How to Get Your Mugshot Off the Internet (Free, 2026)

You were arrested years ago. The charges were dropped, or you completed your sentence. You have moved on.

But the internet has not. Your mugshot and arrest record still appear on Google, on data broker sites, and on predatory mugshot publication websites. They show up when employers search your name, when landlords run a check, or when a date gets curious.

This guide covers the exact steps to remove your mugshot and arrest record from Google and the internet, for free, using your legal rights.

Quick Answer: Can You Actually Remove a Mugshot from the Internet?

Yes. The process has three parts, all free:

1. Get the source page taken down (mugshot site or data broker).
2. Ask Google to de-index the cached result.
3. Monitor monthly so it does not reappear.

Most people stop at step one. That is why their mugshot keeps showing up in Google search results weeks after the source page was deleted. All three steps are required.

Why Your Mugshot Is Online in the First Place

Booking photos are taken every time someone is arrested. Under most US state laws, arrest records are "public records" — meaning any company can legally scrape and republish them. Even if you were never convicted, or charges were dropped the same day, the arrest itself is a public event.

There are four types of sites that publish this data:

Step 1: Check If You Qualify for Expungement First

Before submitting removal requests, check if your arrest qualifies for expungement or record sealing. If a court grants expungement, the arrest is legally erased — and you then have ironclad grounds to demand removal from every site, including ones that normally resist.

As of 2026, expungement is available in most states for:

• Arrests that did not result in conviction
• Misdemeanors after a waiting period (typically 1–5 years)
• First-time offenses under diversion or deferred-adjudication programs
• Marijuana possession arrests in states that have legalized cannabis
• Juvenile records after the person turns 18 (in most states)

State expungement eligibility at a glance:

How to apply: Search "[your state] expungement petition" on your state court's official website (.gov domain only). Many states now offer free online filing. Nonprofit legal aid organizations offer free expungement clinics — search "free expungement clinic [your city]."

Step 2: Remove Your Mugshot from Extortion Sites

Mugshot publication sites scrape booking photos from county jails and publish them online. The predatory ones charge $300–$500 to take a photo down. Do not pay. In over 20 states that is now illegal.

Mugshot sites and how to remove your photo from each:

What to include in your removal email:

• Your full legal name as it appears on the mugshot
• Date of arrest
• Arresting jurisdiction (county and state)
• The exact URL of your photo
• Citation of the applicable law (e.g., "California Penal Code § 1798.91.1" or "Oregon ORS 166.715")
• If applicable, a copy of your dismissal, not-guilty verdict, or expungement order

If a site refuses and you are in a state with a mugshot extortion law, file a complaint with your state Attorney General and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.

Step 3: Opt Out of Data Brokers That Publish Arrest Records

Data brokers are the bigger long-term problem. Even after you remove your photo from every mugshot site, background-check aggregators keep publishing your arrest record in text form.

The most important data brokers to opt out of for arrest records:

OfflistMe generates and sends opt-out requests to all 300+ brokers at once. Each request cites CCPA, GDPR, or your applicable state law directly. You send it from your own inbox. Start here →

Step 4: Remove Arrest Records from Google Search Results

Even after every source page is taken down, Google continues showing cached versions for days or weeks. Google does not automatically re-crawl removed pages on a schedule that works in your favor.

Use these four free Google tools, in order:

Tool 1 — "Results About You"

Go to myaccount.google.com/results-about-you. This tool lets you flag pages that show your personal information including arrest records. Google will review and de-index confirmed personal-info pages within a few days.

Tool 2 — Remove Outdated Content

Go to search.google.com/search-console/remove-outdated-content. Submit the exact URL of the now-deleted page. Google will crawl it, confirm it returns a 404, and remove it from results within 1–3 days.

Tool 3 — Legal Removal Request (expunged records)

If your arrest was expunged, you can submit a Google Legal Removal Request and attach your court order. This is the strongest path — Google treats expungement orders as binding removal directives.

Tool 4 — DMCA takedown (for mugshot photos)

If a site is hosting your booking photo and refuses removal, submit a DMCA request via Google's DMCA form. Booking photos taken by a government photographer may not qualify for copyright protection, but photos published without authorization from other sources sometimes do. Each case is different.

After submitting removal requests, check Google results in an incognito window. Do not check in your regular browser — personalization will show you different results than what strangers see.

Step 5: Check Bing, Yahoo, and DuckDuckGo

Most people fix Google and forget Bing. Bing powers DuckDuckGo, Yahoo, Ecosia, and several other search engines — your arrest record visible on Bing is visible across all of them.

Bing removal:

Go to bing.com/webmaster/tools/content-removal. Submit the URL. For personal info, use the "Content involving private personal information" option. Bing typically responds within 5–10 business days.

Step 6: Monitor for Reappearance

Arrest data reappears because data brokers pull fresh government records every 3–9 months. A removal today can be overwritten the next time a broker scrapes your county jail's booking log.

Set up monitoring:

• Google Alerts: Create an alert for "[your full name] arrest" and "[your full name] mugshot." You will get an email the moment a new result appears.
• Periodic incognito search: Search your name on Google in a private window every 60–90 days.
• Re-run opt-outs: Use OfflistMe to re-submit removal requests every 6–12 months.

State Laws That Protect You from Mugshot Extortion (2026)

Over 25 states now have laws that either restrict mugshot publication or prohibit charging fees for removal:

If you are in one of these states and a mugshot site is demanding payment, send a letter citing the applicable statute and copy your state Attorney General. Escalation works.

Your Legal Rights: Summary

How Long Does It Take to Remove a Mugshot? (Realistic Timeline)

Total realistic timeline for full cleanup: 6–12 weeks for most people. The limiting factor is almost always Google's re-crawl schedule, not the data brokers.

Common Scenarios and What to Do

"My charges were dropped but my mugshot is still online."

This is the most common situation. A dropped charge does not automatically trigger removal. You need to take active steps: (1) submit a state expungement or dismissal petition if available, (2) send removal requests to each site citing your dismissal, and (3) use Google's removal tools once the source pages come down.

"I was convicted and served my time."

Expungement eligibility is more limited for convictions, but many states allow it for first-time offenses, misdemeanors, and non-violent felonies. Even without expungement, you can submit opt-out requests to data brokers — they are legally required to honor CCPA requests regardless of conviction status.

"The mugshot site is demanding $400 to remove my photo."

Do not pay. Check the state table above — if you are in a protected state, they are breaking the law. File a complaint with your state AG. In all states, use Google's removal tools to de-index the page from search results even if the site refuses to take it down.

"I keep removing it and it keeps coming back."

Data brokers re-scrape government records every 3–9 months. The only permanent fix is expungement (which blocks the record at the government level) plus periodic opt-out re-submissions. Set a 6-month calendar reminder to re-run your removal requests.

What to do next

Arrest records do not have to define you forever. Start with the sites where your mugshot currently appears, then work through the data brokers in Step 3.

OfflistMe generates removal requests for all 300+ data brokers at once →

The requests go out from your own email, cite the correct privacy laws for your state, and take about 5 minutes to set up. You do not upload any ID or create an account.

After you submit, bookmark this guide. Come back in 2–3 months to re-check and re-run the process for any sites where your record has reappeared.