Where to download GIFs (animated images) on the internet

The GIF image format is probably the “oldest” thing that young and very young people still use today on social media and in chat. This format was born in 1987 and is still today a very popular and fun type of image to see, which allows you to create animated images of various types, such as short clips of videos that are repeated in a loop.
GIFs are capable of transmitting a clear message in a few moments, without the need to upload a real video and maintaining the convenience of simple images. In the guide that follows we will find all the best sites to download free GIFs, so you can fill your personal GIF collection and use the right one at the right time. In addition to the search engines that can be reached via the browser, we will also show you the search engines of the GIFs integrated in modern keyboards for smartphones and tablets.

READ ALSO -> Google Image Search Tricks and Secrets

1) GIPHY

The best search engine dedicated to animated GIF images it is without a doubt GIPHY.

This search engine allows you to find only GIF-type images, always animated; we can then write the name of a famous actor, a character or any action to find all the animated images.

The home page shows a search bar at the top with many boxes that refer to the most popular searches at the moment. From the site we can also download GIFs and share them with other users using the buttons available under each GIF. This GIF search engine has become so popular that it is integrated into popular keyboards for smartphones and tablets, so that we don’t have to use the site every time we want to use a GIF.

On this page, on this page you can find special GIF images to express different moods and reactions.

2) Tenor

The second search engine that we can use to find and download GIFs from the Internet is Tenor.

In a similar way to GIPHY we can search for any type of GIF using the search bar at the top of the site or be inspired by the most used GIFs at the moment, available by scrolling the page continuously.

After choosing the GIF to use, just press one of the buttons under the animated image to quickly share it on Facebook, Twitter, iMessage or integrate it into a web page via code.

Tenor is another valid search engine integrated within the most famous keyboards and messaging apps, as we will see in the chapter dedicated to searching for GIFs from mobile devices (phones and tablets).

3) Google Images

Who does not want to waste time opening the specific search sites for GIFs can use directly Google to find them; in this specific case we will have to use a special filter for the site Google Images.

To proceed, we open the site, look for the subject whose GIF we want to retrieve and, as soon as the search results appear, we open the menu at the top Instrumentswe press on the drop-down menu Guy and we choose the voice GIF to have how results only GIF images.

The thumbnails of the images taken by Google are not moving: you need to open the image by clicking on it to open the preview and see the animated effect of the GIF we have chosen.

4) Other sites to download GIFs

If the sites seen so far are not enough and we want to download new GIFs, we can also try the sites in the following list:

• Reddit: the famous quick idea sharing site offers a section dedicated to new GIFs, so you can retrieve those just released on the web.
• Gfycat: another valid site where you can download GIFs of all kinds, with subdivision into categories and dedicated search engine.
• Imgur: huge image sharing site, where there are more than 100 thousand GIFs ready to use.
• Gifbin: very funny GIF site where you can get a random animated image every time we open the page.
• Tumblr: another famous image site with a large collection of GIFs of all kinds and a dedicated search engine.

Using all the recommended sites we will always find the GIF we were looking for for that particular message to share in chat or on social networks.

5) Search for GIFs on your phone or tablet

On smartphones or tablets we can quickly search for GIFs without even opening web pages, but relying on the GIF search engines integrated into keyboards or messaging apps. For example, on WhatsApp you can search for GIFs opening any chat, pressing the emoji icon (on the left side of the text typing bar) and pressing at the bottom of the tab GIF.

Alternatively we can use the Gboard keyboard to quickly find the GIFs we are looking for on any app. To proceed, download Gboard for Android or for iPhone, set it as the default keyboard for writing, press on any text field within the messaging or social apps and press the GIF item at the top of the keyboard.

To learn more we can also read our guides to best keyboards for android and at best keyboards for iPhone and iPad.

Conclusions

Searching and using GIFs in chats or messages exchanged on social networks is fun and modern, despite the fact that this image format has existed for dozens of years. To always use the right GIF in our messages, we can use sites dedicated to searching for GIFs, use Google Images with a special active filter or directly use the keyboard apps on phones and tablets, since they are now all integrated with a search engine for GIFs. .

In other articles we have shown you how Transform a video into GIF to be saved as an animated looped image and how create animated GIF images consisting of photos, videos and webcam footage.