# Google Images Scraper (`searchapi/google-images-scraper`) Actor

Scrapes rich Google Images results with original and preview URLs, source pages and domains, titles, dimensions, aspect ratio, orientation, MIME format, favicons, filters, ad flags, and search metadata.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/searchapi/google-images-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Search API](https://apify.com/searchapi) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, Automation, SEO tools
- **Features:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 9 total users, 2 monthly users, 93.8% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.99 / 1,000 search results

This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Google Images Scraper

Collect source-backed Google Images results with stable IDs, original image URLs, thumbnails, publisher pages, dimensions, formats, and search context. The Actor never stores CAPTCHA pages or placeholder records.

### What can you use it for?

- Find images on any topic
- Visual research and design inspiration
- Build image collections for content, reports, or presentations
- Track visual trends

### What data do you get?

The documented contract covers identity, result and page ranking, original and thumbnail URLs, the real publisher page and domain, title and alt text, dimensions and aspect ratio, MIME/file format, locale, query context, source type, data source, retrieval method, nested `searchMetadata`, safe-search state, and scrape time. Empty optional fields are omitted rather than emitted as `null`, and `isAd` / `isSponsored` appear only when positively detected.

### How to use it

#### Step 1: Choose a mode

Use `single` with `query`, or `batch` with `queries` for up to 20 deduplicated searches. In batch mode, `maxItems` is a global limit divided fairly across the queries.

#### Step 2: Set your preferences

Adjust the options below to customize your search.

#### Step 3: Run the tool

Click the run button and wait for your results. The tool will gather all the data and save it in a clean, organized format.

### Input options

| Option | What it means | Required | Default |
|--------|---------------|----------|---------|
| **Mode** | One query or a batch of queries | No | single |
| **Search Query** | The image search term to use | Yes in single mode | sunset photography |
| **Queries** | Search terms for batch mode | Yes in batch mode | — |
| **Maximum Items** | Global maximum records | No | 100 |
| **Maximum Concurrency** | Parallel query workers | No | 2 |
| **Google Country** | The Google country to use for the query Options: af (Afghanistan), al (Albania), dz (Algeria), as (American Samoa), ad (Andorra), ao (Angola), ai (Anguilla), aq (Antarctica), ag (Antigua and Barbuda), ar (Argentina), am (Armenia), aw (Aruba), ac (Ascension Island), au (Australia), at (Austria), az (... | No | — |
| **UI Language** | The Google UI language to return results Options: af (Afrikaans), ak (Akan), sq (Albanian), am (Amharic), ar (Arabic), hy (Armenian), az (Azerbaijani), eu (Basque), be (Belarusian), bem (Bemba), bn (Bengali), bh (Bihari), bs (Bosnian), br (Breton), bg (Bulgarian), km (Cambodian), ca (Catalan), chr (... | No | — |
| **Image Size** | Filter images by size Options: any (Any Size), large (Large), medium (Medium), icon (Icon). | No | any |
| **Image Type** | Filter images by type Options: any (Any Type), photo (Photo), clipart (Clip Art), lineart (Line Art), animated (Animated). | No | any |
| **Image Color** | Filter images by color mode Options: any (Any Color), color (Full Color), bw (Black & White). | No | any |
| **Safe Search** | Active or off | No | active |
| **Proxy configuration** | Apify Proxy groups or custom proxy URLs | No | — |

The complete input schema, including field types, defaults, allowed values, and bounds, is in [`.actor/input_schema.json`](.actor/input_schema.json).

For Google targets in Apify Cloud, use the `GOOGLE_SERP` proxy group. This Actor automatically uses its required HTTP-only transport; Playwright remains the fallback for direct, Residential, or user-provided proxies. Local datacenter traffic can receive Google's CAPTCHA, which the Actor detects and rejects without attempting to solve it.

