done with a basic social network search.

2. Search The “Deep Web”

Pipl offers more information about someone than Google, which Google usually fails to deliver; supposedly, by searching the deep web, Pipl brings an astounding number of results for most people using their real names online, personal web page, etc. Warning: they do charge.

Find someone online using OSINT tools are charged, but they're still good!
Find someone online using OSINT tools are charged, but they’re still good!

Pipl offers more information about someone than Google. Where Google usually fails to deliver; supposedly, by searching the deep web, Pipl brings an astounding number of results for most people using their real names online, personal web page, etc.

You can also include the city, state, and country the person you’re looking for residing in to get closer and better results.

The tool works by them purchasing vast quantities of public information and then crawling the web to compare that information in an attempt to make it accurate. Reviews online do mention the accuracy falls on some parts, but generally, it’s a good tool.

3. Get Employment Results At ZoomInfo

Scanning for old employment records can add further information to your bundle to find someone fully, online.
Scanning for old employment records can add further information to your bundle to find someone fully, online.

ZoomInfo gathers people and company information somewhere to help candidates get the right job. It performs more than getting the right job for a candidate; it is also beneficial in finding someone online thanks to its people search tool. ZoomInfo provides information about people picking from the web, consisting of people’s employment history, if they’re employed, unemployed, or in search of a job.

Input the person’s full name on ZoomInfo. Add the person’s other personal details to get closer results to locate the person quickly.

4. Social Media and Dating Site lookups

Finding users on social media can be very helpful in getting extra information.  A reverse user search on social media can scan hundreds of websites in seconds.
Finding users on social media & dating sites can be very helpful in getting extra information. A reverse user search on social media can scan hundreds of websites in seconds.

While Facebook is very popular, millions of people use many other social media platforms daily. Also, there are millions of people connecting on dating sites. 

Below are other social media sites you can go on in search of someone:

  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Tumblr
  • WeChat
  • Instagram
  • Vine
  • Flickr
  • LinkedIn
  • Quora
  • Pinterest

Other dating sites you can run a search on include:

Finding a user on dating sites can be very useful
Finding a user on dating sites can be very useful
  • Match.com
  • Ok Cupid
  • Tinder
  • Plenty of fish
  • eHarmony
  • Elite singles

Each of these sites has internal search bars that let you search for people by username, email address, or other characteristics. If you are particularly interested in searching dating websites, we have a great article on specific searching to find someone on dating sites. However, if you’re looking more for a generic article on how to approach searching of social networking sites to find users within, by using some more advanced techniques, here is a great article for you.

5.   Find Phone Numbers And Addresses With ZabaSearch

Find someone online using reverses username tools
Find someone online using reverses username tools

If we haven’t mentioned ZabaSearch when discussing sites on finding someone online, we’re missing out on a great thing. This comprehensive person search engine can help you get anyone’s home address and phone.

Did you suddenly lose a colleague or a relative, and you’re desperately in need of it? Try ZabaSearch, which includes listed and unlisted phone numbers and addresses. It would help if you took note that the information provided by ZabaSearch is all public record.

6.   Search hundreds of social media sites for a username in one click

You’ll quickly realize when trying to find someone online, the potential locations you need to check are infinite. How long is this search really going to take you? we know. There are resources that let you find users on hundreds of social media sites with just one search. If the person you’re looking for has various social media accounts, instead of searching for each one, save yourself the stress and input their full name or screen name and other personal information such as their location at Wink to get the best results. One of the largest (and free) reverse search tools for this is UserSearch.

You can find someone online with a quick search on UserSearch.  Run-on social networks, dating sites, and forums.
You can find someone online with a quick search on UserSearch. Run-on social networks, dating sites, and forums.

7.   Try Family Tree Now

You can find almost anyone online using different search tools. Although, the process varies depending on each. While there are many genealogy sites you can use to trace people, there are still pieces of information that have limits even for people still alive. However, this depends on data privacy laws and the policy of the genealogy.

Although it might be beneficial to create familiar links with the person you’re looking for, the information is limited.

The results will display on your screen, including address information and possible relatives. You can also gain access to paid background information through PeopleFinder.

Think outside the box when trying to find someone online.  You could search by usernames, emails, photos, organizations, or even relationships.
Think outside the box when trying to find someone online. You could search by usernames, emails, photos, organizations, or even relationships.

8.   What is a Reverse Image Search?

So you’re looking for a person online, but you only have a photo of the person. Try reverse Image search tools, such as TinEye.com. I love this site because it can dig the whole internet inside out for that particular picture and tell you if the picture is on any site.

Thanks to its innovative image technology, the site can match images based on the one you upload on the site. If you want to locate someone online but only have access to their pictures, this site is ideal for you. Another excellent option for reverse Image search in Google image search.

What is a reverse image search? You can find similar images online and locate someone by picture.
What is a reverse image search? You can find similar images online and locate someone by picture.

9.   Go On People Search Sites

A wide range of websites deals mainly with people-related information like databases and online phone directories. These sites are an excellent idea for getting people’s information little by little, like the census data, business phone numbers, obituary notices.

These sites focus mainly on people’s related information and can go a long way in finding results from the tools that provide similar information about the person you’d like to see. We’ve already mentioned one people search site, but there are many others if you do a search on google.

10.  Facebook User Lookups

Do a user lookup on Facebook.  It's one of the largest social networks online.  It may be declining in usage, but people are not deleting their profiles...
Do a user lookup on Facebook. It’s one of the largest social networks online. It may be declining in usage, but people are not deleting their profiles…

When looking for someone online, the first thing that comes to your mind is Facebook. Although not everyone uses Facebook, millions of people use Facebook to connect with their loved ones from different parts of the country and carry out other activities. You can also use this incredibly great network to your advantage when searching for someone online.

All you need to do is create a free Facebook account to access all the Facebook information within your reach; you can perform a deep username search or profile search using Facebook.

11.  Connect With Friends Of A Friend

So you’re not getting good results with your search on social media sites, try connecting with friends of those you would like to find.

You can gather useful intelligence by reviewing relationships
You can gather useful intelligence by reviewing relationships

One of the best ways to quickly locate a person you’re looking for, no matter how well hidden such a person may be is by connecting with any of their friends or relatives. You can carry out these tasks by adding your friends on social media sites and checking their tags, likes, and retweets. There is a great article on what you can learn about someone by looking in detail at their relationships and social networks, using Twitter.

Is looking for someone online, legal?

It is perfectly legal to carry out a background search on any person without their approval in any way. Just make sure that you could be violating the law if you make tenancy or hiring decisions without their consent using the information you sourced.

And now..

Knowing how to find someone online for free is easy if you follow the insights in this guide. Using a username finder or reverse email lookup and performing a deep username search or profile search is easy with the suggested tips mentioned in this article. In all, be responsible for how you go about your activities as you do not want to violate other people’s rights. Apply tact and be responsible.

If you want to learn more about finding someone online, there are some great resources here:

There is also a very good community to share your own resources and link in with like-minded people on this LinkedIn group.