Unfortunately, friendships can fade over the years, and it can be challenging to find someone you used to be attached to at the hip. The good news is that it doesn’t have to stay that way, even if you only remember their name. In fact, with the right tools, you can find their phone number, address, and much more.
Whether you need to find a friend from high school or a colleague you met back in your college days, we’re here to help. Read on to learn how to find a long-lost friend.
How to Find a Long Lost Friend Online
There are a few ways to find a long lost friend online. The first method, and the best one, is to use a reliable people search tool. Another method is to use social media or even a Google search. We cover the best methods to find a long-lost friend below.
1. UnMask
The best way to find a long-lost friend is to use a people search tool. These are tools that allow you to enter someone’s first and last name into a search bar to find their public records, physical location, and online accounts. When you need a reliable people search tool we always recommend using UnMask.
This tool allows you to enter someone’s first and last name, along with their last known city and state. From there, you can run a search and find all available public records. This includes their current address, past addresses, and even contact information to help you get in touch. Aside from this information, you can learn more about what they’ve been up to by accessing:
- Court records
- Criminal records
- Dating profiles
- Social media accounts
- Sex offender status
- Email addresses
- Businesses
This is only scratching the surface, and you can find a lot more than this information when you run a search with UnMask.
2. Google
There’s a reason that everyone says Google It when you have a question these days. Google is the world’s most reliable search engine and you’ll have access to plenty of resources when you run a search. You can enter someone’s name into the search tool, an email address, or just about anything else you know about them.
While a regular Google search isn’t going to get you the best results, you’ll find that a search with Google Lens or running an Advanced Search can help. Google Lens allows you to use an image of someone to run a search, so if you have an old photograph, you can try that. An Advanced Search, on the other hand, allows you to enter additional keywords. Therefore, you can include a city, company, or school they went to and narrow your results.
While Google is reliable, it’s important to note that Google is a vast search engine, so finding someone with a common name and not much else can be as hard as finding a needle in a haystack. For this reason, we recommend using an alternative like UnMask instead.
3. Social Media
When you want to find a long-lost friend, social media is never something you should overlook. With dozens of platforms available, your old friend is bound to have some type of digital footprint – you just have to hope it’s not MySpace.
To run a social media post we recommend checking the major platforms first. So, start with Instagram, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter). You’ll want to enter either their name, phone number, or email into the search bar to see what you can find. If you’re lucky, their name will be similar to their username and you should have no problem finding them. However, if they use a unique username you may be out of luck. In these cases, you can try LinkedIn or Facebook because people are more likely to use their names there.
If you still can’t find them, give UnMask a try instead.
Find Your Long Lost Friend Today!
Finding a long-lost friend has never been easier. Sure, it may seem like they’re gone forever, but with the right tools you can find anyone. All you need is a reliable people search tool, like UnMask, and their first and last name, address, or phone number to get started. You can also try social media and Google if you want to cast a wide net to start.
