How do I remove my photos from Google Images?
An image result has more moving parts than a web link: the thumbnail Google shows, the page it came from and the image file itself. Which request you need depends on which of these is the problem. For web results and the general routes, start with the Google Search guide.
| What you see | What to use |
|---|---|
| A sexual image of you, or a fake, live in Images | The removal flow inside the image viewer, or Google's explicit-image form |
| Your photo, on a page that has no right to it | Copyright removal form, with the specific URLs |
| A thumbnail still showing after the image was deleted | Outdated content request, image option |
The image viewer route
Google says that within Image Search you can use an in-product Image Viewer removal flow for personal adult content and artificial imagery. You or a representative can start a request. For sexual imagery, Google says it does its best to find and remove duplicates, and you can opt out of that. It also limits this route for consensual content to content that isn't commercialized, so paid content may not qualify.
That matters if you've found the same image on many pages, because a copyright request names specific URLs instead. If Google grants a partial removal instead, the result stops showing for searches containing your name or identifier, and may still appear for others.
The dead thumbnail
This is the most common loose end after a removal. For an outdated image, Google's steps are:
- Find the image at images.google.com, right-click the thumbnail and choose "Copy link address".
- Open the outdated content tool. Under "Request refresh", choose New request, then Image.
- Paste the link and submit.
- Check the status under "Refresh outdated content".
That's for an image that's gone. While it's still live at the source, use one of the other routes.
What stays after any of these
Google is clear that it can only remove content from search results pages. To get the image off the site, you have to go to the site owner, then its host and registrar. To see where your photo has spread, try a search with the image itself.
On both plans I file Google de-indexing and "remove outdated content" requests alongside the notices to sites and hosts.
Under 18, or the images were taken when you were under 18? Don't send them to anyone, me included. Take It Down, run by NCMEC, works from your own device: your file stays there and only a digital fingerprint is shared with participating platforms.
General information, not legal advice. I'm not a lawyer and Abolita is not a law firm. Checked against the linked sources on 6 November 2026, except Google's DMCA form, which wouldn't load beyond a heading for my check. Google's explicit-image page is what names it.
Quick answers
Why does a removed image still show in Google Images?
Google's index can lag behind the site. If the image has really gone from the source, use the image option in Google's outdated content tool, with the thumbnail's copied link address.
Do I need a link to the page or to the image?
It depends on the route. The outdated image request uses the thumbnail's copied link address. A copyright request should give the specific URLs of the material you want removed.
Sources
- Google: remove explicit or intimate personal images
- Google: report content for legal reasons
- Google DMCA form (wouldn't load beyond a heading for my check)
- Google: remove outdated content
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