Sherlock Username Search

Search for usernames across 400+ social networks and websites. Find all social media accounts linked to a given username using Sherlock, the most popular open-source OSINT tool for username reconnaissance.

What does Sherlock Username Search do?

This actor takes one or more usernames and searches across 400+ popular platforms — including GitHub, Twitter/X, Instagram, Reddit, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, and hundreds more — to find matching profiles. It returns a list of confirmed profile URLs for each username.

Features

• Search 400+ social networks in a single run
• Batch processing — search multiple usernames at once
• Wildcard expansion — use {?} to search username variations (e.g., john{?}doe searches john_doe, john-doe, john.doe)
• No login required — works with publicly available information only
• Fast execution — typically 1-2 minutes per username
• Export results as JSON, CSV, Excel, or other formats

Input

Field	Type	Required	Description
usernames	Array of strings	Yes	Usernames to search for. Supports {?} wildcard for variations.

Example Input

{
  "usernames": ["johndoe", "alice_smith"]
}

Wildcard Example

{
  "usernames": ["john{?}doe"]
}

This expands to search for: john_doe, john-doe, john.doe

Output

Each result contains the username and an array of discovered profile URLs.

Field	Type	Description
username	String	The username that was searched
links	Array of strings	URLs of social media profiles where the username was found

Example Output

{
  "username": "johndoe",
  "links": [
    "https://github.com/johndoe",
    "https://www.reddit.com/user/johndoe",
    "https://www.instagram.com/johndoe",
    "https://twitter.com/johndoe",
    "https://www.tiktok.com/@johndoe"
  ]
}

Supported Platforms

Sherlock checks 400+ platforms including:

• Social Media: Twitter/X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, Reddit, Mastodon, Bluesky
• Professional: LinkedIn, GitHub, GitLab, Stack Overflow, Kaggle, LeetCode
• Content: YouTube, Twitch, SoundCloud, Spotify, Medium, DeviantArt, Behance
• Gaming: Steam, Roblox, Chess.com, Lichess
• Communication: Discord, Telegram, Signal
• And 350+ more platforms

Use Cases

• OSINT Investigations — Discover all online accounts associated with a username
• Social Media Auditing — Map a person's or brand's online presence
• Username Availability — Check if a username is taken across major platforms
• Digital Forensics — Find accounts for security research purposes
• Brand Monitoring — Track brand name usage across social networks

FAQ

How many social networks does Sherlock search?

Sherlock searches over 400 social networks and websites, including all major platforms like Twitter, Instagram, GitHub, Reddit, TikTok, and hundreds more.

How long does a search take?

A single username search typically takes 1-2 minutes. Multiple usernames are processed sequentially.

Does it find private or deleted accounts?

No. Sherlock only finds publicly accessible profiles. Private accounts, deleted accounts, or accounts with restricted visibility will not appear in results.

What does the {?} wildcard do?

The {?} wildcard expands a username into three variations using common separators: underscore (_), hyphen (-), and period (.). For example, john{?}doe searches for john_doe, john-doe, and john.doe.

Can I search for multiple usernames at once?

Yes. Simply add multiple usernames to the usernames array. Each username produces a separate result with its own list of found profiles.

Are there any rate limits?

Sherlock makes one request per site per username. Some websites may temporarily block requests if they detect automated access, which may result in those sites not appearing in results.

Does this require a login or API key?

No. Sherlock works entirely with publicly accessible information and does not require any authentication or API keys.

Can false positives occur?

Yes, occasionally. Some websites may report a username as existing when the page actually shows an error or belongs to a different user. Review the profile links to confirm accuracy.

What output formats are available?

Results can be exported as JSON, CSV, Excel (XLSX), HTML, RSS, or XML directly from the Apify platform.