Free Social Media Search | Find Someone on ALL Social Networks

Finding someone’s social media accounts can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. Whether you’re trying to reconnect with a long-lost friend, learn more about someone, there are several methods that can help. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the most complete ways to search for social media profiles, covering not just the obvious ones, but also some lesser-known platforms to help you search thoroughly to find someone’s social media account, maybe even hidden ones. 

Methods to run a social media search

There are five main ways you can find social media accounts based on the information you have. No need to follow the order, choose the corresponding method based on the information you have, you may also combine them for the best results. 

• By username
• By email
• By real name
• By phone number
• By photo (face search)
• Bonus tip for further searches

Let’s dive into each of these methods, and I’ll introduce you to both free and paid tools you can use to make your search easier.

Find social media accounts by username

If you already know someone’s username, you’re in luck! Many people use the same username across different platforms. You can just enter the username in Google and search. Here’s a trick: Google the username with quotation marks surrounding it, this will show websites that have an exact match with the username.
>Learn more details and tips about finding social media profiles by username.

However, some social media sites don’t allow Google to index user profiles or limit their visibility. In such cases, you can either visit the websites directly and search manually or use online tools to search for the username across multiple platforms at once, saving time and effort.

Free username search websites

You’ll find many free online tools for username searches, and they’re usually easy to use. But do they work as advertised? Can they really cover all social media networks or even the major ones? After testing 6 tools (including OSINTs)^[1], we’ve selected the two best ones for you. 

SE username search is a simple and user-friendly website that allows users to find the same username across various sites. It’s free, fast, and supports major platforms like Instagram/Threads, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, X (former Twitter), Reddit, Tumblr, Pinterest, etc. Additionally, it offers free email search functionality.

Tip: Spaces in usernames can affect search results. For example, “taylorswift” and “taylor swift” lead to different results. The “taylorswift” tends to be more accurate. And don’t forget to check the “Possible Profiles” section, you may find accounts there.

IDCrawl is another effective username search tool. Like SuperEasy, it covers major platforms but has a stricter security check before you can access the website. In my experience, I once got stuck in an infinite security check and couldn’t proceed. Compared to SuperEasy Username Search, IDCrawl provides less information. For example, it failed to find an existing Facebook account for “taylorswift.” However, it includes a “Related People” section that might provide additional information if available.

• Pros: Both tools allow you to search multiple websites and platforms for free.
• Cons: Some smaller or lesser-known platforms may not be included.
  Both tools display advertisements. IDCrawl lures users with possible email searches.
• Best For: Anyone looking for usernames who want to search multiple platforms quickly.

This method works best if the person has an uncommon or unique username. It doesn’t hurt to try all the free username search tools if you have the time and energy.  Here are two additional free username search websites we tested. They cover smaller and lesser-known websites but are less user-friendly and don’t include all major platforms: 

• https://usersearch.org/
• https://whatsmyname.app/ 

Note: Some social media platforms only allow registered users to view profiles. For instance, you need to log in to Instagram to see a profile after clicking a link. This is a platform limitation.

If you aim to uncover the real identity behind a social media account, consider using a paid tool like BeenVerified. 

BeenVerified (Paid)

• Pros: Offers detailed search results.
  Useful for both usernames and other identifying information.
• Cons: Require a paid subscription.
• Best For: People who want more than just usernames and are interested in a detailed search.

BeenVerified is a people search tool that can also search with usernames to find linked profiles. Unlike the free tools mentioned earlier, its goal isn’t to find every possible social network account associated with a username. Instead, it focuses on helping you identify the possible owner of an account. If you want to learn more about the owner by exploring their social media accounts, BeenVerified can provide an in-depth understanding of the person.

Another reason we recommend BeenVerified is that it suggests possible usernames the person might be using. We all know that people often change their usernames across different platforms. The free tools mentioned earlier don’t provide additional information to help you search for other usernames the person might use.

So this tool not only provides possible contact information like phone number, email address, and home addresses, but also may lead your way to more possible username to find the person’s hidden information.

Additional tip:

Sometimes, people use the local part of their email address (the part before the @ symbol) as usernames. You can try searching for usernames based on their email address. For example, if the email address is john.smith@example.com, search for “john smith” as a username.

