Imgpeek

ImgPeek – View Full-Size Images on Google Images

Restore the "View Image" button that Google removed from Google Images. With one click, open any photo at its original full resolution — without being redirected to the source website first.

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🔍 WHAT IS IMGPEEK?
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ImgPeek brings back the beloved "View Image" button that Google Images used to have before it was removed in 2018 following a legal agreement with Getty Images. If you've ever clicked on an image in Google Images and wished you could just open the full-resolution file directly — without navigating through the source website, dealing with paywalls, or waiting for a slow page to load — ImgPeek is exactly what you need.

The extension quietly injects a clean, native-looking "View Image" button right next to Google's existing "Visit" button in the image detail panel. No clutter, no popups, no redirects. Just one click to the full image.

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✨ KEY FEATURES
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▸ Instant Full-Size Image Access
Open the original, full-resolution image file directly in your browser — bypassing the source website entirely. Perfect for designers, researchers, students, developers, and anyone who needs the actual image file fast.

▸ Native Google Design
The "View Image" button is styled to match Google's own interface perfectly. It uses Google's own CSS classes and design language so it blends in seamlessly — it looks like it was always there.

▸ Smart Image URL Detection
ImgPeek uses multiple strategies to find the real image URL:
- Reads the full-size image src directly from the rendered panel
- Handles Google's lazy-loading (waits for the image to fully load before injecting the button)
- Falls back to parsing imgurl parameters from Google's internal links
- Works with AF_initDataCallback data embedded in the page for maximum compatibility

▸ Works With All Google Image Searches
Compatible with all types of Google Images results — stock photos, editorial images, product photos, nature shots, portraits, illustrations, artwork, screenshots, and more. Works on google.com and dozens of regional Google domains worldwide.

▸ Opens in New Tab (Configurable)
By default, clicking "View Image" opens the full-size image in a new browser tab so you never lose your search results. You can change this behavior in the settings.

▸ Referrer Privacy Option
Enable the "Hide referrer" option to prevent the destination server from knowing you came from Google Images. Useful for privacy-conscious users.

▸ Custom Button Label
Don't like "View image"? Change the button text to anything you want — "Full size", "Open image", "Download", or whatever makes sense to your workflow.

▸ Full Dark Mode Support
ImgPeek automatically adapts to your system's light or dark mode preference. The button, popup, and options page all support both themes natively using CSS media queries.

▸ Lightweight & Fast
No background network requests. No tracking. No analytics. No third-party scripts. The extension runs entirely locally in your browser as a simple content script. It has zero impact on page load performance and uses minimal memory.

▸ Clean Options Page
A polished settings panel lets you customize ImgPeek's behavior without digging through confusing menus. Toggle switches, clean typography, and instant saving — your preferences are synced across all your Chrome sessions via Chrome Sync.

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🛠️ HOW IT WORKS
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1. Search for anything on Google Images (images.google.com or any regional equivalent)
2. Click on any image thumbnail to open the detail panel on the right side
3. ImgPeek automatically detects the panel and injects the "View Image" button next to "Visit"
4. Click "View Image" — the full-resolution image opens directly in your browser

That's it. No configuration required to get started.

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⚙️ SETTINGS & OPTIONS
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Access the settings by clicking the ImgPeek icon in your Chrome toolbar and selecting "Options".

• Open "View Image" in a new tab (default: ON)
When enabled, clicking the button opens the image in a new browser tab, keeping your search results page open in the background.

• Hide referrer from destination website (default: OFF)
Adds rel="noreferrer" to the button link, preventing the image host from seeing that you came from Google Images.

• Custom button label (default: OFF)
Replace the default "View image" label with any text of your choosing. Great for users who prefer labels in their own language or workflow-specific terminology.

All settings are saved instantly and synced across your Chrome profile automatically.

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🌐 SUPPORTED GOOGLE DOMAINS
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ImgPeek works on all major Google regional domains !

