How to Bring Back the “View Image” Button In Google Image Search

Google’s image-based search engine has been a staple of the internet for more than a decade. But this morning it got a little less useful: in addition to making the reverse image search tool harder to find, the “Show Image” button has disappeared.


The button formerly functioned as a direct link to the image in question, allowing users to bypass the hosting web site itself. Its disappearance is apparently due to an agreement Google has made with the stock image provider Getty Images, in order to get the latter’s photo content included in image search results.

The “View Image” button was a direct link to image files stored on web servers.
But have no fear, web image junkies. Only a few hours after the news broke, an independent developer released a Chrome extension that returns the button to its proper place. “View Image” from developer Joshua Butt returns the button to the Google Images interface, restoring the direct link function that Google and Getty are apparently no longer interested in supporting.

Using the extension is simple: just click “Add to Chrome” in the Chrome Web Store page, and the next time you search Google Images, the “View Image” button will be back in its familiar home.

Source: Howtogeek