Once your mugshot is online, it can show up every time someone searches your name. Even after a case is dropped or your record is sealed, the photo can sit on the web for years. The good news is that you can often get it removed or pushed out of Google. This guide walks through how, step by step, in plain language.
Why a mugshot spreads so fast
Booking photos are public records in most states. Mugshot sites pull them from county jails and sheriff feeds, then repost them to draw clicks and ad money. One arrest photo can land on a dozen sites within weeks, and each copy can rank in Google on its own. That is why removal is rarely one and done.
Can you remove a mugshot from Google?
Often yes, but it depends. Google does not host the photo. The mugshot site does. So there are two jobs: get the site to take the page down, and get Google to stop showing it. When the site removes the page, Google drops it soon after. If the record is public and the site will not remove it, you can still push it down with suppression. Be careful of any site or middleman that demands a large fee to take down your own record. In several states that is illegal, and reputable sites remove qualifying records for free.
Step 1: Find every copy of your mugshot
Search your full name in Google. Then try your name plus your city, plus “mugshot,” and plus “arrest.” Write down every site and the exact link. You are looking for the original county source and all the copies. You cannot fix what you have not found.
Step 2: Ask each mugshot site to remove it
Every site has its own process. Most ask for a reason, such as dismissed, dropped, expunged, sealed, or wrong person, and some proof like court documents. We have a plain, step-by-step guide for each of the big ones:
- How to remove your mugshot from Mugshots.com
- How to remove your record from Busted Newspaper
- How to remove your mugshot from Arrests.org
- How to remove your mugshot from Arre.st
- How to remove your mugshot from Mugshots.zone
- How to remove your mugshot from Recently Booked
- How to remove your mugshot from Rain Street
- How to remove your mugshot from The Georgia Gazette
Step 3: Ask Google to remove or update the result
After the source page is down, use Google’s Remove Outdated Content tool to speed up dropping the dead link. Google also removes some results with personal information or involuntary content on request. Removing the source first is what makes this stick, so do this step after the site takes the page down.
Step 4: Use an expungement or sealed record if you have one
If your case was dismissed, expunged, or sealed, that is your strongest tool. Most sites will remove a listing when you show a court order. If you might qualify for expungement, it is worth talking to a lawyer, because a cleared record helps with far more than one photo.
Step 5: Suppress what cannot come down
Some booking records are public and will stay up. When that happens, the goal shifts to suppression. You build and promote accurate pages about yourself, such as a personal site, profiles, and articles, so they outrank the mugshot and it falls off the first page. It is slower than removal, but it works when removal is not an option.
Step 6: Keep watching for new copies
Mugshots get copied and reposted. Set a Google Alert for your name and re-check every month or two, so a new copy does not undo your work.
What it costs and how long it takes
Doing it yourself is usually free, but it takes time and steady follow-up. Costs and timelines depend on how many sites are involved and whether the record can be removed or only suppressed. For details, see our guides on what mugshot removal costs and how long mugshot removal takes.
When to get help
If your photo is on many sites, keeps coming back, or you would rather not spend weeks chasing forms, a removal service can do it for you. A good one finds every copy, handles each site, clears Google, and watches for reposts, so you can move on.
Frequently asked questions
Can a mugshot be removed if the charges were dropped?
Usually yes. Dropped, dismissed, and not-guilty outcomes are the most likely to qualify for free removal, especially when you can show the court paperwork.
Will removing the website page delete it from Google?
Once the page is gone, Google drops it within a few days to a few weeks. You can speed that up with Google’s Remove Outdated Content tool.
Last updated on July 27, 2026