MartyJames said

On most sites, I can right click an image and choose "Save image as..."

Today I wanted to download an image from Facebook. I right-clicked on the image and "Save image as..." was not there.

Why is this happening and how can I solve it?

Some sites will have 'code' to NOT allow Saving images. Try the following change in About:Config:

• dom.event.contextmenu.enabled = false

If it doesn't work, set it back to True. You can try a Screen Capture of an image.

~Pj

Hello MartyJames,

Let's Try Firefox in Safe Mode :

If Firefox is not running : Hold down the Shift key when starting Firefox.

If Firefox is running : 3-bar menu => ' ? ' (at the bottom of the dropdown) => 'Restart with Add-ons disabled'. Then OK the restart. A small dialog should appear. Click 'Start in Safe Mode' ( not 'Refresh' !)

See : https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-firefox-issues-using-safe-mode

And : https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-extensions-themes-to-fix-problems

I'm suggesting Safe Mode, as it worked for this user :

https://www.thefreewindows.com/13204/firefox-image-save-problem/

Pj said

You can try a Screen Capture of an image.

I could, but I just want my browser to work properly, instead of the hassle of cropping images and saving them as large, uncompressed PNG files.

Pj said

Try the following change in About:Config:

• dom.event.contextmenu.enabled = false

If it doesn't work, set it back to True.

I checked that setting and it was set to false. I changed it to true and, to my surprise it worked!

But what is that setting for? What have I allowed by enabling it? Is there some site which lists all the Firefox preferences and explains what they do? I've looked many times and have never been able to find one.

Pj said

Some sites will have 'code' to NOT allow Saving images.

I find that worrying. Websites shouldn't be able to stop people from downloading images, and Firefox certainly shouldn't be supporting these kind of restrictions, which take away people's freedom.

If a website doesn't want people to be able to download its images, it shouldn't put the images online. Period. Being able to download everything you see is a basic feature of using the web and has been ever since the web began.

This also seems like just another way that websites are trying to interfere with the reader's operation of his own computer - along with interfering with copying and pasting and middle clicking. Website designers should have no control at all over the basic controls of the web browser, that's intrusive and invasive. It's like watching a TV channel that stops you from changing channel, or adjusting the volume. NEVER!

Strange, I set dom.event.contextmenu.enabled to true, and thought it had worked, but after a reset it doesn't seem to be working now. Very curious!

This can happen if there is another container overlaying the image or if it is not a real image, but a background image or some other object drawn on canvas.

You can try "Tools -> Page Info -> Media" to see if the image is present there. You can right-click the image and check in the Web Console what element gets selected.

• "3-bar" menu button or Tools -> Web Developer
• https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/Tools/Web_Console

MartyJames said

I find that worrying. Websites shouldn't be able to stop people from downloading images, and Firefox certainly shouldn't be supporting these kind of restrictions, which take away people's freedom. If a website doesn't want people to be able to download its images, it shouldn't put the images online. Period. Being able to download everything you see is a basic feature of using the web and has been ever since the web began.

While one cannot stop theft completely, it is completely understandable if the owners choose to employ methods to make it difficult or harder to steal their images intact. Just because you see the image does not mean you can do whatever you want with it. While using it for you own use like say desktop wallpaper, it is another if the image were to get distributed in various ways without permission from the owner.

Here is a case of where a photographer had one of his pictures stolen and used as part of the front of a packaging for a cell phone case product without any permission from nor compensation to the image owner. They made the thief pay. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUEbi4r8Pg0

For example Mozilla even has trademark guidelines on what and how things can be done with Mozilla names and logos and other things. https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/foundation/trademarks/policy/

cor-el said

This can happen if there is another container overlaying the image or if it is not a real image, but a background image or some other object drawn on canvas.

Nope, it's definitely a real image. I know because I can drag the image off the page and I see the actual image hovering.

James said

it is completely understandable if the owners choose to employ methods to make it difficult or harder to steal their images intact. […] While using it for you own use like say desktop wallpaper, it is another if the image were to get distributed in various ways without permission from the owner.

Thanks for your reply.

I'd say that copyright infringement was a completely different matter. That's illegal, so they would be sued. Plus, anyone wanting to illegally use other people's images could easily grab the screen anyway, so they're not going to be stopped by locking out the "save as" control.

More to the point, the vast majority of images used on websites are low-quality screen images. The photographers aren't going to worry about people stealing these.

Of course, you can get high quality photographs on the web, but only when those photos are specifically made available to download in high quality. Anyone not wanting them to be downloaded simply wouldn't provide high quality versions of their images.

I don't see any problem. But locking out people's controls in their own browser... that's just wrong. Like I said, it's like a TV channel that doesn't let you change the volume. It's invasive.

