How to Locate a Phone Number for Free

1. Use the White Pages. If you want to locate the phone number of a person, you can start with the Official White Pages online. Under the 'Find People' form, fill in the first and last name of the person you are trying to locate. Also fill in the city and state in which the person lives. Click 'Find.' Your results should include the telephone number of the person fitting that name and location. If you are looking for a business, use the 'Find a Business' form.
2. Do an online search. If the results from the White Pages search did not produce a telephone number, try various Internet search engines. Type the name of the person or business into different search engines, such as Yahoo! or Google, to get results.
3. Look up the number in the phone book. This may seem like an ancient concept, but if your other efforts at locating the phone number have failed, the phone book is an excellent backup. If you are looking for a person's phone number, search the White Pages. If you are a looking for the phone number of a business, search the Yellow Pages.
4. Ask personal acquaintances. If you still have had no luck locating the telephone number for a person or business, try asking someone you know if she can give you the phone number.