How to Download Images From a Website: 6 Ways, From Inspect Element to Bulk Download

To download one image from a website, right-click it and choose Save image as. That works until it doesn't: the image is a background, right-click is blocked, you get a blurry thumbnail instead of the full size, or you need all 80 images on the page. Then you have two choices: dig through the page with Inspect Element and the DevTools Network tab, or use a website image downloader that finds every image for you and saves them in one ZIP.

This guide covers six methods, from the simplest to the most thorough, when each one fails, and what to do with the files afterwards.

Which method should you use?

First: are you allowed to use them?

Being able to download an image doesn't mean you can reuse it. Almost every image online is protected by copyright, even without a © notice. Downloading images is fine for things like:

• your own website, when you've lost the original files or are moving to a new host;
• a client's site you're redesigning, with their permission;
• reference and research: a moodboard, checking what a page loads, auditing image sizes and alt text;
• images with a licence that allows reuse (your supplier's product photos with their approval, Creative Commons with attribution, public domain).

Publishing someone else's photos on your site, ads or social media without permission is not. If you're unsure, ask the owner or use stock photos. (This isn't legal advice; the rules vary by country.)

Method 1: Right-click and "Save image as"

1. Right-click the image.
2. Choose Save image as (Chrome, Edge, Firefox) or Save Image As / Download Image (Safari).

Quick, but it often fails:

• Background images (hero sections, sliders, banners) don't show the option at all.
• Some sites disable right-click or put an invisible layer over the image.
• You may get a small thumbnail, not the full-size version shown in a lightbox or zoom.
• Many images now download as .webp, which some older programs can't open. Convert them afterwards (see the end of this guide).

Method 2: Inspect Element

When right-click doesn't offer "Save image", the image URL is still in the page code.

1. Right-click the image (or as close to it as you can) and choose Inspect.
2. DevTools opens with an element highlighted. Look for:
   • an <img> tag with a src attribute: that's the image URL;
   • a srcset attribute: it lists the same image in several sizes. The largest number (for example 1920w) is the biggest version;
   • data-src or data-lazy-src: lazy-loading plugins keep the real image here until you scroll;
   • no <img> at all? Look in the Styles panel on the right for background-image: url(...).
3. Hover over the URL to preview it, or right-click it and choose Open in new tab.
4. Save the image from the new tab.

Why it gets difficult: modern page builders wrap images in many nested <div>s, overlays and sliders. You can spend a while clicking up and down the element tree to find the right one, and you still get one image at a time.

Method 3: The DevTools Network tab

This method shows every image the browser actually downloads, including ones added by scripts and the high-resolution version loaded when you open a zoom or lightbox.

1. Press F12 (or Ctrl+Shift+I, Cmd+Option+I on Mac) and open the Network tab.
2. Click the Img filter.
3. Reload the page, then scroll to the bottom and click through sliders and galleries, so everything loads.
4. Sort by the Size column to find the biggest files: usually the full-size photos.
5. Click a request to see a Preview. Right-click it and choose Open in new tab, then save it.

Also useful: in Chrome, Application > Frames > top > Images lists every image the page has loaded.

The downside: it's still one image at a time, and the list mixes in icons, tracking pixels and ad images.

Method 4: Firefox Page Info (save many at once)

Firefox has a hidden feature that's very handy for this.

1. Open the page in Firefox and scroll through it so lazy images load.
2. Press Ctrl+I (or right-click an empty area > View Page Info).
3. Open the Media tab. It lists the images on the page with their addresses and sizes.
4. Select several (Shift-click or Ctrl+A) and click Save As to save them into a folder.

It mainly lists normal <img> images; background images and SVG icons are often missing.

Method 5: Save the whole page

Press Ctrl+S (Cmd+S on Mac) and choose Webpage, Complete. The browser saves the HTML plus a folder with the files it loaded, including images.

It's quick, but the folder is messy (scripts, styles and images mixed together), file names can be odd, and lazy-loaded images you didn't scroll to are usually missing.

Method 6: A website image downloader (all images, one ZIP)

This is the fastest way to get every image without digging through code. The Website Image Downloader reads the page for you and lists what it finds:

• normal <img> images, including the largest size from srcset;
• lazy-loaded images hidden in data-src-style attributes;
• background images set in the page's styles;
• inline SVG icons and logos, favicons, and the social sharing image (og:image);
• videos and their poster images.

How to use it

1. Copy the page address from your browser.
2. Paste it into the Website Image Downloader and start the scan.
3. Choose single page, or scan the whole site to follow internal links and collect images from more pages.
4. Filter by type (JPG, PNG, WebP, SVG, GIF and so on), search by file name, and sort by size to put the big photos first.
5. Select the images you want, or select all, and download them as a ZIP.

When it can't find an image

The tool reads the page's code from our server, the way a search engine does. So it can miss:

• images a page adds with JavaScript after it loads (some galleries and infinite scroll);
• images in external CSS files;
• pages behind a login or a paywall;
• sites that block automated requests.

For those few images, fall back to the Network tab method above, which sees everything your own browser loads. Because the tool fetches the page on our server, it's covered in our privacy policy; only enter addresses of public pages.

After downloading: converting the files

Modern sites often serve WebP, AVIF or SVG. If a program, printer or upload form won't accept them:

• WebP to JPG for photos, or WebP to PNG to keep transparency;
• SVG to PNG for logos and icons you need as a normal image;
• AVIF to JPG for the newest image format.

If you're downloading images from your own old site to reuse them, it's also a good moment to resize and convert them for speed. See how to convert website images to WebP.

Frequently asked questions

How do I download all images from a website at once?

Use a website image downloader: paste the page URL, select the images, and download them as a ZIP. Firefox's Page Info > Media tab can also save many images from a page.

How do I save an image when right-click is disabled?

Use Inspect Element to find the image URL in the src, srcset or background-image value, open it in a new tab and save it. Or find it in the DevTools Network tab with the Img filter.

How do I get the full-size image instead of a thumbnail?

Check the srcset attribute and pick the largest width, or open the image's zoom or lightbox with the Network tab open and look for the biggest file.

Why does the image download as .webp?

The website serves WebP because it's smaller. Convert it to JPG or PNG with a WebP converter if your software can't open it.

Can I download background images from a website?

Yes. They don't appear in the right-click menu, but you can find them in Inspect Element under background-image, in the Network tab, or with a website image downloader that reads page styles.

Is it legal to download images from a website?

Downloading for personal reference is generally low risk, but reusing or publishing images needs permission or a licence that allows it. Copyright applies even without a © notice.