Find social media accounts by email

If you know someone’s email address, you can use it to search for their associated social media profiles. Many social media platforms, including dating sites, require an email address for account registration, making it a useful search tool. You can search for accounts on platforms like Yelp, Skype, Microsoft Teams, etc., by email. If you’re looking for an easier way to search, Epieos is a good choice.

Epieos

• Pros: Free and simple to use. 
• Cons: Limited in social media platforms. Doesn’t show profile links or usernames for free accounts. Some information requires payment.
• Best For: Anyone who has an email address but little else to go on.

Epieos is an advanced reverse email search tool that requires registration, but its free service is robust enough for basic searches. While not specifically designed to find social media accounts, it helps identify which websites are linked to a given email address. It covers over 200 websites, including social platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Skype, GitHub, and Duolingo. However, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat are not included. Despite this, it’s a solid option for a free tool.

If you want to see which websites and services are linked to an email address, Epieos is worth trying. It shows Skype account information (if available) for free, including the profile’s photo, name, and ID. However, free users won’t see profile links or usernames used on those platforms. For more detailed information, including links and usernames on other platforms, a paid subscription is required.

According to their pricing page, I suspect only the platforms mentioned will provide detailed information. Whether it’s worth the price is up to you to decide.

Additional note on other tools 

I’ve also tried Holehe, a free OSINT on Github that was recommended by many forum users. But it only displays the sites linked to the target email address which won’t help you find someone’s social media accounts by email, and it requires some technical skills to use. If you need more detailed information or want to explore a wider range of social media profiles, BeenVerified’s reverse email search tool might be the better option for you.

Find social media accounts by real name

Some people use their real names on social media platforms, which might make it seem easier to find their accounts. While this can be true, many people often feel frustrated when they come up empty-handed. Searching by real name can be a simple but tedious task. Without additional information to narrow the results, it’s challenging to find someone’s profile by their real name alone. Of course, you can try to find the information yourself for free, but that will cost you time and effort.

You can also use the tools mentioned earlier to run a quick search. However, the more people who share the same name, the more results you’ll encounter. It can be overwhelming to sift through all the possible links. 

To save time and effort, you may want to consider other methods. In such cases, try using face search tools or paid people search services if you can’t reach out to the person directly. 

People search tools allow you to search for someone’s real name and generate a detailed report, often including related social media accounts linked to that name. This method works well when the person uses their full name as their username on social media. Thanks to extensive public databases and advanced matching techniques, these tools may also uncover other social media profiles that aren’t directly linked to their real name.

However, there are some limitations. Most of these tools are paid services, and you’ll need at least the person’s full name and, in many cases, their state of residence. The more information you have—like their age or city—the higher the chances of successfully finding the person you’re looking for.

We tested TruthFinder, Intelius, Spokeo, and BeenVerified. Among these, BeenVerified stood out as the top performer. While all four tools did a great job of finding personal information, including news articles and the person’s website, BeenVerified helped me find the Facebook of someone’s wife. The individual didn’t have a Facebook account, but his wife did, and she posted their latest information and pictures there. Other tools didn’t provide this information.

In my opinion, this shows that BeenVerified is better at matching and linking data. Therefore, I believe it performs better at connecting related social media accounts to their owners. Additionally, as mentioned earlier, BeenVerified provides possible associated usernames in its reports, giving you new clues to help find someone’s social media profiles across various platforms.

Find social media accounts by phone number

While using a person’s real name can be a good way to find their social media profiles, another powerful tool in your search is their phone number. Many people register their social media accounts with their phone numbers, making this a valuable piece of information when trying to uncover someone’s profiles.

The most direct and free way is to sync contacts on apps like Snapchat, TikTok, Venmo, Telegram, Airbuds, Vsco, Duolingo, etc. If you’re looking for other methods beyond syncing contacts, paid people search tools can help. While many free reverse phone number search tools are available, none will provide linked social media accounts for free.

Intelius (Paid)

• Pros: Searches through public records and social media profiles. Offers a variety of detailed reports.
• Cons: Full reports require a paid subscription.
• Best For: Anyone who has a phone number and wants to find the associated social media profiles.

Among these reputable people search tools, Intelius stands out when using a phone number to search for social media accounts. Intelius has access to a vast database of public records, phone numbers, and other personal information. This enables it to cross-reference phone numbers with social media profiles and other online records effectively. After entering the phone number, it finds the best match and generates a detailed report about the possible owner, including a list of associated social media accounts (if they are publicly available).