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🔒 PRIVACY & PERMISSIONS
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ImgPeek is built with your privacy in mind.

Permissions used:
• storage — to save your settings locally and sync them via Chrome Sync

That's the only permission this extension requires. ImgPeek does NOT:
✗ Access your browsing history
✗ Read your personal data
✗ Send any data to external servers
✗ Use any analytics or telemetry
✗ Inject ads or sponsored content
✗ Modify search results or rankings
✗ Require an account or login

The extension runs exclusively as a content script on Google Images pages. It reads only what is already visible on the page (the image URL displayed to you) and uses it to build a direct link. Nothing is transmitted, stored remotely, or shared.

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👤 WHO IS THIS FOR?
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ImgPeek is perfect for:

🎨 Graphic Designers & Creative Professionals
Quickly access high-resolution reference images without navigating through stock photo sites. Save time when gathering visual inspiration, mood boards, or reference material.

📸 Photographers
Easily view full-resolution photos to assess quality, composition, and detail before deciding to visit a source website.

🧑‍💻 Web Developers & UI/UX Designers
Grab image URLs directly for use in prototypes, mockups, or to check image dimensions and format at full resolution.

🎓 Students & Researchers
Access full-size images for presentations, reports, and academic research without being blocked by paywalls or slow-loading pages.

📰 Journalists & Content Creators
Quickly evaluate image quality and access direct URLs for editorial reference.

🏠 Everyday Users
Anyone who remembers the old "View Image" button and just wants it back. If you've ever been frustrated by having to navigate to a full website just to see a picture, this extension is for you.

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📋 TECHNICAL DETAILS
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• Manifest Version: 3 (fully compliant with Chrome's latest extension standards)
• Content Script: Runs on Google Images pages only, triggered on document_idle
• MutationObserver: Watches for panel open/close events and lazy-loaded image content
• Image Detection: Multi-strategy URL extraction handles static, lazy-loaded, and dynamically injected images
• Storage: chrome.storage.sync for cross-device settings sync
• Service Worker: Minimal background worker for settings initialization only
• No external dependencies: Pure vanilla JavaScript, zero libraries, zero frameworks

ImgPeek is designed to be future-proof. It uses a flexible, multi-strategy detection approach so that even if Google updates its interface, the extension has multiple fallback methods to find the correct image URL.

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❓ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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Q: Why did Google remove the "View Image" button in the first place?
A: In February 2018, Google reached a settlement with Getty Images that resulted in the removal of the "View Image" and "Search by Image" buttons from Google Images. The goal was to encourage users to visit the source website. ImgPeek restores this functionality for users who prefer direct image access.

Q: Does ImgPeek work with Google Lens results?
A: ImgPeek focuses on the standard Google Images search results panel. Google Lens has a different interface and is not currently supported.

Q: The button appears but clicking it does nothing — why?
A: This can happen if the image is still loading when you click. ImgPeek uses a lazy-loading detection system and will automatically update the button once the full-size image URL is available. Try waiting a moment for the image to fully render in the panel.

Q: Does this work with SafeSearch off?
A: ImgPeek works regardless of your SafeSearch settings. The extension only modifies the interface by adding a button — it does not affect what content Google shows you.

Q: Will this slow down my browser?
A: No. ImgPeek is extremely lightweight. It uses no background network requests and only activates on Google Images pages. The content script adds negligible overhead.

Q: Does this work on mobile Chrome?
A: Chrome extensions are currently only supported on desktop Chrome (Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS). Mobile browsers do not support Chrome extensions.

Q: Is the "View Image" button always available?
A: The button will appear whenever a compatible image panel is detected. For some images (particularly those with very strict content protection or unusual embedding), the full-size URL may not be available, in which case the button will appear disabled.

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ImgPeek is an independent open-source project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Google LLC or Alphabet Inc. Google Images, Google Chrome, and related trademarks are the property of their respective owners.