With high-quality photography at our fingertips, it's hard to imagine that early cameras were the size of an entire room. The first camera was invented in 1816, and the first photo was taken in 1826. Now, over two centuries later, billions of photos are only a Google search away.

In part, we have Jennifer Lopez to thank. According to Google, Search team creators were inspired to create Google Images after Lopez wore a jungle print dress designed by Donatella Versace in February 2000. At the time, a Google search would only yield links, but many were looking specifically for photos. Google creators decided they needed a way for users to search directly for images.

How to reverse image search on Google

Reverse image search can help you find more context for an image. By placing a photo or a link to an image in the search bar, you can discover websites that use the image, related images and other information. Here's how to use Google’s reverse image search feature on your computer:

  1. Go to images.google.com.
  2. Click the camera button in the search bar.
  3. Upload an image by dragging it into the upload box or clicking the “upload a file” button, which opens your computer’s library. Alternatively, paste a link to an image you found online below the upload box.

How to reverse image search on your phone

You'll need to download the Google app to do this. Here's how to use the reverse image function on your phone:

  1. Open the Google app on your Android or Apple device.
  2. Tap on the camera icon in the Google search bar.
  3. Allow access to your camera and photo gallery. If you have denied the Google app access to your camera or photo gallery in the past, manually give the app permission in settings.
  4. Select a file from your device or snap a picture in the Google app.

How to search for an image on Google

Use one of these two methods to search for an image on Google:

  1. Use the search bar to enter your query — and click on “Images” after you have entered your search
  2. Go to images.google.com, which will take you directly to a collection of images after entering your query

How to use Google Lens

You can use Google Lens’ image recognition software on any image to find related images and other information.

On Google Images, click the Google Lens button in the top right corner of a selected photo – it's shaped like a camera with rounded edges and a dot in the right-hand corner. This will uncover a slew of related images. You can also search with Google Lens in the Google app using your phone's camera or photo gallery.

Google Lens may recognize multiple photos. In this case, you can click or tap to select the item in the image that interests you most.

More Google tips:How to insert a text box in Google Docs

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