How to Remove Yourself From US Search (2026 Opt-Out Guide)
US Search removals run through PeopleConnect's Suppression Center. Here is the online route and a note on an older mail route.
By Siddharth ShankarUpdated October 12, 2026Open the Suppression Center from US Search's footer, verify your email, enter your date of birth and name, choose your record, verify with a code and set it to Suppressed. Some guides describe an older mail route, which needs a redacted ID copy.
Before you start opt-outs, see which known data breaches already include your email.
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US Search is a people-search and background-report site. Optery says it can show names, email addresses, phone numbers, ages, relatives, current and previous addresses, home values and employment history. PeopleConnect manages its opt-out, the same system used for Instant Checkmate, Intelius and TruthFinder.
How to remove yourself from US Search
1Open the Suppression Center
Scroll to the footer of the site and click Do Not Sell Or Share My Personal Information. Expand View Public Data Tools and click Manage My Suppression Rules.
2Enter your email address
Enter an email address, tick the box agreeing to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and click Continue. One guide suggests a disposable address.
3Verify your email
Open the email from PeopleConnect and click Verify Email. One guide says the link expires after 15 minutes, so do this straight away.
4Enter your date of birth and name
Select your date of birth, which one guide warns you cannot change afterwards, then enter your first, middle (optional) and last legal name. Use add another name if you have used others.
5Choose your record
Select the record that matches you from the list and continue.
6Verify with a code
Choose email or phone, enter the email address or phone number shown under Verification and click Request Verification Code. Enter the code you receive.
7Set the record to Suppressed
Under Desired Behavior, change the setting from Displayed to Suppressed and click Save.
A note on the older mail route
DeleteMe's US Search guide describes a different process: print the page showing your listing, send it with a cover letter and a copy of your state-issued ID by fax or mail, and block out your photo, signature and ID number. The cover-letter template names affiliated brands including DateCheck, Intelius, iSearch, LookupAnyone, PeopleLookUp, PhonesBook, PublicRecords, Spock, US Search and ZabaSearch. The online Suppression Center is the route Optery describes, and it matches the steps both guides give for Instant Checkmate, so we put it first. Send identity documents only if the live site tells you to, and redact sensitive details.
How long it takes
Optery gives no timeframe. DeleteMe's mail guide says the listing should be removed within 48 hours but does not say when that clock starts. Recheck after a few days.
Removal is one half of the job. Check whether your email has leaked as well.
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Checking the result
Search US Search for your name and location, and compare with the screenshot you took. See how to verify a removal and why removed information can still appear in search results.
If your record returns
Optery says listings change and are updated periodically. Repeat the process if you reappear. See what to do when removed information keeps reappearing.
Keep going
Continue with How to Remove Yourself From People-Search Sites.
Sources we checked
- Optery, US Search opt-out guide
- DeleteMe, US Search guide (older mail route)
- DeleteMe, Instant Checkmate guide (same PeopleConnect steps)
Frequently asked questions
Who runs the US Search opt-out?
Optery says PeopleConnect manages it through its Data Suppression Center.
Do I need to send ID?
The online Suppression Center described by Optery does not ask for it. DeleteMe describes an older mail route that does, with sensitive details blocked out.
How long does it take?
Optery gives no timeframe. DeleteMe's mail guide says within 48 hours.
Does this cover other brands?
Neither route is confirmed to cover other sites. DeleteMe's cover-letter template names several affiliated brands, so check each one separately.
See if your email has already leaked
- Checks your email against known data breaches
- Shows which sites leaked it, when, and what leaked
- We do not store the email you check
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