This guide outlines how to find people fast online, detailing five different and easy ways to search for old friends and contacts.
We all have that one friend that we lost touch with. You know, the one who went to college in a different state or got married and moved away. It’s hard to find them when you don’t even know where they live anymore. But there is hope! We will tell you how to find people fast online with little information about their current location so you can catch up on your life together.
5 ways to find people fast online
Finding people on the internet has never been so easy: as experts say, we are increasingly showing our “digital footprint” – purchases, cookies, geographic location through the cell phone’s GPS, which tells us where we are… miscellaneous data that can leave our privacy (or that of whoever you want to meet) forfeited altogether.
Find people on Google
Google is your friend when it comes to how to find people fast online. The first step is to search their name and see what comes up. You can also use Google’s reverse email search feature if you know their email address. This will help you find all the social media profiles they are currently using.
Once you have found all of their social media profiles, start by browsing through them and seeing if you can find any clues about their current location. For example, if they have a profile picture from a recent trip, that may give you an idea of where they are living now.
If you still can’t find their current location after browsing through all of their social media profiles, try using Google Maps to see if you can find any addresses or locations that match the information you have.
Reverse Image Search – Google
As modern as the above option is, the good old Google reverse image search can surprise us with positive and satisfying results, that is, helping us find who we are looking for. Check step by step:
- Go to Google Images;
- Click on “Image Search”;
- Click on “Upload an image” and select the file with the photo of the person you are looking for;
- Ready! Now all you have to do is analyze the results and see if you have achieved some level of success or not.
Find people on Facebook
If the person you are looking for is on Facebook, the best place to start is the search bar. You can either type in their name and see what comes up or use Facebook’s Graph Search feature. This feature lets you search for people based on specific criteria, such as where they live or went to school.
Once you have found their Facebook profile, take a look at their Timeline to see if there are any clues about their current location. For example, if they have recently changed their job or left a note on their Timeline about moving somewhere new, that may give you an idea of where they are living now.
If you can’t find any clues about their current location on their Facebook profile, try looking through their friends list to see if you can find people via any mutual friends who may have more information.
Find people on Twitter
If your person is on Twitter, the best place to start is the search bar. You can type in their name and see what comes up.
Once you have found their Twitter profile, take a look at their Tweets to see if there are any clues about their current location. For example, if they have recently mentioned a city or country in one of their Tweets, that may give you an idea of where they are living now.
If you can’t find any clues about their current location on their Twitter profile, try to find people by searching for a mention of them using Twitter’s advanced search page.
If you still can’t find people after searching through all of their social media profiles, don’t give up hope just yet! Try posting a message on their Facebook wall or sending them a private message on Twitter. You can even try leaving a comment on one of their posts to see if they reply back. If so, that may be a clue about where they live now and help you get in touch with them again.
Find people on Instagram
If the person is on Instagram, your current friends’ list is the best place to start. You can browse through all of your friends and see if they know where that person lives now.
Once you have found their Instagram profile, take a look at their most recent pictures to see if there are any clues about their current location. For example, if they have posted pictures from a vacation or event recently, that may give you an idea of where they live now.
Run a background check on their name
A surprising way to find people online is by running a background check on them. This might give you some information that would help you track them down. For example, if they have unpaid tickets, that information will show up on the background check.
Other tips
If you are having trouble finding your old friend with just their name, try using other search terms like their email address, phone number, or any unique identifiers they used to use (i.e., nickname, maiden name). If you know anything about their current location or a new job, try searching for it as well! You can also try looking through potentially outdated social media profiles by running a Google search for the person’s full name, birthday, and graduation year. This might uncover profiles that haven’t been updated in some time and may not be linked to an email address.
Summary
Sometimes all it takes is one lead to help you find people easily online. With everything — and everybody — being increasingly online over the past few decades, there is a wealth of information out there to allow you to connect to old friends, and lost contacts. With a little detective work, you should be able to find your old friend online pretty easily!
