Google decided to remove the Google Image Search function from Chrome in favor of Google Lens. While the Lens feature is neat, some users prefer the previous version because it worked well for their overall needs.
It would have been best if Google had chosen to add Lens alongside Image Search, but that did not happen, so now users must either use Lens or directly visit the Google Image Search website.
Not everyone wants to do that, so what are our options? It is possible to return the Google Image Search function to Chrome. We’re not sure if Google will remove this workaround in the near or distant future, but for now, the solution we’re about to discuss is the only one we know of outside of a few extensions.
Disable Lens and restore Google Image Search in Chrome
Follow the steps below in order to restore Google Image Search in Chrome:
- Open Google Chrome
- Enter the Experimental section of Chrome
- Find Enable Lens flag.
- If the value is set to Default, change it to Disabled.
- Resart Chrome
- Alternatively, install one of these Image Search extensions
As expected, Google Chrome must be up and running first before we can remove the Image Search functionality.
Double-click the Chrome icon on the desktop.
Alternatively, you can open it from the Taskbar or via the Apps drawer.
The final thing required of us is to disable Google Lens. For this to happen, we must enter the Experimental section of Chrome.
Copy chrome://flags/#enable-lens-standalone and paste it into the address bar, and then hit the Enter key.
Look for Enable Lens features in Chrome.
If the value is set to Default, change it to Disabled.
Restart the Chrome web browser.
Check to see if the classing Image Search feature has returned.
Use Image Search extensions to restore Image Search in Chrome
Chances are Google will remove the experimental flag sometime in the future, which means, you’ll be stuck with Lens no matter what. However, there are a few extensions you can consider whenever Lens becomes the only option.
- Quick Image Search: This extension allows the user to search by uploading a photo to Google Image Search, and from there, it will return the classic results. However, we should point out that this tool hasn’t been updated for a while.
- Reverse Image Search: We like this one because it adds a context menu to Google Chrome. From this menu, folks can search for images on Google, IQDB, and even Yandex, the popular Russian search engine.
- Search by Image: If you’re not afraid of using other sources outside of Google Image Search, look at this extension. With it, you can use what Google has to offer, but it is also possible to use the likes of Bing, Yandex, Baidu, TinEye, and much more. Understand that this tool supports more than 30 search engines, so you are bound to find whatever you’re looking for.
Read: How to import Chrome Data to Edge without installing Chrome
How can I search by image?
If you want to search by image, then your best bet is to take full advantage of Google Reverse Image Search by visiting images.google.com. From there, click on the camera icon, then either upload an image from your computer or use a URL where an image is already available. Once done, the system will try to find that photo or one similar to it.
What’s Google Lens used for?
According to Google, Lens is a set of vision-based computing capabilities that can understand what the user is looking at and use that information to translate or copy text, identify animals and plants, discover products, and much more. It can even find visually similar images if you wish it to.
What are the disadvantages of Google Lens?
From what we can tell, Google Lens cannot always recognize an object. Outside of searching, there are few other options or components at this time, but things will likely change in the future.
Do I need to download Google Chrome?
You are free to choose whether to download Google Chrome on your computer or not. Several different web browsers are available, so there is no need to download Chrome if you do not want to. Still, Chrome is the most popular web browser to date, but from our point of view, it is no longer the best.
