How to remove yourself from archive.org
What they publish
Archived snapshots of web pages (Wayback Machine), including pages that may have contained personal information on the original site (even if the original has since been taken down elsewhere).
Removing yourself, step by step
0 of 5 done- Identify the exact archived URL(s) on web.archive.org.
- Email info@archive.org describing the material, its exact URL, and the reason for removal (personal safety/privacy, not authorized for archiving, etc.). Include your contact info.
- If claiming copyright, follow the formal DMCA process (Internet Archive Copyright Agent, 300 Funston Ave., San Francisco, CA 94118, phone 415-561-6767).
- If you control the original site, add a robots.txt exclusion and request retroactive exclusion of prior snapshots.
- Be persistent — community reports indicate slow or inconsistent responses; follow up if there's no reply within a few weeks.
Tap a step to tick it off. Progress is saved in this browser only.
How they confirm it
A formal written request is required (contact info, description of the material and its location, a good-faith statement); Internet Archive typically expects requests to come from or on behalf of the page owner or a directly affected individual.
If they ignore you
For copyrighted material, escalate via a formal DMCA notice; for pure privacy (non-copyright) concerns there is limited legal leverage against a nonprofit archive, so escalation options are narrow.
Re-listing risk for this site: Low once successfully excluded, since page-level or domain-level exclusions are generally durable, but content can be re-crawled if it reappears on the live web and isn't blocked.
Common questions
How do I remove myself from archive.org?
Email their privacy address, info@archive.org. The guide above lists 5 steps, and this page writes the removal request for you to send from your own email.
How long does archive.org take to remove my information?
Not fixed; Internet Archive processes removal/exclusion requests case by case and has historically been slow/manual. That is what our research recorded; the site may take longer.
Do I have to solve a CAPTCHA to opt out of archive.org?
Their opt-out form has a CAPTCHA, so you complete it yourself.
Will my information come back on archive.org?
Low once successfully excluded, since page-level or domain-level exclusions are generally durable, but content can be re-crawled if it reappears on the live web and isn't blocked. Check again in about 60 days.