Have you ever needed to save an image that exists on another website? Perhaps you want to use a partners logo on your website, or grab one of your suppliers product photos.
Below are the steps that you can follow to save an image from a website, and why this method is better than others.
Jump straight to the steps for Chrome, Internet Explorer or Edge.
Can’t you just right click and save the image?
Sometimes yes, but you wouldn’t be reading this article if that was the case. There are two reasons why right clicking to save an image doesn’t always work:
1. Some websites don’t allow this.
2. This method usually grabs the smallest version of the image, which may not be suitable.
An important note about image Copyrights
Before we dive into the steps that you can follow to save a JPG or other image from a website, you do need to be sure to avoid copyrighted images. While websites are open to the public, copyrighted image aren’t. We do not advocate the use of copyrighted images, and creators of these files have ways to find illegal use of them.
You’ll also like: How to find the dimensions of an image on a website.
How to save images from websites in Chrome, Internet Explorer or Edge
Each website browser does this differently, but the logic is the same. You simply press F12 to access the developer tools, and then use the inspect element to locate and save the file.
Chrome
1. Go to the website that contains the image you want.
2. Press F12
Tip: Some keyboards will need you to press the Fn key for your F12 to work. A shortcut you could use is to just press Ctrl, Shift and I.
3. Click the Element Inspector icon
4. Now click on the image in question and you’ll see the image URL appear in the code below.
Tip: Some websites are designed slightly differently. You may see the URL in the right hand column, instead of in the left.
5. Right click the URL, choose Open in a new tab.
6. In the new tab, right click the image and Save image as to then give the image a name and choose the destination on your pc to save it to.
Edge
1. Go to the website that contains the image you want to save.
2. Press F12 (if you are prompted, selectOpen Dev Tools)
Tip: Some laptops will need you to press the Fn key for your F12 to work. A shortcut you could use is to just right click the image and select Inspect element.
3. Click theElement Inspector icon.
4. Now click on the image in question and you’ll see the image URL appear in the code below.
5. Right click that URL and click Open in new tab.
6. In the new tab, right click the image and choose Save image as. Now you can name your file and save it to your computer.
Internet Explorer
1. Go to the website that contains the image you want to save.
2. Press F12
Tip: Some laptops will need you to press the Fn key for your F12 to work. A shortcut you could use is to just right click the image and select Inspect element.
3. Click DOM Explorerif it does not default to this option and the click theElement Inspector icon.
4. Now click on the image in question and you’ll see the image URL appear in the code below.
5. Double click the URL that appears just after the red src code and copy the URL (Ctrl + C or right click the URL and choose Copy).
6. Open a new tab and paste the URL in the address bar (Ctrl + V or right click in the address bar and press Paste). The image will appear.
7. In the new tab, right click the image and chooseSave picture as. Now you can name your file and save it to your computer.
Remember to optimise your images
Now that you have the image you’re after, don’t forget to optimise it. This will contribute towards your visitors experience, which in turn contributes towards your SEO. Rename, resize and optimise.
Learn how to work with images on websites
Working with images is tricky. But there are a few key rules and ideas that once grasped, will make it all a breeze.
Understanding how images work will save you time, and let’s be honest, a lot of frustration. But using images correctly will improve your SEO too – whether you appear on page one of Google or not.
If you’re tired of dealing with blurry photos, or losing people’s heads in website banners, we can help. But instead of us doing it for you, we offer image training so that you never have to see another pixelated photo on your website or socials again! Contact Judy to discuss image training.