Unlike other products, Intelius uses advanced techniques to help identify the owner, ensuring the social media accounts listed are the most relevant for both the owner and the phone number.

If you find that the owner is not the right person, don’t worry. Check the “Owner History” section—there may be other names listed. You can then click the View Background Report link to see more detailed information about those individuals.

Find social media accounts by photo (Face Search)

If all you have is a photo of someone, it can be one of the easiest ways to find their social media accounts. While reverse image search isn’t specifically designed to locate social media profiles, it can provide useful information that leads you to someone’s online presence. Many tools allow you to reverse-search photos on the internet, helping you find public images linked to that person, which may include social media profiles.

To learn more about how this method works, check out this article. Here, we will only mention the working tools we tested.

Google Lens

• Pros: Free and easy-to-use.
• Cons: Not specifically designed for face search.
  Doesn’t specifically target social media profiles.
  Results for people are limited.
• Best For: Anyone looking for image matches online.
  Great for finding similar items for shopping.

When it comes to free reverse image tools, Google Lens should be your go-to option. It allows you to upload an image and find visually similar photos across the internet. As a free tool, it can help you track down similar images on the internet which may be linked to social media profiles.

Take Luigi Mangione’s photo as an example,  we suggest you notice the following tips when you run a Google reverse image search:

• Use a photo where the person’s face is fully visible. Otherwise, Google may focus on other items in the photo (e.g., sunglasses).
• The photo may not be directly linked to a social media account—it could belong to someone else—but it could still provide a useful clue.
• If you see an “exact match,” this means the image you are searching for is available at that link.
• Don’t forget to check the “Related search” section, as it may reveal the real name of the person in the image.

If the person in the image is very active on the internet or a celebrity, you’re more likely to find their social media profiles. However, if they are a regular person who doesn’t post photos publicly, you may have less success. Despite this, Google Lens should still be your first choice, as it covers the widest range of information online, and you never know what it might find.

If Google Lens doesn’t provide the results you need, try tools designed specifically for face recognition.

PimEyes

• Pros: Facial recognition technique. Works on public images.
• Cons: Require a paid plan for full access to the image source.
  Does not include social media platforms in its searches.
• Best For: People who want a detailed face search.

PimEyes is a facial recognition search website that allows users to search for matching faces of images across the web, which helps identify the person and may lead to their online details.  It’s particularly good at searching faces for public images, but some features require a paid subscription. We’ll show you how to use this paid tool for free.  

Here’s how to run a free search with Pimeyes

1. Go to PimEyes.
2. Upload the image or use the camera to take a photo (Make sure the photo meets the requirements).
   
3. Pimeyes will show you related images. Screenshot the picture that you want to know its source. You can keep the part of the link that may help Google find the related source.
   
4. Save the pic and upload it to the Google Lens. There’s a chance you’ll find the exact match through Google.
   If you failed, don’t worry, screenshot another pic in PimEyes and repeat the process to try again.
   

PimEyes focuses on locating similar-looking faces but does not specifically search for social media profiles. We suggest utilizing this method for personal information, it may help you find the person’s full name, workplace, or LinkedIn profile. With these details, you’ll have a better chance of finding their social media accounts.

While face search tools like PimEyes are useful for identifying people from public images, if you’re concerned about a person using someone else’s photo, especially in dating contexts, Social Catfish can help uncover whether you’re dealing with a scammer.

Social catfish (Paid)

• Pros: Works globally.
  Offers comprehensive people search features and detailed reports.
  Includes searches on smaller, less-known platforms, such as adult sites and European websites.
• Cons: Doesn’t show related photos before payment.
  Accessing detailed information requires additional payments.
• Best For: Anyone looking for a deeper search that includes social media and background checks.

Social Catfish is a powerful, all-in-one tool designed to help you verify whether someone is using someone else’s photo or information to deceive you. Whether you’re meeting someone new online or just want to double-check a profile, Social Catfish can help you uncover the truth. From my experience, Social Catfish excels in covering smaller and lesser-known platforms, including many adult sites and European websites, making it a valuable addition to your search toolkit.

Bonus tip for further searches

Besides the main searches you can perform with the information you have, here are two bonus tips to help go further:  

1. Use Wayback Machine for social media archives

The internet has a long memory. If you’re trying to track down a deleted or suspended account, or you want to find deleted posts or old bios, the Wayback Machine can help you dig into a profile’s history.

