Verify a photo

Find where a photo came from, whether it was edited, and where and when it was taken.

Starts with
Image
Useful for
Viral images, claims about events, profile photos, evidence you have been sent.
Time
30 minutes to several hours
Progress
0 of 5 steps ·

Type a value into any step and every step of the same type fills in, with direct search links. Values stay in this tab and are not saved; only which steps you ticked is remembered, in your browser.

  1. 1. Find earlier copies

    Why: Most misleading photos are real photos from another time or place. The oldest copy is usually the original.

    Do: Search the image in several engines. Sort by date where you can, and crop to the main subject if full searches find nothing.

    Look for:
    • Copies older than the claimed event
    • The original photographer, agency or first poster
    • Captions describing a different place or date

  2. 2. Read the metadata

    Why: An original file can still carry the camera, date and GPS coordinates. Social platforms usually strip them, but files sent by email or cloud links often keep them.

    Do: Get the original file if you can, then read its metadata. Treat dates and locations as clues, since metadata is easy to edit.

    Look for:
    • Capture date and time zone
    • GPS coordinates
    • Editing software such as Photoshop
    • Content Credentials (C2PA) showing how it was made

  3. 3. Check for editing

    Why: Composites and edited regions often leave traces in compression and noise.

    Do: Run error level and clone detection. Compare suspicious areas with the rest of the image.

    Look for:
    • Areas with different compression levels
    • Repeated patterns that suggest cloning

  4. 4. Find where it was taken

    Why: Matching the scene to a real place confirms or disproves the claimed location.

    Do: List distinctive features (signs, shop names, road markings, mountains, architecture). Search them, then match the scene on maps and street-level imagery.

    Look for:
    • Text in the image (translate it)
    • Landmarks visible from a specific angle
    • Features you can query in OpenStreetMap, such as a church next to a bridge

  5. 5. Work out when it was taken

    Why: Shadows, weather and construction change over time, so they can confirm or rule out a date.

    Do: Compare shadow directions with the sun's position on the claimed date, and check satellite imagery history for the site.

    Look for:
    • Shadow angles that match the claimed time
    • Buildings or damage that appear only after a certain date

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