If intimate images of you appear in Google Search, use Google’s dedicated personal sexual content removal route. The subject or a representative can request review of eligible real or identifiable fake sexual content. Provide the actual webpages or image URLs requested by the current form, not just a general search query. An approved Search removal does not delete the source website’s copy, and the outcome can be full or partial.
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Start with the dedicated removal route
Treat this as a specific problem with a specific form, not a general troubleshooting request. Google supports asking Search to remove eligible personal sexual imagery, including identifiable fake sexual content, on behalf of the person shown or through a representative. That scope matters: the route is built around the subject of the image, so it is not a tool for investigating or exposing other people. Follow the current form's own instructions as you go. [Google Search Help: Remove personal sexual content]
Collect the exact URLs, not the whole internet
Google asks for the URLs of pages that contain the personal content and links to instructions for obtaining page or image addresses. Keep the destination content address separate from a general Google Search query URL; follow the specific fields the current form requests. The form may also ask for screenshots to identify eligible adult content. Do not take or share screenshots containing sexual content depicting anyone under 18; use Google’s dedicated reporting guidance instead. Keep any report material private and out of profile-lookup tools. [Google Search Help: Remove personal sexual content]
- Make a private list of exact result URLs, one per line.
- Add a short neutral note for each URL describing what it shows.
- Keep the list on a device only you can access.
Separate Search removal from source removal
These are two different requests with two different decision-makers. Google removal removes the page from Search results; it does not remove the source website's content, which stays online and can be reached by anyone who has the direct address or finds it another way. Plan both tracks: the Search request addresses discovery through Search, while contacting the site operator or host is the step that addresses the underlying copy. Neither request guarantees a particular outcome, so keep your own record of what you sent and when. [Google Search Help: Remove personal sexual content]
Prepare the request as the subject or a representative
Write the submission from the perspective of the person shown. If a representative is filing, that role should be stated consistently in the request. Keep descriptions factual and brief: what the page is, why it is personal sexual content, and where it appears. Save a copy of what you submitted with the date. If a request is declined or only partly actioned, you then have a clear record to work from when you consider the source-removal track. [Google Search Help: Remove personal sexual content]
- Draft a short factual summary of the situation before opening the form.
- Note the date and the URLs you submitted.
Keep the line between observation and proof
A removal request is about content, not about proving anyone's intent. Seeing an image on a page, or a page ranking in results, tells you that content was indexed at the time you looked; it does not establish who uploaded it, why, or whether it is still live when the request is reviewed. Keep your observations, the limits of those observations and your practical decisions in separate notes, so a slow response or a partial removal does not become a conclusion about a person. The example below is hypothetical and for planning only.
| What you observed | What it does not establish | Practical next step |
|---|---|---|
| A result page appears under a search for your name | Who posted it, or the poster's intent | Record the exact URL and submit it through the removal route |
| The page no longer appears in Search results | That the source copy is gone | Check the source site separately and plan a source-removal contact |
| The same image appears on another page | That the pages are connected or run by one person | Add the new URL to your private list and submit it |
Never use a lookup tool on someone else's image
Do not upload another person's intimate image to a reverse-image search, face-matching service or any other lookup tool, even to check whether it has spread. That adds a copy to yet another system and is not something the person shown has agreed to. The same restraint applies to collecting links for someone else: help by pointing them to the official route and by supporting their own submission, not by assembling or sharing their images. [Google Search Help: Remove personal sexual content]
Keep a simple record after you submit
Removal is a process, not an instant switch. Keep your private URL list updated as results change, and keep a dated note of what you submitted and when. If the content appears at a new address, treat it as a new URL for the same route rather than starting over. If a Search removal succeeds but the source copy remains, return to the source-removal track with the record you already have. [Google Search Help: Remove personal sexual content]
A couple more questions
Will Google removal take the image off the website itself?
No. Search removal removes the result from Google Search, but the source website's content is not removed by that request, so a separate approach to the site or its host is needed.
Can I file for a friend whose images are online?
Google's route covers requests from the subject or a representative, so the person shown should normally be the one filing, or should clearly authorise the representative. Do not upload their images anywhere as part of helping.
What if the image is a fake that looks like me?
Identifiable fake sexual content is within the scope Google describes for this removal route. Collect the exact URLs and describe the content factually in the request.
Should I send the image file with my request?
Follow the current official form. Google asks for content URLs and explains that screenshots can help identify eligible adult content. Do not take or share screenshots of sexual content depicting anyone under 18, and do not upload intimate files to a lookup service.
Sources & editorial notes
Official references checked on October 23, 2026. Checklists, comparison tables and example wording are DateClues editorial tools, not official tests or validated risk scores.
General information. No guide or tool can certify a person’s identity, intentions or safety. Read our editorial standards.