How to Trace a Phone Number: Quickest & Easiest Ways

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Quickly identify who is behind a blocked or unknown number

Written by Nicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: July 29, 2026 Fact Checked

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Trace a Hidden Number

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Find Who Owns a Number

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Did you receive a call from a number you don't recognize? Or maybe you just want to know who owns a certain phone number. Fortunately, it's easier than it used to be to trace any phone number, including a cell phone number. If you're being harassed over the phone and feel unsafe, call your local authorities. But if annoying calls are pestering you or you just want to know who's been calling your line, this wikiHow will teach you different ways to find out who owns a phone number–even if it's a cell phone number.

Easy Ways to Trace a Phone Number

If you know the phone number you want to trace, do a reverse-lookup in a search engine or reverse-lookup database.
If you're being harassed or scammed, you can initiate a call trace by dialing a code (often *57 in the US). Charges may apply.
Ask your carrier to set up a manual call trap if you're being bothered by restricted or unknown numbers. Apps like TrapCall and MaskOff also do this, but with a fee.

Section 1 of 2:

Tracing an Unknown or Blocked Number

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1
Check your call log or caller ID. All mobile phones will automatically identify most incoming phone calls unless the caller hides their number. If you're on a landline (home phone), contact your phone provider to enable caller ID.
- On a smartphone, you can find your call log in the Phone app. Look for a tab labeled Calls or Home to see recent calls.^{[1]
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- There are ways to bypass caller ID or even trick it into displaying the wrong number, so this won't always be possible.
- If you're being harassed or threatened and fear for your safety, contact your local authorities to get help. Most locations have specific procedures to follow for tracing dangerous callers.
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Dial the call return code. Depending on your phone carrier and region, you may be able to dial a call return code to find the phone number of the last caller, even if they hid their caller ID. For example, in the United States, this code is usually *69 or #69. The codes are different in other locations, and not all carriers support call return. To find out if you can use a call return code, contact your provider, and be sure to ask if they charge a fee.^{[2]
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- After the call you want to trace has ended, enter the call return code, and you will usually hear a message reading the telephone number of that caller, with the option to return the call.
- If you are able to get the phone number this way, jump to Searching for a Phone Number to learn how to find out who owns it.
- The behavior of the call return code varies by region and carrier. In some places, you'll won't hear the phone number and instead will only have the option to call it back.
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3
Enable "call trap" or "call trace" functions. If you are receiving repeated harassment calls from an unknown number, contact your phone provider and ask if these services are available:
- Call trace: For most US-based phone numbers, you can initiate a call trace by dialing *57 on your phone, which sends the information from the last call you received to your local law enforcement. If the feature isn't enabled for your line, you'll need to request it from your carrier.^{[3]
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  - After initiating a call trace, contact your carrier to find out any next steps.
  - Charges may apply to use this feature.
- Call trap: If you're receiving calls you cannot trace, you can request a manual call trap from your carrier. Once the trap is in place, write down the dates and times you receive harassing phone calls for the next couple of weeks (or for as long as your provider requests). Once you report this information to the phone company, they will identify the harassing number and report it to law enforcement.^{[4]
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  State of Pennsylvania
  Official website for the State of Pennsylvania
  
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  - Call traps are usually free.
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Use TrapCall or MaskOff to reveal who's behind blocked numbers. TrapCall (iPhone only) and MaskOff (Android and iPhone) are call-trapping apps that make it easy to tell who's calling you, even if the caller is labeled "No Caller ID," "Restricted," or "Unknown number."
- You can install TrapCall on your iPhone and try it out for free before committing to a subscription.^{[5]
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- Install MaskOff on your Android to give it a try at no cost for 3 days. After that, you'll need to subscribe to keep using the service.^{[6]
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Section 2 of 2:

Searching for a Phone Number

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1
Type the number into a search engine. If you're not having any luck with the reverse-lookup sites, you can use Google, Bing, or any other search engine to run a search. Since search engines let you look through all kinds of data, you may find hints that can point you in the right direction. For example, if a phone number is associated with a business or website, the business or site's info will come up.
- Try formatting the number in different ways, such as XXX-XXX-XXXX or (XXX) XXXXXXX. You should also try placing the entire phone number in quotation marks and no other symbols (e.g., "XXXXXXXXXX")
- On Android 12 and later, you can start a reverse lookup using the Phone app. Tap the Home tab, and tap a number you don't recognize. Tap Lookup at the bottom to open your web browser with the number prefilled in the search box.^{[7]
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Try a reverse-lookup database. Many free websites can provide basic information about a phone number. If the phone number you're tracing is a landline (not a mobile phone) and not private, you may be able to find the caller's name, business name, and/or address on a reverse-lookup site. If you search for a private landline or a mobile phone number, these websites will at least tell you the phone number's location and service provider. If you are prompted to pay for an upgrade to see more detailed results, skip that—there are more free options to try.
- Whitepages (USA)
- Fastpeoplesearch (USA)
- Zabasearch (USA)
- Canada411 (CA)
- 411.ca (CA)
- WhoCalledMe (UK)
- ReverseAustralia (AUS)
- Although some reverse-lookup sites advertise paid services, they often won't yield results you couldn't find for free. Some sites are notorious for scamming customers, either by failing to provide any useful information for their money or by willfully stealing the customer's credit card information. If you do decide to use a paid service, research the company thoroughly, and stick to services that use PayPal or other well-known third-party systems.
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Search for the number on social networking sites. Depending on the social network, you may be able to search for a phone number to find the owner's profile on that site. For example, if the owner of the phone number linked it to a Facebook account, you can search for a number using Facebook's search bar.^{[8]
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- If you suspect it is someone you have dealings with online, search the site where you exchange chat or information with them, such as on the site's forums.
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Call the number and ask. If you're not being harassed and just want to know who owns a phone number, you can try giving it a call. Explain to whoever answers that you've been receiving calls from the number (or whatever the reason is), and politely ask who they are.
- Try calling from an alternate number, such as a friend's phone, a Google Voice phone number, or a payphone. If you have called repeatedly and gotten no answer, it's possible that the other party is choosing not to pick up your calls. Calling from a friend's phone or a payphone can help rule out this possibility.
- If the person who answers claims to have not called your number, it's possible that a scammer used rogue software to disguise their phone number as someone else's. This phenomenon is called "spoofing," and often these numbers appear to come from your own area code.^{[10]
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  Federal Communications Commission
  Independent U.S. government agency responsible for regulating radio, television, and satellite, and phone communications
  
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Community Q&A

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I want to know which country the person is sending me messages from. How can I do that?

Community Answer

You can go onto country codes lookup site, and look at the number, or the number should have a country code and you can look for it on the site.

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Is there anyway to track a deactivated pre-paid Android phone?

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If the phone is "deactivated", that is no longer in service, then probably not. If the phone is stolen, and the battery is dead, you can still get the last known whereabouts by using Google: "Google find my phone." As long as you made a search while logged into a Gmail account, it will work. As long as the phone is charged, you can get real time location of said phone. That's why thieves leave the phone off, until they get a new sim card.

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How do I find a stolen phone?

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You could contact the local police station to see if are they able to help you with it. There is likely a database in which they or your cell carrier hold your number. They might be able to use such a database to locate your phone, if it's on and connected to a cell tower. Using a phone-finding app is more efficient, but it also requires that your phone have the app installed and be connected to mobile data or WiFi.

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Tips

If you want to find the location of a smartphone belonging to you or a family member, see How to GPS Track a Cell Phone.

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The first three numbers of a US or Canadian phone number are called the area code. In other countries, the area code may be 2 to 5 digits long. You can look up the location of an area code online or in a phone directory.

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Pay a fee only after exhausting free options. If you're still at a loss and the situation is dire, a paid service might give you more information. However, these sites typically run the same searches you did when you tried the free methods, so paying money usually won't divulge information you can't find doing free searches.

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Warnings

If you do manage to get hold of the caller on the other end and work out who it is, stay calm and don't get engaged in a heated argument. If they are rude, threatening, or nasty, do not keep listening. If they make threats of physical harm, take the matter to the police.

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