The WayBack Machine is an online tool that allows users to access archived versions of websites from the past, it could be used for platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, X (former Twitter), and Reddit (pullpush.io is another recommended for Reddit archive). While it doesn’t archive every single page and not all data may be available, it’s still worth checking out.

Here’s how you can use it with Twitter as an example:

1. Visit the Wayback Machine website.
2. In the search bar, enter the full URL of the Twitter profile you’re looking for (e.g., https://twitter.com/username).
   Note: If you don’t know the exact URL, you can search for the person’s name along with “Twitter” to find it.
   
3. After entering the URL, the Wayback Machine will show you a timeline and a calendar with archived versions of the Twitter page. Click the year and date you want to view. Keep in mind that the Wayback Machine doesn’t capture everything, so it might not have every tweet or the entire profile history.
   
4. Once you’re in the archived profile, you can browse through old tweets, bio information, profile pictures, and more.
   Note that some interactive elements, like direct messages or certain tweets, might not be accessible.
   

Sometimes, people link their other social media accounts (such as Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn) in their bio or mention them in tweets. By scrolling through the archived posts, you might find usernames or links that lead to their other profiles. Keep an eye out for hashtags, usernames, or direct references to other accounts in tweets or replies.

2. Cross-referencing investigation

This technique combines several skills—logical thinking, reasoning, search abilities, and more—to track down someone’s social media accounts across different platforms. While it’s difficult to provide a step-by-step guide, you can learn a lot from others’ experiences and get inspired by their methods.

A recent example involving Luigi Mangione shows how people use cross-referencing to find someone’s social media profiles. On Reddit, someone asked, “How did they find out what Luigi Mangione’s Reddit account was?” The responses in the comments revealed a variety of investigative techniques that could be useful when searching for someone’s social media accounts.

One Reddit user even provided solid proof of why a specific account belonged to Luigi Mangione. This post is a great example of how cross-referencing can be used to connect the dots and identify accounts across different platforms.

I believe you can learn a lot from the post and see cross-referencing works in their searches. 

Important Note: While it’s perfectly legal to find public social media accounts using legal tools from public platforms, it’s important to use this information responsibly. No one can withstand the magnifying glass, and a person’s past opinions or statements don’t define who they are today. Judging people based on their past words or views can be dangerous, so it’s crucial to approach these searches with empathy and understanding.

Final words

Finding someone’s social media profile doesn’t have to be difficult, especially when you use the right methods. Whether you have a photo, a username, or just an email address, there’s a tool that can help you uncover profiles across various platforms. Whether you’re reconnecting with an old friend or trying to learn more about someone online, these strategies will give you the best chance to uncover their entire social media presence. While these tools can be incredibly effective, remember to respect privacy and use this information responsibly.

All product names, logos, brands, trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.

1. OSINT stands for open source intelligence.
   The tools we tested are 1. https://www.supereasy.com/username-search/2. https://www.idcrawl.com/ 3. https://usersearch.org/ 4. https://whatsmyname.app/ 5. https://www.social-searcher.com/6. https://www.talkwalker.com/. 5 and 6 are not meant for finding someone’s social media profiles. They are designed for business users to analyze brands and gain audience insights. ↩

There’s no guarantee you’ll find the information you’re looking for with the tools discussed in this article. They all source their information from publicly available data sources, such as county, state and federal courts, government departments, and police records, and those sources may contain incorrect or incomplete data. It’s illegal to use these tools to make decisions about employment, admission, consumer credit, insurance, tenant screening, or any other purpose that would require FCRA compliance. Read the Fair Credit Reporting Act to learn more....

By Iris Zheng

I have worked as a content writer for years and have found great joy and meaning in this profession. As a member of a company's writing team, I have benefited from continuous training and learning opportunities. These experiences have not only improved my research skills and learning abilities but have also enabled me to quickly find valuable and accurate information in the vast sea of data.

My previous work in banking instilled meticulous work habits in me. I carefully inspect and verify information I collect with the aim of providing readers with authentic and reliable content. My skills and cautious nature not only allow me to offer robust support to readers in my professional life but also position me as a source of information and advice for my family and friends in my personal life.

I derive immense enjoyment and a profound sense of accomplishment from assisting others. If my articles are able to assist you in any way, it would be both an honor and a personal achievement. This motivation will continue to inspire me to pursue constant improvement and produce more valuable content.

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