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

Search Google Images and get one row per tile: the thumbnail URL, the page the image sits on, its domain, the title and the rank. Google stopped serving original file URLs, so rows say so plainly rather than passing a thumbnail off as the original.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/dami\_studio/google-images-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Dami's Studio](https://apify.com/dami_studio) (community)
- **Categories:** SEO tools, Developer tools, Automation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.40 / 1,000 image results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

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

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
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.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## 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.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## Google Images Scraper

Search Google Images and receive one clean dataset row per image tile. Results include the Google thumbnail URL, source page URL, source domain, title/alt text, rank, and the served thumbnail dimensions.

> **Since August 2026 Google no longer serves the original image URL.** The Images HTML contains no `/imgres` links and no direct file URLs anywhere - Google resolves them client-side when a tile is opened. Rows therefore carry `imageUrl: null` and `imageUrlAvailable: false` rather than passing the Google thumbnail off as the original. `safeSearch` is also not applied: any `safe` value makes Google return a mostly unrelated tile set, so the parameter is omitted and rows carry `safeSearchApplied: false`.

### Why this actor

- Direct HTTP first, with an automatic rotating-datacenter proxy fallback when Google returns a block or an empty shell.
- Optional Apify Proxy fallback only after direct Google traffic is blocked or rate-limited.
- Bounded to 100 rows and 3 result pages per run.
- Deduplicates image URLs across pages.
- Empty input returns a non-empty representative row marked `_sample: true`; it is never charged.
- Only successful image rows call `Actor.charge({ eventName: "image" })`. Diagnostics and samples are never charged.

### Input

`query` is the search phrase. `maxItems` is 1-100, `maxPages` is 1-3, and `language`, `countryCode`, and `safeSearch` control localization. `enableProxyFallback` is enabled by default. The actor tries direct traffic first and uses a proxy only after a block, network failure, rate limit, or empty Google response. The fallback uses rotating Apify datacenter addresses. Metered proxy groups (Residential, Google SERP) are not offered: if `proxyConfiguration.apifyProxyGroups` asks for one it is replaced with the datacenter group, a warning is logged, and the rows carry a `proxyNotice` field explaining the substitution. Proxy servers you supply yourself in `proxyConfiguration.proxyUrls` (or top-level `proxyUrls`) are used verbatim, in the order given.

### Output

Each successful row contains `imageUrl` (currently always `null`, see above), `imageUrlAvailable`, `thumbnailUrl`, `thumbnailWidth`, `thumbnailHeight`, `sourcePageUrl`, `sourceDomain`, `title`, `docId`, `width`, `height`, `query`, `rank`, `page`, `safeSearchApplied`, and `transport` (`google_serp_proxy`, `datacenter_proxy`, or `custom_proxy` when you supply your own proxy servers).

### Billing

`$0.012` to start a run, then `$0.0004` per image row — `$0.40` per 1,000 images.

The start charge covers the search request, which costs the same whether it returns a hundred tiles or none. Sample rows and diagnostics are never charged, so a search that comes back empty costs the start charge alone.

### Responsible use

The actor returns public search metadata and URLs. Users are responsible for respecting image licenses, copyright, robots policies, and the terms of the source websites before downloading or reusing images.

# Actor input Schema

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

Keywords to search in Google Images, for example "red running shoes". Leave empty to receive one representative uncharged sample row.

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

Currently NOT applied. Google returns a mostly unrelated tile set for any value of the safe parameter on the Images surface, so the parameter is omitted and Google default filtering is used. Rows carry safeSearchApplied: false.

## `language` (type: `string`):

Google interface language code such as en, fr, or de.

## `countryCode` (type: `string`):

Two-letter Google country code used for localized results, such as US, CA, or GB.

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

Maximum successful image rows to return from the search, from 1 to 100.

## `maxPages` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of bounded Google Images result pages to request, from 1 to 3. More pages can increase latency and target throttling.

## `enableProxyFallback` (type: `boolean`):

After a direct request is blocked or returns no image rows, retry through rotating datacenter addresses (or your own proxy servers, if you supply them).

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

Optional proxy configuration used only after direct traffic fails. This actor uses rotating datacenter addresses; metered groups (Residential, Google SERP) are not offered and are replaced with datacenter automatically. Your own proxy servers listed in proxyUrls are used exactly as given.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "query": "red running shoes",
  "safeSearch": "active",
  "language": "en",
  "countryCode": "US",
  "maxItems": 20,
  "maxPages": 1,
  "enableProxyFallback": true,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "BUYPROXIES94952"
    ]
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

One dataset row per successful image result, plus an uncharged sample or diagnostic row.

# 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": "red running shoes"
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("dami_studio/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": "red running shoes" }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("dami_studio/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": "red running shoes"
}' |
apify call dami_studio/google-images-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,dami_studio/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/TcmFOlrfq7o218Iai/builds/DKOd95SIgOO9qSzga/openapi.json