Image Hosting FAQ

Drag a file onto the homepage box, paste a screenshot with Ctrl+V, or click to browse. Tick the content confirmation, and your links appear in seconds. Up to 20 files per batch.

JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP, BMP, TIFF and SVG, up to 32 MB per file. Animated GIFs keep their animation. Display copies are optimized to WebP automatically; your original file is preserved.

No. Anonymous uploads work instantly and can be managed from the same browser via delete links. Anonymous images expire after up to 30 days.

You confirm you have the right to share the image and that it does not break our content rules - no illegal content and no advertising spam. Violations are removed and repeat offenders are banned.

Yes, registered members get a personal API key. One POST request to /api/1/upload returns direct links, thumbnails and a delete URL as JSON. See the API documentation.

You choose. Anonymous uploads: 1 hour to 30 days, with a live countdown on the image page. Registered members can pick the same timers or keep images forever with the never-expire option.

25 GB, which fits tens of thousands of typical photos. Premium will offer unlimited storage. Deleting images frees space immediately.

The file and all its derivatives are permanently deleted from our servers, and its links return a 410 Gone page. Expired images cannot be recovered.

Yes. Register (or sign in) from the same browser and your anonymous uploads are attached to your account automatically. Then set them to never expire.

A members-only showcase of the best uploads. Submissions pass an AI safety scan and a manual review by a moderator before appearing. Browsing requires a free account.

Like on any social network: follow a creator and their profile activity is one click away. Your follower and following counts show on your profile, and new followers trigger a notification.

Yes, three levels per image: public (shown on your profile), unlisted (only people with the link) and private (only you, even the direct link is blocked for others).

Google-only accounts have no HotIMG password, and the password section in Settings is disabled for them. Your sign-in security is managed by Google.

Dashboard, Settings, Danger zone. Type DELETE to confirm. All images, albums, likes and follows are permanently removed on the spot.

Adult and sexually explicit content, advertising images and promo spam, gore, illegal content, and content that infringes copyright. Full details are in the Terms of Service.

Every image page has a Report button. Pick a reason, add details if you like, and our moderators handle it. You do not need an account to report.

Three layers: the upload confirmation checkbox, an automatic safety scan on every upload, and human moderators who review the queue, gallery submissions and reports.

Send a notice via the DMCA page with the image links and your ownership details. Verified claims lead to prompt removal, and repeat infringers lose their accounts.

Every upload returns a direct link that ends in the file extension (for example .jpg or .png). That is the one to paste where software expects a raw image - forums, an HTML img tag, or a marketplace listing.

A direct link points straight at the image file. HTML, BBCode and Markdown are embed codes that wrap that link so it displays inline on a website, a forum, or in a Markdown document. Our direct links vs embeds guide explains which to use where.

Usually you pasted the viewer-page link instead of the direct link, or the site blocks hotlinking. Use the direct link (it ends in .jpg or .png). See hotlinking explained.

Yes. Hotlinking from a host you uploaded to is exactly what direct links are for, and HotIMG serves them from a fast, cached URL.

You keep 20% of the ad revenue your images generate. Each month's ad pool is split between uploaders by their share of valid human ad views. See how it works on the earnings page.

No. Only genuine human ad views count. Views from bots, datacenter and VPN networks, ad blockers, self-refreshing and coordinated traffic are detected and removed before any payout, so they earn nothing.

Earnings are tallied after each month closes and its traffic is vetted. Once your balance passes the $10 minimum it is paid out; smaller balances roll over. Your dashboard shows the running total.

No. Flagged images carry no ads at all, so they never accrue impressions and never earn a share.