Getting Started Guide

How to Install and Use Sherlock

This guide covers installing Sherlock and using it to find usernames across hundreds of social media platforms and websites.

Prerequisites

-Python 3.6+
-pip

Official Documentation

Install Sherlock

Install Sherlock from pip or clone the repository.

Via pip

pip install sherlock-project

Verify

sherlock --version

Search for a Username

Run a basic search for a username across all supported sites.

sherlock targetusername

Example output

[*] Checking username targetusername on:
[+] GitHub: https://github.com/targetusername
[+] Twitter: https://twitter.com/targetusername
[+] Instagram: https://instagram.com/targetusername

Note: Replace 'targetusername' with the username you're investigating. Sherlock checks hundreds of sites, so it takes a minute or two.

Search Multiple Usernames

Check several usernames in one run - useful when a target uses different handles on different platforms.

sherlock username1 username2 username3

Save Results

Export results to a file for documentation and reporting.

Text output

sherlock targetusername --output results.txt

CSV output

sherlock targetusername --csv

Specific output folder

sherlock targetusername --folderoutput ./results/

Filter and Refine

Use flags to narrow your search or handle rate limiting.

Only show found accounts

sherlock targetusername --print-found

Search specific sites

sherlock targetusername --site github twitter instagram

Add timeout for slow sites

sherlock targetusername --timeout 10

Note: Some sites rate-limit or block automated requests. If you get false negatives, try increasing the timeout or using the --tor flag if you have Tor installed.

Back to Sherlock Full Documentation