You’ve got a phone number. Maybe it’s from a new business contact, an old friend you lost touch with or even just a missed call that has you curious. And the first thing you think is, “I wonder what their Instagram is.” It’s a normal thought. In 2025, a person’s social media is pretty much their public face. It tells you a lot about them, their interests, their life. But finding it with just a phone number isn’t as straightforward as it used to be. The internet has changed, privacy is a much bigger deal now, which is a good thing mostly. But it does make this little bit of detective work a bit trickier than before.

So, how do you actually do it? Is it even possible to connect that string of digits to a profile full of pictures and posts? The answer is a solid maybe. It really depends on a few things, like the person’s privacy settings and how much info they’ve put out there. Let’s walk through the methods that are still working today.

So, Can You Directly Search for People by Phone Number Anymore?

The short answer is no, not really. Not on the big platforms anyway. Years ago, you could pop a phone number right into the Facebook search bar and boom, you’d find the profile connected to it. That was considered to be a massive privacy hole. People weren’t happy about it.

So platforms like Facebook and Instagram got rid of that feature. It is now the case that you cannot directly search for a user with their phone number for privacy reasons. They want to make sure random people can’t just find and bother you. So if your plan was to just type the number into a search bar, you’re probably out of luck. But don’t give up just yet, there are other ways around this problem. These methods are more like back doors than front doors.

Using Your Phone’s Built-In Features: The Contact Sync Method

This is generally the easiest and most common way to find someone’s social media. It’s basically using the app’s own desire to connect you with people you know. The idea is simple: you let the app see your phone’s contacts, and it shows you which of those contacts are on the platform. It’s a bit of a process but it often works.

Getting It to Work on Instagram & Facebook

Instagram and Facebook are owned by the same company, Meta, so their process is pretty similar. They really want you to connect with everyone you know.

Here’s the basic rundown of what you need to do:

Save the Number: First things first. You have to save the person’s phone number to your phone’s contact list. Give them a name you’ll remember.
Go to Your Profile: Open up Instagram or Facebook and head over to your own profile page.
Find the “Discover People” Section: Look for an option that says something like “Discover People,” “Find Friends,” or sometimes it’s just a little person-with-a-plus-sign icon. It’s usually in the settings or menu.
Connect Your Contacts: The app will ask for permission to access your contacts. You have to say yes. It will then scan your contacts and compare the numbers to its user database.
See the Results: After a little while, a list of suggested accounts will pop up. If the person you’re looking for has their phone number linked to their account and their privacy settings allow it, their profile should appear in this list.

What About Other Apps Like TikTok or Snapchat?

This same idea typically applies to other platforms too. TikTok and Snapchat both have features that suggest friends based on your phone contacts. The menus might look different, but the core idea is the same. You have to grant the app permission to snoop through your contact list, and then it will try to make a match for you. It’s not a 100% guarantee, because the person might not have linked their number. Or they might have turned off this specific discovery setting.

Going Deeper: Third-Party People Finder Websites

Okay, so the contact sync trick didn’t work. Now what? This is where you might look at using some of those people-finder tools or reverse phone lookup websites. These are services that are not part of any social media network. Their entire business is to collect public information and put it all in one place.

These websites scrape information from all over the internet. They look at public records, data breaches (the legal kind), marketing lists, and social media profiles that are public. When you type in a phone number, they search their massive database to see if they can find any connected names, addresses, or, yes, social media profiles.

Some of the known names in this space are services like Spokeo, BeenVerified, or Intelius. Be warned, though. Most of these services are not free. They might give you a little bit of information to get you interested, but to get the full report with social media links, you normally have to pay for a subscription. And the information isn’t always correct or up to date, which can be a real pain. It’s a bit of a gamble, really.

Thinking Outside the Box: Other Clever Tricks

If you want to avoid paying and the official methods fail, there are a few other clever, slightly sneaky things you can try. These are all about looking for digital breadcrumbs the person might have left behind.

The Good Ol’ Google Search

This sounds too simple, but you’d be surprised. Just type the entire phone number into the Google search bar and put it in quotation marks, like “555-123-4567”. Putting it in quotes tells Google to search for that exact string of numbers. Sometimes people put their phone numbers in their bios on Twitter, in a public Facebook post, or on a personal blog. You might just get lucky and find a direct link.

The “Forgot Password” Technique

This one is a classic. It doesn’t always work anymore because of new security measures, but it’s worth a shot. Go to a social media login page, like Facebook’s. Click on the “Forgot Password?” or “Find Your Account” link. When it asks for an email or phone number to find the account, type in the number you have.

If a profile is linked to that number, the platform will often show you a partially hidden name and the profile picture associated with it. For example, it might say “Is this you, Jo Sm?” with their picture. That’s often enough for you to confirm who it is. From there you can just search their name.

Check Messaging Apps

Don’t forget about apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, or Signal. If you save the number to your contacts, these apps will often automatically show you if that person has an account. You can then click on their profile within the messaging app. Normally you can see their profile picture and the name they’ve set for themselves. That name might be the same one they use on other social media, making them easier to find.

Frequently Asked Questions about Finding Social Media by Phone Number

Is it legal to look for someone’s social media using their phone number?
Generally, yes. You are using publicly available information or features within the apps themselves. However, what you do with that information is what matters. Using it to harass or stalk someone is definitely not okay and could be illegal.

Why can’t I find a profile even when I have the right number?
There are a few reasons. They might have never linked their phone number to their account. They could have used a different number. Or, most likely, they have their privacy settings tightened up to prevent people from finding them this way.

Are those paid people-finder websites safe to use?
They are typically safe in that they won’t give your computer a virus, but you should be careful with your personal and payment information. Read reviews before signing up for anything. Also, remember their data can be wrong, so don’t take it as absolute truth.

Can I stop people from finding my social media with my phone number?
Yes. Go into the privacy settings of your social media accounts. Look for options related to “discoverability” or “how people can find you.” You should see an option to stop people from finding you via your phone number. You can also just remove your phone number from your profile entirely.

Does this work for finding private accounts?
No. None of these methods will let you see the content of a private account. At best, they will only help you find the existence of the profile itself. You would still need to send a follow request and have them accept it to see their posts.

Key Takeaways

Directly searching by phone number on platforms like Instagram and Facebook is no longer a thing because of privacy updates.
The most reliable method is syncing your phone’s contacts with the social media app and letting it suggest friends for you.
Third-party “people finder” websites can work, but they usually cost money and their information might not be 100% accurate.
Clever tricks like a Google search of the number or using the “Forgot Password” feature on a login page can sometimes reveal a profile.
Always be respectful of people’s privacy. Just because you can find someone doesn’t always mean you should.