Amazon image search: how Amazon Lens works, and how products get matched
Amazon image search lets a shopper find a product from a photo, a screenshot or a barcode instead of typing. This guide covers how to use it, how to refine what it returns, and what sellers can do so their listings show up in it.
Key takeaways
- Amazon's image search tool is Amazon Lens, reached through the Lens icon in the search bar of the Amazon Shopping app.
- There are four ways in: upload a photo, take one with Camera Search, open Lens from the iOS lock screen, or scan a barcode for an exact match.
- Results can be refined by adding text, such as a brand or a color, and by circling one item in a busy photo.
- Amazon does not publish how Lens picks matches. Sellers can still control what it most plausibly relies on: clear images from several angles, accurate attributes and a valid product ID.
What Amazon image search is
Amazon image search is visual search inside the Amazon store: instead of typing words, a shopper gives Amazon a picture and gets products that match it. Amazon's tool for this is Amazon Lens, a set of camera features in the Amazon Shopping app that works with photos, screenshots and barcodes.
Amazon says tens of millions of customers use Lens each month, that the number of Lens users grew by more than 50% in a year, and that photo searches more than doubled over a year. Those are Amazon's own figures, published without a base, but they point one way: visual search is a real share of how shoppers find products.
It solves a specific problem. Shoppers often know what something looks like but not what it is called: a vase seen at a friend's house, a replacement part, a jacket from a post. Amazon's search director gives the example of a shopper who wants a cowl neck shirt but cannot think of the words.
For sellers, that changes what a listing has to do. A text search matches words in the catalog data. An image search has to match what a product looks like. That makes images and attributes part of discoverability, not just conversion, which ties image work to Amazon SEO as a whole.
How to search Amazon by image: four ways
Every route into Amazon image search starts in the same place: the Lens icon, a camera symbol in the search bar at the top of the Amazon Shopping app. From there, Amazon describes four ways to search. Each one suits a different moment, from a screenshot saved last week to an item in your hand.
| Method | How to start it | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Search with a photo | Tap the Lens icon, tap upload, pick an image or screenshot from your camera roll | Something you saw online or photographed earlier |
| Camera Search | Tap the Lens icon and snap a photo of the item in front of you | Something you can see right now, in a shop, a magazine or on TV |
| Lock screen widget | On iOS, add the Amazon Lens widget to the lock screen, then open Camera Search from it | Searching the moment you see something, without opening the app |
| Barcode Scan | Tap the Lens icon, choose the barcode option, scan the code | An exact match: reordering or comparing prices on one product |
To add the widget, Amazon's steps are: hold the iPhone lock screen until Customize appears, choose Lock Screen, tap the widgets area below the clock, find the Amazon Shopping app and swipe to Amazon Lens. It can sit beside Amazon's Search and Orders widgets.
Results work like any search results page. Amazon says you can sort by price, customer ratings and delivery options. To find something that goes with an item, such as a charger for a laptop, Amazon suggests photographing the device and adding a word like "charger".
Step by step: searching from a photo
- Open the Amazon Shopping app and find the search bar at the top of the home screen.
- Tap the Lens icon, the camera symbol inside the search bar.
- Tap upload and choose a photo or screenshot from your camera roll.
- Look for the dots Lens places on each item it detects, and tap the one you want.
- If the item is not picked out, draw a circle around it instead.
- Add text in the search bar to set a brand, a color or a size.
- Sort or filter the results by price, rating or delivery, as with any search.
Getting better results from image search
Amazon's Lens help page explains the most common frustration directly: when an item in a photo is blurry or too small, Lens may not recognize it. Every refinement Amazon offers is a way around that, either by showing Lens a clearer item or by telling it in words what the picture cannot.
Circle to Search
When a photo holds several products, draw a circle around the one you want, resize the box, or move it to another item.
Add text to the image
Upload a beige sofa and type "like this, but in white", or add a brand, material or size. Results stay similar to the image.
More like this
On any product image in regular search results, tap More like this to see visually similar products, such as a dress with sleeves.
