Your artwork could be posted on dozens of websites right now and you'd have no idea. Most artists only find out by accident. But the tools for tracking down stolen work have got genuinely good — here's how to use them.
Google Reverse Image Search
The most accessible tool. Go to images.google.com, click the camera icon, and upload your image or paste its URL. Google will show you every indexed page containing a visually similar image.
Tips: Try multiple crops of your image, not just the full piece. Thieves often crop, rotate, or mirror images to evade detection. Google's visual matching is strong at finding resized versions but weaker on stylistically similar but not identical copies.
TinEye
TinEye is a dedicated reverse image search engine focused on finding exact and near-exact copies. Its database is smaller than Google's, but it often finds matches Google misses — particularly on older pages and obscure image hosting sites. TinEye also shows you the oldest known indexed version of an image, which can be crucial evidence if you need to prove your work predates a copy.
Yandex Images
Yandex is a Russian search engine, but its image search is arguably the most powerful tool for finding stolen artwork — particularly on Asian platforms (AliExpress, Taobao), Russian social networks, and print-on-demand sites. Many artists report finding stolen work on Yandex that neither Google nor TinEye could locate.
Bing Visual Search
Microsoft's Bing Visual Search has improved a lot in the last couple of years and picks up content Google doesn't always index. Upload your image at bing.com/images and switch to the Visual Search tab.
Social Media and Marketplace Search
Pinterest, DeviantArt, and Instagram all have their own visual matching tools in their reporting flows. You can also search for your username or watermark text — thieves often repost work without removing embedded credits.
Automated Scanning with Vulta
Manual reverse image searches are time-consuming and easy to forget. Vulta's Theft Scanner automates the process across multiple search engines simultaneously, running pHash (perceptual hash) matching to find visually similar images even if the original has been filtered, recolored, or reframed. When a match is found, you can generate a DMCA takedown notice directly from the scan results.
What to Do When You Find Stolen Art
When you find unauthorized use of your work:
- Document everything immediately — screenshot the page with the URL visible and note the date
- Identify the platform and find their DMCA reporting process
- Send a DMCA takedown notice — our free generator makes this a 2-minute process
- Note if it's commercial — if someone's selling prints of your work, screenshot the product listing and price before they take it down
- Set up alerts — use Google Alerts for your artist name and titles of your most popular pieces
Found stolen work? Generate a takedown notice in 2 minutes.
Vulta's free DMCA generator writes a legally-valid notice — no account needed, no legal knowledge required.
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