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Author’s note — unfortunately the Chrome extension Pin Search covered in this article is no longer available.
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Q. I’m a huge fan of Pinterest, I use it a lot, but I get really frustrated when I click on a pin that I think will take me to an article about the photo and instead I arrive at a website and the photo isn’t there. For example, I see pins for beautiful beaches I’d love to visit someday but when I click on the photo, the site doesn’t have a picture of the photo. Sometimes the site the pin leads to isn’t even about beaches.
Last month I was planning a party and using Pinterest to find dessert recipes. Sure enough, some of the pins I clicked on took me to sites that didn’t have the recipe in the pin. Some weren’t even recipe sites!
Is there any way to easily find the true source of the image being pinned? That would save me leaving Pinterest and doing a separate Google search.
Thanks for your help!
A. Great question. You’re right, Pinterest can be a source of inspiration for your next vacation destination. And you’re also right about how frustrating it can be when you click on a pin and arrive at a site that has nothing to do with the pin.
The good news is there’s a Chrome extension that makes it super easy to find the source of a Pinterest image. With one click you can see where the photo in the pin comes from and other sites where the photo is being used.
Pin Search – Image Search on Pinterest
The Chrome extension Pin Search – Image Search on Pinterest lets you easily find the source of a photo that’s been pinned on Pinterest and shows you other websites where that photo has been used.
Pin Search simply adds a Search button to Pinterest images. The Pin Search button appears when you hover your cursor over an image in your Pinterest feed. Click on the Search button and you’ll be taken to the results page of a Google Image Search for that photo.
The results page will show you sources for the photo as well as photos similar to the one you searched.
Using the Pin Search extension is much easier than downloading an image to your computer then uploading it again for a Google Image Search. Pin Search also works well because the button doesn’t block your view of pins, it only appears when you hover your cursor over a pin.
You can download the extension from the Chrome Web Store here: Pin Search – Image Search on Pinterest. (Note: This extension is no longer available from the Chrome Web Store.)
Even if the pin is from an accurate source you may want to use Pin Search to see other sites that use that photo in the pin. In your example about travel spots, you could use Pin Search to find other articles using that photo, perhaps leading you to other reviews of that destination.
Note that Google Image Search isn’t always able to detect the true source of the image. Sometimes your search results will show you Google’s best guess about the source of the photo or only show you similar photos to the one in the pin. But Google’s search results could lead you to an even better vacation destination!
You can also use Pin Search to try to find the owner of an image to request permission to use the image if you want to use the image in a blog post, advertising or other manner.
Your Thoughts
Have you ever clicked on a pin only to find that the site you were taken to didn’t have the pinned image? Have you ever tried to hunt down the source of an image on Pinterest? Have you tried Pin Search? Let us know in the Comments section below!
Hi Carolyn,
Loved this information, as you know how much I love Pinterest too 🙂
Honestly speaking, it is frustrating when you can’t find the image or recipe or information the pin suggests, and land on a page without it! It’s such a waste of time! I’ve always used ‘Search Google for this image’ by right clicking on any image, and going to Google directly – if need be. I guess it can be used all over, and not just for Pinterest too.
I think I must try the Pinterest search to make my surfing Pinterest spot on! Thanks for sharing this one with us. Have a nice week ahead 🙂
Hi Harleena, I’ve done that too and if I hadn’t known about Pin Search that’s what I would have suggested to the reader who was frustrated about this issue. But Pin Search is so easy to use yet doesn’t block the pins, it’s a fantastic extension.
I wouldn’t like Pin Search nearly as much if the button appeared all of the times. But by hiding the button until you over over it, the extension is valuable without being obtrusive.
Thanks for your comment and for sharing, Harleena. I hope you enjoy Pin Search!
Awesome! Thanks for this article. I’ve had the exact same frustration when using Pinterest; I’m pretty sure that anyone who is more than a casual user will agree. I’m definitely going to add this extension to chrome right now. I wonder if there is a Firefox version? I split my time fairly evenly between those 2 browsers and I like consistency of tools! 😉
Hi Laura, Yes, I’ve run into this frustration too. I’m currently painting some rooms in my house and Pinterest has been the inspiration for many of my colors! But when I try to find the article that might show rooms with that paint color, I’m often taken to sites that don’t have photos with the paint color. So I know exactly what the reader was talking about.
Pin Search makes it easy to find the source and find similar pictures that my help with what you’re trying to find.
Ugh, I have this problem all the time. Seems like food and health/fitness pins are especially likely to lead to spammy/misleading sites. Pinterest has tried to combat it some — I know recently when I was splitting up my recipe board into more categories, I stumbled across a number of pins whose source sites had been removed for spam. Yuck, can’t believe I pinned that stuff…
I can see this tool being super useful for businesses and brands who are trying to curate a great Pinterest account for their followers.
Hi Adrienne, Great point. I’ve come across that too, when I click on a pin and Pinterest blocks the source because it’s spammy. Well you used to be out of luck but now you can use Pin Search to find the true source of the photo.
Good luck with Pin Search and your recipe boards, Adrienne!
Simple source to know the source of pin interest image is pin interest extension..
Yes it easy to install like other extensions and off course it is one of the most important must have browser extension for each blogger …
Nice post Carolyn ..
You saved my time by sharing about the Google chrome extension Pin Search – Image Search on Pinterest. I experienced the difficulty to find the source of a pInterest image. But using this extension, now it is possible for me to find its source with ease.
Hey Carolyn,
Since I’m not involved much with Pinterest yet, yeah I know I’m still not, this is key to know. I guess I haven’t run into this yet so your knowledge of how you can make our lives so much easier, well that’s priceless.
I think I’m going to install it just to see what it is that it does. I know, if I were to use Pinterest more I’d have a better understanding but I think I’ll just take it for a test drive.
Thank you Carolyn.
~Adrienne
I use reverse image search religiously. Find bigger pics, credit original poster, learn more about cool pictures. It’s really invaluable for a blogger, or for anyone really.
Hi Logan, You’re exactly right, finding the source of an image, and similar images, can be helpful for anyone.
Pinterest is becoming more and more of a search engine but if you can’t find the source of the pin then the search results won’t be very useful. This extension helps us find the source easily when the pin doesn’t point to it.