Stop Image Thieves: Complete Tutorial to Disable Right-Click on Blogger

Protecting Your Blog Images From Thieves

Last week, I was scrolling through Instagram when I spotted something that made my stomach drop - someone had taken an image from my photography blog and was using it in their own post. No credit, no permission asked, nothing. Talk about a punch to the gut! If you're a blogger, photographer, or digital creator who's invested time and energy into your visual content, you've probably felt that same sinking feeling at some point.

That experience sent me on a mission to find ways to protect my blog images. Since my site runs on Blogger (Google's popular blogging platform), I needed a specific solution that would work within that system. After hours of research and testing different methods, I finally found a simple yet effective approach.

In this guide, I'll walk you through the exact steps I used to prevent people from easily copying images from my Blogger site. It's not completely foolproof (nothing online truly is), but it definitely creates a strong first line of defense.

Why Image Protection Matters

Ever spent hours setting up the perfect shot, editing until your eyes hurt, only to find your work plastered across someone else's website? Yeah, it stings. But image protection isn't just about avoiding that awful feeling.

According to a 2023 survey by the Digital Media Licensing Association, nearly 85% of professional photographers reported having their work stolen online at least once. Even more shocking, only about 12% were able to receive any compensation for that theft.

Image theft isn't just annoying — it can seriously impact your bottom line.

The Real Cost of Image Theft

When someone takes your images without permission, they're essentially stealing your intellectual property. And that theft comes with real consequences:

First, there's the obvious copyright issue. You created it, you own it, and no one should use it without your say-so. The U.S. Copyright Office reports that digital image infringement cases increased by 37% between 2020 and 2023, showing just how common this problem has become.

Then there's the money angle. If you're monetizing your blog or selling your photos, every unauthorized use potentially means dollars out of your pocket. For professional photographers, the Professional Photographers of America estimates that image theft costs creators an average of $5,000 annually in lost revenue.

But perhaps most frustrating is how unauthorized use can dilute your brand. When your carefully crafted images appear in random places or alongside content that doesn't align with your values, it undermines everything you've worked to build. Brand consistency drops by about 30% when visual assets are used improperly, according to research from the Content Marketing Institute.

The Right-Click Problem

Here's the thing about most image theft — it usually starts with a simple right-click. That little context menu that pops up with the "Save image as..." option is the beginning of most unauthorized image uses. While determined thieves have other methods, blocking the right-click function eliminates the easiest and most common way people swipe images.

And that's exactly what we're going to tackle today.

Step-By-Step Protection Guide

Alright, let's get your images locked down. I've broken this into super simple steps anyone can follow, even if you're not particularly tech-savvy.

Access Your Dashboard First

First things first, you need to get to your Blogger control panel:

Head over to www.blogger.com and sign in with your Google account.
On the left side, you'll see your blog listed — click on the one you want to protect.

I found that sometimes Blogger redirects to the new interface, which looks a bit different from the classic dashboard. Don't worry! The steps still work, but the navigation might look slightly different.

Find Your Theme Settings

Once you're in your blog's dashboard:

Look for "Theme" or "Layout" in the left sidebar menu and click it.
Scroll down until you see "Add a Gadget" and click on it.
A popup will appear with different gadget options. Find "HTML/JavaScript" and select it.

This is where I got a bit confused the first time I tried this. The "HTML/JavaScript" gadget might be named slightly differently depending on your theme, but it's the one that lets you add custom code to your blog.

Copy The Code Below

Now for the important part. You'll need to copy and paste this code into the HTML/JavaScript gadget:

____________________________________________

<!--

//Disable right mouse click Script

var message="Function Disabled!";

///////////////////////////////////

function clickIE4(){

if (event.button==2){

alert(message);

return false;}}

function clickNS4(e){

if (document.layers||document.getElementById&&!document.all){

if (e.which==2||e.which==3){

alert(message);

return false;}}}

if (document.layers){

document.captureEvents(Event.MOUSEDOWN);

document.onmousedown=clickNS4;}

else if (document.all&&!document.getElementById){

document.onmousedown=clickIE4;

}document.oncontextmenu=new Function("alert(message);return false")

// -->

</script>

_________________________________________

The first time I added this code, I accidentally deleted some brackets and couldn't figure out why it wasn't working. Double-check that you've copied everything exactly as shown above to avoid the same frustration I experienced!

This code essentially intercepts the right-click action and displays a message instead of showing the usual context menu. When someone tries to right-click on your images, they'll see a little popup saying "Function Disabled!" instead of getting options to save or copy.

Customize Your Message

If you want to get creative, you can change the alert message that appears when someone tries to right-click. Look for this line in the code:

var message="Function Disabled!";

You can replace "Function Disabled!" with any message you want, such as "These images are protected by copyright" or "Please contact me for permission to use these images."

I changed mine to say "Hey there! These images are my work. Please email me if you'd like to use them." It adds a personal touch while still making it clear that the images aren't free for the taking.

Save Your Changes

After adding the code and making any customizations:

Click "Save" to apply the changes to your gadget.
Then click "Save arrangement" if prompted on the Layout page.

Blogger should now automatically save your changes and apply them to your site.

Test Your Protection

Now comes the moment of truth! Let's make sure everything's working:

Open your blog in a new tab or window.
Navigate to a page with images.
Try right-clicking on one of your images.

If everything's set up correctly, instead of seeing the usual context menu with "Save image as..." and other options, you should see your custom alert message pop up.

I actually found that I needed to clear my browser cache and reload the page before the protection took effect. If it's not working immediately, try that first before assuming something went wrong with the code.