As for why Facebook stops people downloading their images, that's a mystery to me. The whole point is that the photos are for friends to see and download. You only share the photos with the people you want to see it, whether it's private or public. It seems a bit redundant to have a website where you can share photos, but then not let people actually download them.

Did you check "Tools -> Page Info -> Media" to see if you can save the image that way?

MartyJames said

It's definitely a real image. I know because I can drag the image off the page and I see the actual image hovering.

Got a link for me to test?

~Pj

McCoy said

https://www.thefreewindows.com/13204/firefox-image-save-problem/

Hve you tried Safe Mode as I suggested ?

Just an update to say that with dom.event.contextmenu.enabled set to true, it now sometimes works, but sometimes doesn't. The ability to save images can appear and disappear almost randomly within the same session.

McCoy said

Hve you tried Safe Mode as I suggested ?

Hi McCoy,

My apologies, I missed your reply as we posted at the same time.

Thanks for your suggestion. When I tried it, "Save image as..." was currently working. But when I restarted in Safe Mode, it stopped working! This feature seems very random! Thanks anyway dear :)

Pj said

Got a link for me to test?

Sorry, I don't want to give personal links here - it's a friend's public Facebook page for his company. I'm working for him and he asked me to grab some images off his Facebook account. This sounded simple in theory! I'm sure you would find the same thing on any public Facebook profile.

(For the record, I do not have a Facebook account and generally have no interest in social networking sites.)

cor-el said

Did you check "Tools -> Page Info -> Media" to see if you can save the image that way?

Hey, thanks. That actually did work! I didn't know about that feature. It's quite cumbersome to use, and finding the image in question isn't easy, but it's great to know it's there, if all else fails!

It would really help to find the image quicker if that tool had a column for "file size", "type" or "dimensions" :)

In summary, then, there are three imperfect solutions:

Workaround method: cor-el said

Check "Tools -> Page Info -> Media" to see if you can save the image that way?

Solution which seems to work randomly: Pj said

Try the following change in About:Config:

• dom.event.contextmenu.enabled = false

If it doesn't work, set it back to True.

Solution which works for some people: McCoy said

I'm suggesting Safe Mode, as it worked for this user : https://www.thefreewindows.com/13204/firefox-image-save-problem/

If Firefox is not running : Hold down the Shift key when starting Firefox.

If Firefox is running : 3-bar menu => ' ? ' (at the bottom of the dropdown) => 'Restart with Add-ons disabled'. Then OK the restart. A small dialog should appear. Click 'Start in Safe Mode' ( not 'Refresh' !)

See : https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-firefox-issues-using-safe-mode And : https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-extensions-themes-to-fix-problems

MartyJames Quotes

Pj said

You can try a Screen Capture of an image.

MartyJames Replied:

I could, but I just want my browser to work properly, instead of the hassle of cropping images and saving them as large, uncompressed PNG files.

Ah, but the browser is doing what its designed to do, honoring sites that don't want DL'ing of images or videos. Maybe there are 'underground' browsers that allow for this?

Anyway, there are options, like these:

• FaceBook Video and Photo Downloader

• Image Picka

• Download All Images (On The Tab)

More 'Save Images' Extension Search.

Pj Said This

Try the following change in About:Config:

• dom.event.contextmenu.enabled = false

If it doesn't work, set it back to True.

MartyJames Replied:

I checked that setting and it was set to false. I changed it to true and, to my surprise it worked!

But what is that setting for? What have I allowed by enabling it? Is there some site which lists all the Firefox preferences and explains what they do? I've looked many times and have never been able to find one.

There is a list of About:Configs from Mozilla, but it's old. I'll have to dig-up some other sources that have some other recent ones listed and the link to the one where I found the dom.event.contextmenu.

Pj Then Said

Some sites will have 'code' to NOT allow Saving images.

MartyJames Replied:

I find that worrying. Websites shouldn't be able to stop people from downloading images, and Firefox certainly shouldn't be supporting these kind of restrictions, which take away people's freedom.

If a website doesn't want people to be able to download its images, it shouldn't put the images online. Period. Being able to download everything you see is a basic feature of using the web and has been ever since the web began.

Well, you can see why some sites are trying to protect their images and videos, cause there are always thieves out there looking to steal and profit off of other people's content.

I've downloaded a number of images over the years, but it's for personal, non-profit use.

~Pj

Excellent answers, PJ.

I have to say, this is a great forum. The replies here are really helpful, and very friendly people. Everyone seems really committed to discussing the issues in a polite and sensible way. Thanks everyone!

In the past, I've visited Mozillazine a lot, but typically people would be rude, arrogant and disrespectful, for no apparent reason. This is a far better community.