How To Find Someone Online (For Free) – 9 Ways

Want to reconnect with a person from your past? It’s no surprise that you can go online and find out information about almost anyone. Most people have a digital footprint that is trackable and easy to find with a little digging.

However, most websites that contain important personal information often charge a fee. While this is a bummer, we want you to know that with a few tricks you can find almost anyone without having to pay a dime.

In this guide we will share some methods to find information on someone, from online directories that are made for reconnecting to using niche search engines. We created this guide for a to help anyone find the person they are looking for. What option you choose depends on the work you want to put in and the accuracy of these results. This guide will help you track someone and find out certain information with ease.

Before you take a look at this guide, here are some things you should do first.

• Create a document to store all the information that you pull up on the person.

This is an important step if you are planning on using several different search methods/websites when researching the person. If you don’t keep a well-organized tab on the information that you find, it will be harder to put all of the pieces together.

• Write down whatever you know about the person

Taking some time to write down everything you know about the person will give you insight to what you can use to search for them as well as what search methods to use. Think of where they might work, the city and/or state they live in, their married and /or maiden name, phone numbers, etc.

Now that you are ready, let’s begin!

1. Use National Cellular Directory’s Free Happy Hour

The easiest way to find information on anyone online is to use a people search directory that specializes in maintaining billions of public records. However, most directories aren’t free. National Cellular Directory is an exception to this rule as they have a free Happy hour where you can perform free searches during one hour a day, every day.

The easiest way to solve your dilemma and find information on anyone is to perform a search by name lookup through National Cellular Directory.

As an added bonus, National Cellular Directory has a feature that saves all of your searches once you create a free account. Think of it as a free online address/phone book so you don’t have to try to remember/save every detail on your own (which takes time). National Cellular Directory does the work for you!

2. Google Them

You’ve heard the phrase “Google It” before. It should come as no surprise that Googling someone is another way to find out information about them.

Google (the gigantic search engine) is searched on about 1.2 trillion times a year. Google’s extensive database is appealing to all internet users. That being said, while you may find some information about a person on Google, you aren’t guaranteed that the information you find is accurate or current.

Here are some tips when searching for a specific person on Google:

Entering the person’s full name using quotation marks (such as “Jane Doe”) into Google’s search bar can give some relevant results. While this is better than typing the name in without quotation marks, if you can be more specific, be more specific.

For example, on the off chance that you know where the individual lives – “Jane Smith” Chicago, you’ll get even more relevant search results.

Being as specific as possible and trying multiple searches is the best way to be successful when trying to find someone on Google. Try searching their name using quotation mark and then adding other details about them into the search such as where they might work, or what college they went to. Do a new search for each personal detail you know about them.

3. Use Other Search Engines

If you aren’t having the best of luck on Google, it may be a good idea to try alternative search engines. You can use niche ones such as DuckDuckGo ( a search engine that doesn’t track, store or sell their user’s information). If you want a more private search experience, it might be best not to use Google.

You can also try other popular search engines, such as Yahoo or Bing. While some people think that Google only has relevant answers, there are a plethora of other search engines that are beneficial to use.

4. Look at their public records

To lookup someone’s specific public records, the process is different depending on what you want to find. For example, most states in the U.S. offer online public access of marriage and divorce records through the Department of Health.

Regardless to what you want to find out about a person, public records are exactly what they say they are, public. They just take a lot of time and research to find. Be prepared to spend hours researching when looking for the public records of a specific person.

5. Facebook

Facebook is a great way to reconnect with people and learn basic things about them, such as their job and a broad idea of where they are located. To learn more intimate details (by stalking their Facebook page) you will more than likely have to add them as a friend.

Not all people have a Facebook, but if you need to find someone online and think that they are on social media, checking Facebook first would be your best bet.

6. Other Popular Social Media/Dating Sites

While Facebook is extremely popular, there are other social media sites that millions of people go on every day. Additionally, there are millions of people that use and connect with people on dating sites.

Some other social media sites you can use to find someone:

• Instagram
• Linkedin
• Pinterest
• Twitter
• Quora
• Google+
• Vine
• Tumblr
• Youtube
• Flickr

Some popular dating sites to look on:

• Match.com
• eharmony
• Zoosk
• Tinder
• Elite Singles
• Plenty Of Fish

7. Do A Reverse Image Search

If you have a picture of the person that you are trying to find, doing a reverse image search on Google might pull up relevant results that will help you access important information on them.

To perform a reverse image search on Google, simply upload the image unto their reverse image tool. Once you upload the image, Google will find if the image is anywhere else on the internet.

You can also look for an image by searching the person’s name on Google and then clicking the images tab once the results pop-up.

8. Try Family Tree Now

Need to look at anyone’s genealogy? Family Tree Now is a great free website where you can learn about your family or someone else’s. Most of the records pulled will contain living relatives, so you probably won’t find your ex’s great-great-great grandmother on this website.

9. Lookup their phone number

If you are trying to reconnect with someone and have their current or a previous phone number, you can do a reverse phone lookup using National Cellular Directory’s free daily Happy Hour to find out important information on them such as their full name and physical address.

Final Thoughts

Thanks to the internet, most people have a trackable digital footprint. However, sometimes it takes work to trace. Use the shortcuts above to assist you in finding the person you are looking for at a significantly quicker rate.

What are your thoughts on this article? Do you have any other tips to share? Feel free to comment below.