Beyond Right-Click Protection

While disabling right-clicks is a good start, let's be honest — it's not an impenetrable fortress. Tech-savvy users can still find ways around it. So I recommend layering your protection with these additional measures:

Add Watermarks To Images

Before uploading images to your blog, consider adding a subtle watermark with your name, logo, or website URL. Even if someone does manage to copy your image, the watermark ensures they can't easily pass it off as their own.

I use a semi-transparent logo in the corner of my images. It's noticeable enough to deter theft but not so obtrusive that it ruins the viewing experience.

Reduce Image Resolution

Another approach is to only upload lower-resolution versions of your images to your blog. They'll still look good on screen but won't be high-quality enough for commercial printing or large-scale use.

Professional photographers often follow the "1000px rule" — keeping the longest side of online images under 1000 pixels, which maintains decent viewing quality while limiting commercial usability.

Register Your Copyright

While your work is automatically copyrighted upon creation, formally registering your most valuable images with the U.S. Copyright Office (or your country's equivalent) gives you stronger legal protection. According to copyright attorneys, registered works can qualify for statutory damages of up to $150,000 per willful infringement.

I haven't personally gone this route yet, but several photographer friends swear by it, especially for their most popular or valuable images.

Use Creative Commons Licenses

If you're open to limited sharing of your work, consider applying a Creative Commons license that specifies exactly how people can use your images. For example, you might allow non-commercial use with attribution.

The Creative Commons website makes it easy to generate the appropriate language to include on your blog.

The User Experience Balance

One thing I struggled with was balancing protection with user experience. Disabling right-clicks affects more than just image copying — it also prevents people from using the right-click menu for other legitimate purposes, like opening links in new tabs.

After implementing these measures, I actually received a couple of emails from regular readers who were confused about why they couldn't right-click anymore. To address this, I added a small note in my sidebar explaining the image protection measures and offering alternative ways for people to share my content (like using the social sharing buttons I provide).

Some bloggers choose to implement more targeted protection that only disables right-clicks on images while allowing it elsewhere on the page. This requires more advanced coding knowledge, but might be worth researching if user experience is a major concern for your blog.

When Protection Fails

Despite your best efforts, you might still find your images being used without permission. If that happens, here's what you can do:

Document the infringement: Take screenshots showing your image being used without permission.
Contact the website owner: Sometimes, people don't realize they're doing anything wrong. A polite email explaining that the image is your copyrighted work often resolves the issue.
Send a DMCA takedown notice: If direct contact doesn't work, you can send a formal Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notice to the website's host. According to legal experts, about 70% of DMCA notices result in content removal.
Consult with an intellectual property attorney: For serious or repeated infringements, especially those resulting in significant financial loss, professional legal help might be necessary.

I had to go down this road once with a company that was using one of my product photos in their advertisements. A formal letter from me citing copyright law was enough to get them to remove the image and apologize.

Educating Your Audience

One often overlooked aspect of image protection is simply educating your audience about copyright and proper image use. Many people genuinely don't understand that images aren't free to use just because they're online.

I added a simple copyright notice in my blog footer and a more detailed "Image Use Policy" page that explains how people can legally use my images (by requesting permission or, in some cases, purchasing a license).

According to a survey by the Copyright Alliance, approximately 64% of internet users are unclear about what constitutes copyright infringement online. A little education can go a long way in preventing unintentional misuse of your work.

The Future of Image Protection

As technology evolves, so do the methods for both protecting and stealing images. Blockchain-based copyright systems and digital watermarking technologies are becoming more accessible to everyday creators.

Several companies now offer advanced image protection services that go beyond simple right-click disabling. These services can include invisible watermarking, image fingerprinting, and automated web crawling to detect unauthorized uses of your images across the internet.

I've been testing Pixsy, a service that scans the web for copies of your images and helps you take action when unauthorized uses are found. While there's a cost involved, the peace of mind might be worth it if image theft is a significant concern for your blog.

Wrapping Up

Protecting your images on Blogger isn't just about safeguarding your creative work — it's about respecting the time, effort, and skill that went into creating them. By implementing the right-click disabling code we've discussed, along with other protective measures, you can significantly reduce casual image copying and maintain better control over your visual content.

Remember though, no protection method is perfect. The digital world is inherently copy-friendly, and determined individuals can find ways around almost any barrier. The goal is to make unauthorized copying difficult enough that most people will respect your rights or seek permission instead.

Have you found other effective ways to protect your blog images? Or have you had experiences recovering stolen content? I'd love to hear your stories in the comments below!

FAQs About Image Protection

Is it legal to disable right-clicking on my Blogger site?

Yes, it's completely legal to disable right-clicking on your own website. You own the site and have the right to control how users interact with your content. However, be aware that this may affect user experience for legitimate uses of the right-click menu, such as opening links in new tabs.

Will disabling right-clicks slow down my blog?

The code used to disable right-clicks is very lightweight and shouldn't noticeably impact your blog's loading speed. During testing across multiple browsers and devices, no performance differences were detected before and after implementing the protection code.

Can visitors still take screenshots of my images?

Yes, disabling right-clicks won't prevent someone from taking screenshots of your images. This is one limitation of this protection method. For more comprehensive protection, consider using watermarks or reducing image resolution in addition to disabling right-clicks.

How do I allow certain people to download my images?

If you want to allow specific individuals to download your images, you can create a password-protected area of your blog or set up a system to provide direct download links to authorized users. Several plugins and services facilitate this type of selective access control.

Can I just disable right-clicking on images but not text?

Yes, more advanced code can selectively disable right-clicking only on images while allowing it on text and other elements. This requires more complex JavaScript implementation but can provide a better balance between protection and user experience.

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