Find Someone's Social Accounts by Username in Minutes

// Before you start

What you need

A Mac, Windows, or Linux computer
Python 3.8+ installed (check by running: python --version)
pipx installed — see pipx.pypa.io for a one-line install
A terminal or command prompt open
The username you want to search for

Step 1 of 6

Install Sherlock with pipx

2 min

pipx installs Sherlock as a standalone tool so it does not interfere with anything else on your computer. You only need to do this once. If you prefer pip or Docker, both work — but pipx is the cleanest option for non-developers.

Terminal · mac

$ pipx install sherlock-project

What you should see

installed package sherlock-project ... done! ✓ These apps are now globally available: sherlock

This might happen

pipx: command not found

Install pipx first: run python -m pip install --user pipx then python -m pipx ensurepath and open a new terminal window.

Step 2 of 6

Confirm Sherlock is working

1 min

Before searching a real username, confirm the tool installed correctly by asking it to print its help text. If you see a list of options, you are ready.

Terminal · mac

$ sherlock --help

What you should see

usage: sherlock [-h] [--version] ... USERNAMES

This might happen

sherlock: command not found after install

Run pipx ensurepath then close and reopen your terminal. On Windows you may need to restart the command prompt entirely.

Step 3 of 6

Search for a single username

3 min

Replace johnsmith with the actual username you want to look up. Sherlock will check hundreds of sites one by one. Found accounts print in green; not-found sites are skipped by default. When it finishes, a text file named after the username is saved in your current folder.

Terminal · mac

$ sherlock johnsmith

What you should see

[*] Checking username johnsmith on: ... [+] Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnsmith [+] GitHub: https://github.com/johnsmith ... [*] Results saved to johnsmith.txt

This might happen

The scan runs but finds nothing, or hangs for a long time

Some sites block automated requests. A slow connection also causes timeouts. Try adding --timeout 30 to speed things up: sherlock johnsmith --timeout 30

Step 4 of 6

Search multiple usernames at once

5 min

You can hand Sherlock several usernames in one command. It checks each one in turn and saves a separate text file for every username. Useful when someone uses slight variations of the same handle.

Terminal · mac

$ sherlock johnsmith john_smith j.smith

What you should see

A separate .txt file created for each username in your current folder.

Step 5 of 6

Export results to a spreadsheet

1 min

Add --xlsx to get a Microsoft Excel file alongside the text file. This makes it easy to sort, filter, and share results without opening a terminal again.

Terminal · mac

$ sherlock johnsmith --xlsx

What you should see

johnsmith.txt and johnsmith.xlsx both appear in your current folder.

This might happen

xlsx file does not open or appears empty

Make sure Excel or a compatible app (LibreOffice, Google Sheets) is installed. The file itself should be valid — try opening it in Google Sheets by uploading it.

Step 6 of 6

Open every found profile in your browser automatically

1 min

Add --browse and Sherlock will open a browser tab for every account it finds. Handy for quickly reviewing results, but be aware it can open a lot of tabs if the username is common.

Terminal · mac

$ sherlock johnsmith --browse

What you should see

Browser tabs open for each matched profile URL as Sherlock finds them.

This might happen

Too many tabs open at once and the browser freezes

Skip --browse and just open the saved .txt file manually to click links at your own pace.

// Status

cooked. baked. worked.

A text file (and optionally a spreadsheet) listing every social media profile URL where the searched username was found across 400+ networks.

// the honest bit

The honest part

Sherlock reports accounts where the username exists on a site — it cannot confirm the accounts all belong to the same real person. Common usernames will return many false positives. Some sites actively block scrapers, so results are never 100% complete. NSFW sites are excluded by default; add --nsfw only if you need them. ParrotOS and Ubuntu 24.04 users should avoid the system package and stick to pipx as shown here.