### Output

Your results come in a clean, organized table with **two views**:

#### Overview view

Shows the most important fields at a glance:

- **Position**
- **Title**
- **Thumbnail**
- **Width**
- **Height**
- **Domain**
- **Source**
- **Query**
- **Scraped At**

#### Full details view

Shows all 40 documented fields. See the dataset schema for exact types and required fields.

The complete dataset field contract is in [`.actor/dataset_schema.json`](.actor/dataset_schema.json).

### Tips for best results

✅ **Be specific** with your search terms for more relevant results

✅ **Try different variations** of your search term to discover more results

✅ **Browse multiple pages** of results to get a wider variety

### Frequently asked questions

**Why use Google?**
Google is the world's most popular search engine, handling over 8 billion searches per day. It has the largest index of web pages and provides the most comprehensive search results.

**How do I get the results?**
Your results are saved in your Apify dashboard. You can download them in various formats (JSON, CSV, Excel) or access them via the API.

**Can I run it on a schedule?**
Yes! Apify supports scheduled runs. You can set up the tool to run automatically at any interval (hourly, daily, weekly, etc.) from your dashboard.

**What if I get fewer results than I asked for?**
This can happen if the search engine doesn't have enough matching results for your search, or if some results are blocked. Try different keywords or relax your filters.

**Need more help?**
If you have questions or run into issues, our support team is ready to help. Just reach out through the Apify platform and we'll get back to you quickly.

# Changelog

This Actor's version history is a separate document: https://apify.com/searchapi/google-images-scraper/changelog.md

# Actor input Schema

## `mode` (type: `string`):

Run one query or a deduplicated list of queries.

## `query` (type: `string`):

Primary Google Images search term.

## `queries` (type: `array`):

Additional queries processed in batch mode.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum image records across all queries.

## `maxConcurrency` (type: `integer`):

Independent query requests processed in parallel.

## `gl` (type: `string`):

Two-letter Google country code.

## `hl` (type: `string`):

Google result language code.

## `imageSize` (type: `string`):

Filter images by size.

## `imageType` (type: `string`):

Filter images by content type.

## `imageColor` (type: `string`):

Filter images by color mode.

## `safeSearch` (type: `string`):

Apply Google SafeSearch to image results.

## `maxRequestRetries` (type: `integer`):

Bounded retries for temporary network and proxy failures; challenge pages are not retried.

## `navigationTimeoutSecs` (type: `integer`):

Maximum seconds for an HTTP or browser navigation.

## `requestHandlerTimeoutSecs` (type: `integer`):

Maximum seconds to validate and extract one query.

## `resultsWaitSecs` (type: `integer`):

Maximum seconds to wait for structured image cards in browser mode.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Use GOOGLE_SERP for the verified HTTP-only cloud transport, Residential for browser fallback, or disable proxies for direct tests.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "mode": "single",
  "query": "sunset photography",
  "queries": [],
  "maxItems": 100,
  "maxConcurrency": 2,
  "gl": "us",
  "hl": "en",
  "imageSize": "any",
  "imageType": "any",
  "imageColor": "any",
  "safeSearch": "active",
  "maxRequestRetries": 1,
  "navigationTimeoutSecs": 45,
  "requestHandlerTimeoutSecs": 90,
  "resultsWaitSecs": 15,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "GOOGLE_SERP"
    ]
  }
}
```

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "query": "sunset photography",
    "queries": [],
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": true,
        "apifyProxyGroups": [
            "GOOGLE_SERP"
        ]
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("searchapi/google-images-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "query": "sunset photography",
    "queries": [],
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": True,
        "apifyProxyGroups": ["GOOGLE_SERP"],
    },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("searchapi/google-images-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "query": "sunset photography",
  "queries": [],
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "GOOGLE_SERP"
    ]
  }
}' |
apify call searchapi/google-images-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,searchapi/google-images-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/rBfe7vSDK1GpGAxz8/builds/ZUazZL022La45BUki/openapi.json