This guide is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as legal advice.
There are billions of images online. But only a fraction of the images are freely available to reuse or modify for your specific uses.
Below is a list of sites that contain images that are free to use, modify, adapt without asking for permission.
If you find images elsewhere online, make sure to check the permissions/terms of use to ensure you are using images legally and ethically.
Note: Many museums and archives have digital collections that provide access to images that are in the public domain as well as under copyright.
What if the image I want to use is protected by copyright?
If there is an image you want to use, and it isn't in the public domain or licensed from free use, you will need to contact the copyright holder for permission to use it.
The University of Michigan Library Copyright Office has an excellent guide on "Obtaining Copyright Permissions."
Public domain images are free to use without restrictions; no permission is needed to copy, modify, or publicly display these works.
Images from U.S. government agencies are in the public domain.
Below is a select list of image libraries from federal agencies:
Creative Commons (CC) images can be used freely if you follow the license terms (e.g., attribution, noncommercial, share-alike).
Please see our Creative Commons guide for information about the different licenses and each license permits.
Free Stock Image Sites
Fee-Based Stock Image Sites