Visual suggestions
Typing a broad description such as "flannel shirt" shows image filters while you type, to narrow the results.
Lens Live
Point the camera and matching items appear in a carousel at the bottom of the screen, ready to add to the cart or a wish list.
Barcode for exact matches
When you hold the product itself, scanning its barcode skips similar items and goes to the exact product.
Amazon has also started generating images in the search bar as shoppers type descriptive words about color, texture or pattern, so they can tap the picture closest to what they mean. Amazon says it works best in apparel and home and is rolling out to more categories in the US app.
Clear photos help most: good light, the item filling the frame, no clutter around it. The same things Amazon asks of sellers' main images make a shopper's photo easier to match.
Where Amazon image search works, and your photos
The Lens features described here live in the Amazon Shopping app on iOS and Android. Amazon's newest visual search features roll out to US customers first. Lens needs an internet connection; without one, Amazon's help page says you will see a network error.
Using the camera or uploading an image means Amazon processes those images to provide and improve the service, under its Conditions of Use and Privacy Notice. To remove them, Amazon's help page gives the path: Your Account, then Manage Amazon App Camera Images, then Delete Amazon App Camera Images.
Reverse image search tools outside Amazon, such as browser extensions that send a picture to Amazon, are separate products from separate companies. Amazon Lens is the built in option, and the only one Amazon documents.
Amazon image search for sellers: how products get matched
Amazon does not publish how Lens decides which products to show for an image. No seller dashboard reports image search impressions separately. So any advice about ranking in Amazon image search is inference, and should be labeled that way. What follows is reasoning from what Amazon does publish about Lens and about listings.
The reasoning is simple. A photo search can only match against what Amazon knows about a product, which is its images and its catalog data. A barcode search can only find an exact match if the listing carries the right product ID. And text added to an image search can only narrow results through attributes such as color and material.
| Lens behavior Amazon describes | What the match plausibly depends on | What a seller can do |
|---|---|---|
| Shows items similar to an uploaded photo | What the product looks like in its images | A compliant main image and angles from several sides |
| Blurry or small items may not be recognized | Clear, well lit, uncluttered product images | Main image filling 85% of the frame, 1,000 px or more |
| Text narrows results, such as "in white" | Color, material, brand and size data | Complete, accurate attributes on every child ASIN |
| Barcode Scan finds an exact match | The product ID on the listing | A valid GTIN, such as a UPC, on each product |
| More like this finds similar products | Visual similarity between catalog images | Images that show the product's distinctive details |
Barcode Scan is the one match with a clear rule behind it. For most categories, Amazon requires a unique product ID, a GTIN such as a UPC or EAN, to create a new listing. A listing with the right GTIN is what a scan of the box on a shelf can land on. See our guide on how to buy UPC codes for Amazon.
Attributes carry more weight than many sellers expect. When a shopper adds "in white" to a photo search, only products whose data says white can answer it. The same logic drives text search constraints, which Amazon's glossary explains with a search for red dresses. Filling attributes is part of Amazon catalog management.
Images that work for visual search and for buyers
The image rules Amazon already sets are the best starting point for visual search, because they are rules about clarity. The main image must show the product on a pure white background, filling 85% of the frame. Images need at least 500 pixels on the longest side to upload, and 1,000 or more to enable zoom.
Beyond the main image, Amazon recommends at least six more images and one video. For visual matching, angles matter: Amazon has slot codes for front, back, left, right, top, bottom and side views, and PT01 to PT99 for details and the product in use. A shopper's photo may show any of those sides.
Helps a product get matched
- A clean main image with nothing else in the frame
- Several angles, using Amazon's angle slot codes
- Close details of what makes the product distinctive
- In use shots that look like the photos shoppers take
- Accurate color and material attributes on every variation
Works against a match
- Props and extra products crowding the main image
- Heavy text overlays on every gallery image
- One angle only, repeated with different crops
- A color variation whose image shows a different color
- A missing or wrong GTIN on the listing
None of this is extra work done only for visual search. The same images that help a match also help the shopper who arrives by text, which is why image work sits inside Amazon listing optimization rather than beside it. Our listing optimization service covers both.
