Find free-to-use images
When you do a Google Search, you can filter your results to find images, videos, or text that you have permission to use. To do this, use an Advanced Search filter called "usage rights" that lets you know when you can use, share, or modify something you find online.
Find images, text, and videos you can reuse
- Go to Advanced Image Search for images or Advanced Search for anything else.
- In the "all these words" box, type what you want to search.
- In the "Usage rights" section, use the drop-down to choose what kind of license you want the content to have.
- Select Advanced Search.
Note: Before reusing content, make sure that its license is legitimate and check the exact terms of reuse. For example, the license might require that you give credit to the image creator when you use the image. Google can't tell if the license label is legitimate, so we don't know if the content is lawfully licensed.
Types of usage rights
- Free to use or share: Allows you to copy or redistribute its content if the content remains unchanged.
- Free to use share or modify: Allows you to copy, modify, or redistribute in ways specified in the license.
- Commercially: If you want content for commercial use, be sure to select an option that includes the word "commercially."
How usage rights work
Usage rights help you find content that you can use above and beyond fair use. Site owners can use licenses to let you know if and how content on their sites can be reused.
The usage rights filter in Advanced Search shows you content either labeled with a Creative Commons or similar license, or is in the public domain. For images, the usage rights filter also shows you images labeled with the GNU Free Documentation license.
Report incorrect usage rights
If you find content with the wrong usage rights in the search results, let us know in the Google Search Forum.
Katie is a Search expert and author of this help page. Leave her feedback below about the page.