Update, October 2026: Sherlock is now installed as a Python package (
pipx install sherlock-project) and run with thesherlockcommand; the steps below have been updated to match the project’s instructions. The site list that used to appear here has been replaced with a link to the project’s current list, because many of the sites on it have closed or changed.
Many users register themselves on websites using the same username. If you are performing an investigation on a person, and especially if you know a username or handle they are usually using online, you may hunt a username on social media with Sherlock.
This method is also useful when you are performing reconnaissance of people working for a company for which you are performing a penetration test.
By discovering the websites they have registered on, you will get a good idea of their interests. Where social engineering is explicitly in the agreed scope of an authorized engagement, you can use this information to build realistic phishing pretexts, for example an email posing as one of the websites they are a member of.
So, to hunt usernames on social media using Sherlock is pretty easy.
Sherlock is an open source tool which enables you to find usernames on more than 400 websites just by entering the desired username and the script will do the discovery for you.
How to Install Sherlock
Sherlock is a tool written in python and the installation is straight forward.
Install it with pipx:
pipx install sherlock-projectThe project also publishes a Docker image (docker run -it --rm sherlock/sherlock), and community-maintained packages are available for Kali, Debian, Ubuntu and Homebrew.
How to Use Sherlock to Hunt a Username:
sherlock usernamereplace the “username” with the username you want to hunt.
Simple as that.
List of Supported Sites
Sherlock checks more than 400 sites, including mainstream networks such as GitHub, Reddit, Instagram and YouTube. The project maintains the current list at sherlockproject.xyz/sites.