Google removes ‘View image’, but there’s a right-click fix

Google has provoked anger by removing the ‘View image’ button in its search results for images, but there is a simple way around it.

The decision follows photo agency Getty Images filing an anti-competition lawsuit against Google in the European Commission. It argued that clicking the ‘View image’ button to show a picture separately made it easy for people to download large, high-resolution photos without paying for permission, albeit often with watermarks. Before 2013, you could only open thumbnail images.

Google admitted the changes were due to a “settlement” with Getty. You can continue to download images, but you’re now encouraged to find it on the site hosting it, which takes longer than clicking the ‘View image’ button.

However, you can still open an image separately without visiting its site. In Chrome, right-click the image, then click ‘Open image in new tab’ (see screenshot). In Firefox, click ‘View Image’.

Google said the change strikes a balance between the needs of users and copyright holders. Getty said it was pleased its concerns had been recognised. But the move was criticised online, with people calling it “awful”. Others recommended switching to Microsoft’s search engine Bing, which still has a ‘View image’ option (click More at the bottom-right of pictures on www.bing.com/images).