The best proof that a photo is yours is your original file: it's larger than any copy and usually records the date, time and camera or phone it was taken with. Add the shots you took just before and after, the RAW file if your camera saves one, and a cloud backup showing when it was uploaded. For the strongest legal position in the US, register the copyright. A comparison of your original and the copy shows they're the same picture.
Your original, full-size file
Every copy of a photo on the web is a smaller, reprocessed version of the file that came out of the camera. Social media resizes uploads, and nobody can add back detail that was never there. So the person holding the largest, sharpest version is usually the person who took it.
Keep the original exactly as it is. Don't edit it in place, and don't save over it after cropping. Make edits on a copy.
The date and camera details inside it
Phones and cameras write information into each photo: the date and time it was taken, the camera or phone model, the lens, and on many cameras a serial number. Some cameras and editing apps also save your name and a copyright notice. Open your original in the EXIF viewer to see what yours has.
Copies taken from social media almost never have this, because the big platforms strip it on upload (our guide on which apps remove photo metadata lists them). A copy with no date next to your original with a date and serial number tells a clear story.
These details can be edited, so they back up your other evidence rather than replace it.
The shots around it
This is the evidence that's hardest to fake. If you took twelve photos of the same sunset in two minutes, the person who copied one of them only has that one. Keep the burst, the slightly blurry one before, the one with your thumb in the corner. A RAW file, if your camera saves them, is even better: it's a format people rarely share, and it holds far more detail than any JPEG.
Cloud backups with dates
iCloud Photos, Google Photos, Dropbox and similar services record when each file was uploaded. A backup from June next to a copy posted in August is good evidence of who had it first. So is the email or message where you sent the photo to someone.
Content Credentials from your camera or app
Some cameras and apps can add Content Credentials, a signed record of where an image came from that's hard to forge. Check whether your photos carry them with the Content Credentials checker. They're still uncommon, but worth turning on if your camera or editor supports them.
Copyright registration
In the US, you own the copyright as soon as you take the photo. Registering it with the Copyright Office isn't needed to send a takedown notice, but it matters if you might sue: you need it to file a case for a US work, and registering early opens up statutory damages.
Putting your proof together
Drop your original and the copy into the compare two photos tool. It shows how closely they match, what was changed, and which of the evidence above your file has, in a summary you can paste into a takedown notice. If you've found a copy, our guide on what to do when someone steals your photo covers the next steps.
This page explains how things usually work, in plain words. It’s general information, not legal advice, and rules differ by country. For a decision that matters, talk to a lawyer. Terms