How to Find People Online

Last Updated: April 18, 2022

There are many websites out there offering to help you find people online. Many of them will give you some basic information for free and then promise more detailed information for a fee. The trick is to know what you will get and who you are dealing with before you agree to pay any money for these services.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Find a Phone Number or Address for a Person

1
Search for “white pages” and remember to bookmark the site once you find one you like. Many websites have people search or white pages functions. Often, you’ll find that a phone company hosts the online version of the white pages.
2
Type in the state where you believe the person lives and both first and last names for the best results. The more common the name, the more you may have to narrow it down, since multiple names will come up if it's a common name.

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3
Keep in mind that you shouldn’t have to pay to find someone’s phone number. You will get the same results as if you looked in the phone book.
- Any unlisted number will not be available with one of these searches.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Find People Online on Social Networking Sites

1
Visit websites designed to find people on social networking sites.
2
Type in as much information as possible.
3
See what kind of results you get before going further.
- You may have to join a website to get access to most of its information. Try to find ones that offer free registration and membership.
- You can also take advantage of websites designed to provide information for who's behind an email address, username or phone number, in addition to the name search function.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Try a Regular Search Engine

1
Select a search engine that you like to use. Type the person's name in the search field. If you know a city or state, add that as well.
2
Improve your chance of finding the right person.
- You’re more likely to find people if their names are on a website for the company they work for, if they blog regularly or have articles published online, or if their names are in the news.
- It’s easier to find someone this way if his or her name is uncommon. It’s also easier if you have a full first name and a middle name. If you are searching for a woman who might be married, try using both her maiden and married names.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Use a Pay Service to Find More Information

1
Visit a website designed to find people online. Type in the information you know about the person.
2
Read the search results. Some of the results will provide you with information or direct you to a website where you can get information for free.
3
Check out the information from the free sources before you consider paying.
4
Read the fine print and consider whether the information is worth the cost before you pay. Look to see whether there is a guarantee; you want to know whether you can get your money back if it turns out that the information is about another person with the same name.

Community Q&A

Question

What do you do if you don't know their real name?

PinkBlossomChan

Community Answer

maybe try the full thing instead of abbreavitate because they think it is a real name