How to Remove Your Face From PimEyes Face Search

PimEyes is a face search engine. Someone uploads a photo of a face and gets back other images that look like the same person, with links to the pages they came from. That can be unsettling. For someone being stalked, harassed or targeted with fake images, it can be dangerous, because one photo can lead to a workplace, a school or a home area. The good news is that PimEyes has its own removal routes. The catch is that they are easy to misread, and they only cover PimEyes itself. This guide explains both routes, how to protect your ID while using them, and what to do about the original photos.

Last checked: 21 October 2026.

#Can You Remove Your Face From PimEyes?

Yes, from PimEyes search results. PimEyes' guide on how to remove your images from PimEyes search results says there are two choices, opt-out and manual exclusion, and that both are available to every user whether or not they subscribe. It also says you do not need to go through a DMCA request to remove your image from its results. PimEyes says it does not host your content and works as a search engine showing matches found on external websites.

#Where PimEyes Says Its Matches Come From

PimEyes' removal guide says it searches only websites that officially allow data scraping and never searches social media or other user-restricted online sources. Its FAQ says it does not guarantee that all images of a person will be found and that results depend on images that are publicly available. Knowing that helps you plan the follow up, because each of those sites has its own owner and its own removal process. It also means a clean PimEyes result does not prove a photo is not online elsewhere.

#Opt-Out and Manual Exclusion Compared

#How to Use the Opt-Out

PimEyes' guide lists these steps for the opt-out, which starts on its opt-out request form:

1. Go to the opt-out page.
2. Upload a clear photo of your face.
3. Upload an anonymised scan of a government issued ID, such as an ID card, passport or driving licence, for identity confirmation.
4. Give an email address so PimEyes can contact you about the request.

PimEyes says it does not store images of these ID documents and that they are permanently removed after the opt-out process is over. It also says images can have different index combinations, so it can be a good idea to request removal several times using the image that shows your search results.

#How to Hide Your ID Details Safely

PimEyes' current guide says to hide sensitive details on the ID so that only your photo is visible. That has not always been clear. A 2024 consumer alert from the Cook County State's Attorney's Office in Illinois said that PimEyes opt-out instructions then told users their name must stay visible, while the fine print of its privacy policy said everything except the photo should be anonymised. The alert recommended that people do not provide their name and surname when opting out.

Following that safer reading, a sensible checklist is:

• Cover your name, date of birth, ID number, address, signature and any barcode or chip details, leaving only the face photo.
• Black out the details fully rather than blurring lightly, so they cannot be read back.
• Take the face photo against a plain background with nothing that shows where you live or work.
• The Cook County alert also suggested taking a screenshot of your selfie to strip the photo's hidden data before uploading it.
• Use an email address that does not include your full name if you have one.

#How to Use Manual Exclusion

PimEyes' guide describes manual exclusion as a way to request removal image by image. You select the image in the search results, choose the option to exclude it from public results, and give a reason. PimEyes says the image will be permanently deleted from PimEyes within 48 hours after your request is approved. This suits a few specific photos, while the opt-out is aimed at your face as a whole.

#What the Opt-Out Does Not Do

PimEyes says plainly that removal from its search results does not mean the images are removed from the original websites. Other face search tools may also find the same photos. If you want the trail behind the matches to shrink, work through the sources too.

#Source Takedown Checklist

1. Before opting out, save a list of the pages PimEyes showed, with screenshots and dates, since you may not be able to see them afterwards.
2. Where the photo is on your own old accounts, delete it or make the account private.
3. Where a friend, employer or club posted it, ask them directly to remove it.
4. Where a site posted it without your consent, use that site's report or contact form.
5. Where the page shows up in Google with your private details, use Google's removal routes described below.

Google's page on how to remove private info from Google Search says you can ask Google to remove some personal information, such as your address, phone number, email and images of your ID or signature, and to remove doxxing content where your personal info appears with threats or for no legitimate purpose. It also says Google can only remove things from Google Search results, not from the website that hosts them. Google's page on how to find and remove personal info in Google Search results explains the Results about you tool, which can notify you of new results with your contact details. Google says some of its features are still rolling out to users over 18 in certain markets. Our guide to removing personal information from Google Search goes through both.

#If You Are Being Stalked or Targeted

If someone used a face search to find you and is contacting, following or threatening you, removal is only part of the response. Keep evidence, tell people you trust, and consider a police report. Our guide on a police report for online harassment in Malaysia covers what to prepare. If fake or altered images of you are spreading, our guide to removing an AI deepfake video of you covers platform reporting.

#When Outside Help Makes Sense

You can use the PimEyes opt-out yourself. Help can be worth it when your photos appear across several sites, when they are tied to harassment, or when fake images are involved. SocialSafe by AwareXone works through each platform's official reporting and removal routes only. It cannot remove anything a site or search engine decides to keep. See our digital identity protection page for how a review works and the Trust Center for how we handle your information.

#Frequently Asked Questions