Results for People Are Limited: Why It Happens & How To Fix It

Results for people are limited

If you have ever tried to look someone up on Google using their picture, for example to verify a profile, check if a photo has been used elsewhere, or learn more about someone online, you may have seen this message:

Results for people are limited. Try changing the search area or sending a different image.

For many users, this is confusing, especially because Google can easily recognize celebrities and public figures. This article explains what that message really means, why it appears, how Google treats people searches, and how you can still search for people online using a photo by using a dedicated tool like FaceCheck.ID .

In this article, we're going to discuss

Image Examples
What the Message Really Means
Why Google Can Find Celebrities But Not Regular People
What You Can Still Use Google Lens For
How Can I Fix "Results for People Are Limited"?
The Real Fix: Use FaceCheck.ID To Search People Online
Google Lens vs FaceCheck.ID
Short History: When Did Google Start Limiting People Searches?
Key Takeaways

Image Examples

Use these three example screenshots in your project to illustrate how Google behaves differently for celebrities versus private individuals.

1. Search for Bob Ross (Works Normally)

Google has no problem showing results for a well known public figure like Bob Ross.

Example: Google image search for an image of Bob Ross
Shows normal results with his name and related images.

Bob Ross search results

2. Search for Jake Paul (Works Normally)

Jake Paul is a widely known online personality, so Google displays results without any restriction.

Example: Google image search for an image of Jake Paul
Shows his name, social profiles, and many photos.

Jake Paul search results

3. Search for a Random Person (Blocked)

When you upload a picture of a regular person, Google will not show people based results. Instead, you see a restriction message like this:

Example: Google image search for an image of a random person
Google says: Try changing the search area or sending a different image.

Results for people are limited

What the Message Really Means

When Google displays:

Results for people are limited. Try changing the search area or sending a different image.

it is not asking you to fix the photo or tweak your query. The real meaning is:

Google does not support searching for regular people online using a face photo.

Google Lens is designed for general visual search, not for searching people online. It will happily recognize objects, products, landmarks, text, animals, plants, and celebrities, but it prevents face based searches for private individuals.

Trying a different image almost never changes that outcome. The limitation is built into how Google works.

Why Google Can Find Celebrities But Not Regular People

Users often wonder why Google can recognize celebrities while refusing to show results for non famous people. The reason is the difference between public figures and private individuals .

For celebrities and public figures

Their photos exist in thousands of public places.
Their names and faces are already widely known.
Search intent is clearly informational and public.
Showing their name and related info does not break their privacy.

For regular people

Their photos are not part of large public datasets.
They are not considered public figures.
They have not agreed to be easily searchable online by face.
Connecting a face to online profiles can create serious privacy risks.

So the practical rule is:

Searching for celebrities by photo is allowed.
Searching for random people online by photo is not.

What You Can Still Use Google Lens For

Google Lens is still very useful, just not for searching people online. You can use Google Lens to:

identify products and brands
shop for visually similar items
translate text and scan documents
recognize animals and plants
get information about landmarks and places
find similar non face images on the web

How Can I Fix "Results for People Are Limited"?

There is no real "fix" for this message, because it is not an error. Google simply does not allow searching for private people online using their photos, no matter how you crop or edit the image. Google only shows results when the person is a well known public figure. For everyone else, the message will always appear.

If you need to search for someone online using a photo, you must use a tool built for that purpose. FaceCheck.ID is the best alternative, since it can find where a face appears online when Google cannot.

The Real Fix: Use FaceCheck.ID To Search People Online

If you want to:

search for someone online using a picture
check if a photo appears on other websites
verify if a dating profile looks real
detect AI profile pic or stolen photo
research a person you met online
protect yourself from scammers and fake accounts

you need a tool that is actually designed for searching people by photo.

Example: FaceCheck.ID search for an image of a AI generated face
Shows fake social profiles, and many photos generated by AI.

Search People Online

FaceCheck.ID

FaceCheck.ID is a specialized search engine that focuses on people search by image. It scans the open web, public pages, social networks, blogs, and other image sources to find visually similar faces.

FaceCheck.ID helps you:

search people online using their photo
discover where a picture appears
check your date's online footprint before meeting in person
detect fake AI profiles, stolen, or reused photos
check if multiple profiles use the same images
increase your safety when dealing with strangers on the internet

Google Lens vs FaceCheck.ID

The table below shows the differences between Google Lens and FaceCheck.ID.

Feature	Google Lens	FaceCheck.ID
Search for regular people online using a photo	No	Yes
Search for celebrities using a photo	Yes	Yes
Find where a person's photo appears on the web	No	Yes
Verify online profiles using a face photo	No	Yes
Detect reused or stolen photos	No	Yes
Best for objects, products, and landmarks	Yes	No
Best for people search by image	No	Yes

Short History: When Did Google Start Limiting People Searches?

In older years, some users noticed that Google reverse image search sometimes appeared to work for people, especially when the same photo was reused on public pages. Over time, this behavior changed.

From roughly 2018 to 2024, Google tightened its privacy approach and gradually closed off any feature that might be interpreted as face based people search for private individuals.

By around 2021 and 2022, many users began seeing the message:

Results for people are limited. Try changing the search area or sending a different image.

By 2023 and 2024, this restriction was fully enforced.

Key Takeaways

The message "Results for people are limited. Try changing the search area or sending a different image." means Google does not allow people search by face for private individuals.
Google recognizes celebrities, but blocks searches for random people.
Google Lens is great for objects, products, and text, but not for people search.
For searching people online using a photo, the best tool is FaceCheck.ID .

Find People Online with FaceCheck.ID

Find People Online

Author Siti Hasan

Siti is an expert tech author that writes for the FaceCheck.ID blog and is enthusiastic about advancing FaceCheck.ID's goal of making the internet safer for all.

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