A visual search checklist for sellers
- Search for your own product with Amazon Lens, using a photo of the real item.
- Scan your product's barcode and confirm it lands on your listing.
- Replace a main image that is cluttered, dark or smaller than 1,000 px.
- Add angle images: front, back, side, and the details shoppers photograph.
- Check every child ASIN's image matches its own color and style.
- Fill color, material, size and brand attributes on every variation.
- Repeat the Lens test with text added, such as your color, to see if you hold.
Testing with Lens yourself is the only direct measure available, since Amazon reports no separate image search data. Treat it as a spot check, not a ranking report: results can vary by device, account and the exact photo used.
If your product does not appear, the fix is usually the same as for text search: the images, the attributes or the product ID. Our backend keywords guide covers the text side of the same catalog data.
Amazon image search FAQ
How do I search Amazon with a picture?
Open the Amazon Shopping app, tap the Lens icon in the search bar, then tap upload and choose a photo or screenshot. Lens shows similar items in seconds. You can also take a new photo with Camera Search or scan a barcode for an exact match.
What is Amazon Lens?
Amazon Lens is Amazon's visual search tool: a set of camera features in the Amazon Shopping app that finds products from photos, screenshots and barcodes. Amazon says tens of millions of customers use it each month.
Can I do an Amazon image search on desktop?
Amazon's Lens guides describe it as part of the Amazon Shopping app on iOS and Android. For a picture on your computer, the simplest route is to send it to your phone and upload it through Lens in the app.
Why does Amazon Lens not recognize my item?
Amazon's help page says items that are blurry or too small may not be recognized. Retake the photo in better light with the item filling the frame, or circle the item you want in a photo that shows several things.
Can I narrow an Amazon image search by color or brand?
Yes. After uploading or taking a photo, add text in the search bar, such as a brand, a color or a size. Amazon's example is a beige sofa photo refined with "like this, but in white".
What is Circle to Search on Amazon?
Circle to Search lets you draw a circle around one item in a photo that contains several products, so Lens searches only for that item. You can resize the box or move it to a different item.
How do I delete the photos I searched with?
Amazon's help page gives the path: Your Account, then Manage Amazon App Camera Images, then Delete Amazon App Camera Images. That removes all images associated with your account.
Does Amazon image search find the exact product?
Photo searches return visually similar items, which may include the exact product. For a guaranteed exact match on something you hold, use Barcode Scan, which looks up the product by its barcode.
How do sellers rank in Amazon image search?
Amazon does not publish how Lens ranks results. Sellers can control what a match most plausibly relies on: clear, compliant images from several angles, complete color and material attributes, and a valid product ID for barcode matches.
Do I need a UPC for my product to show up in a barcode scan?
A barcode scan can only land on a listing that carries that product's code. For most categories Amazon requires a GTIN, such as a UPC, EAN, JAN or ISBN, to create a new listing, and some products qualify for an exemption.
Is Amazon image search the same as Google Lens?
No. Amazon Lens searches Amazon's store and returns products you can buy there. Google Lens searches the wider web. A product can be matched by one and not the other.
Sources
- 4 ways to shop faster on Amazon using Amazon Lens, About AmazonLast verified September 24, 2026.
- 8 visual search features that help you quickly find what you're looking for on Amazon, About AmazonLast verified September 24, 2026.
- Amazon Lens help, Amazon.comLast verified September 24, 2026.
- Product image guide, Seller Central helpLast verified September 24, 2026.
- Listing requirements: Product IDs (GTINs), Seller Central helpLast verified September 24, 2026.
- Amazon search glossary, Seller Central helpLast verified September 24, 2026.
Find out how one of your listings looks to Amazon search
Send one ASIN. You get a written review of its images, attributes and product ID against Amazon's rules, plus the text side of search, with fixes in priority order.
See the Amazon listing optimization service