Sherlock

Search for usernames across hundreds of social networks and websites

Recon & OSINT10 commands

#osint#username#social#recon#python

Installation

1Install using pip

2Or install from source via git clone

3Or install via apt (Kali/Parrot)

# Using pip
pip install sherlock-project

# Using git clone (latest)
git clone https://github.com/sherlock-project/sherlock.git
cd sherlock
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Using apt (Kali Linux)
sudo apt install sherlock

Basic Usage

Search for usernames across hundreds of social networks

# Search a single username
sherlock username

# Search multiple usernames
sherlock user1 user2 user3

# Output results as CSV
sherlock username --csv

# Output results as TXT
sherlock username --txt

# Use Tor proxy for anonymity
sherlock username --proxy socks5://127.0.0.1:9050

# Search only specific sites
sherlock username --site github twitter

# Include NSFW sites
sherlock username --nsfw

# Increase timeout for slow responses
sherlock username --timeout 30

Command Reference

10 commands

1Search for a single username

sherlock <username>

2Save results to a file

--output

3Export results in CSV format

--csv

4Set request timeout (seconds)

--timeout

5Use a proxy (HTTP/SOCKS)

--proxy

6Limit search to specific sites

--site

7Include NSFW sites in search

--nsfw

8Export results as plain text

--txt

9Show all results (no filtering)

--all

10Display help and usage info

-h, --help

When to Use

Checking username availability across platforms

Investigating a person's online presence

Social media account discovery during OSINT

Finding unused usernames for personal branding

Mapping a target's digital footprint

Notes & Tips

Some sites may rate-limit or block automated requests

Use Tor or a VPN to avoid IP-based blocking

Sherlock relies on public profile pages — false negatives can occur

Results depend on site availability and response times

Common Errors & Solutions

Connection refused / timeout on many sites

Increase timeout with --timeout 30 or use a proxy

Too many requests — getting blocked

Use --proxy with Tor (socks5://127.0.0.1:9050) to rotate IPs

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'sherlock'

Ensure dependencies are installed: pip install -r requirements.txt

# Using pip pip install sherlock-project # Using git clone (latest) git clone https://github.com/sherlock-project/sherlock.git cd sherlock pip install -r requirements.txt # Using apt (Kali Linux) sudo apt install sherlock

# Search a single username sherlock username # Search multiple usernames sherlock user1 user2 user3 # Output results as CSV sherlock username --csv # Output results as TXT sherlock username --txt # Use Tor proxy for anonymity sherlock username --proxy socks5://127.0.0.1:9050 # Search only specific sites sherlock username --site github twitter # Include NSFW sites sherlock username --nsfw # Increase timeout for slow responses sherlock username --timeout 30