Allow Right Click for Opera — Quick Fixes & ExtensionsMany websites disable the right-click context menu to prevent copying text, saving images, or inspecting elements. While the intention is often to protect content, it can interfere with legitimate uses like accessibility tools, research, or simple convenience. This article explains why right-click is blocked, lists several safe methods to restore the context menu in Opera, shows how to use and configure extensions, covers temporary developer tools and keyboard shortcuts, and finishes with best-practice tips and legal/ethical considerations.
Why sites block right-click
Websites typically block the right-click menu using JavaScript event handlers such as oncontextmenu or by overlaying transparent elements over content. Reasons include:
- Discouraging casual copying or image downloading.
- Reducing the chance users inspect or alter the page.
- Attempting to prevent scraping or automated copying.
However, these protections are easily bypassed and do not stop determined users. Disabling right-click often creates accessibility and usability problems, especially for users who rely on browser context menus for translation, extensions, or assistive technologies.
Quick fixes (no extensions)
- Disable JavaScript for the site
- Opera lets you disable JavaScript per-site. With JavaScript off, most scripts that block right-click will stop working.
- To do this: go to Settings → Advanced → Privacy & security → Site Settings → JavaScript, then add the site to the “Not allowed to use JavaScript” list.
- Note: disabling JavaScript may break site functionality (menus, forms, login flows).
- Use keyboard alternatives
- Use keyboard shortcuts to perform common context-menu actions without right-click:
- Copy: Ctrl+C (Cmd+C on macOS)
- Save image: right-click replacement — open image in new tab (if possible) then save, or use screenshot tool
- Inspect element: Ctrl+Shift+I (Cmd+Option+I on macOS) opens DevTools
- Reload without cache / open page source
- View → Developer → View Source (or Ctrl+U) to access raw HTML; images and text may be easier to copy.
- Open the image directly by dragging it to a new tab or finding its URL in the page source.
Use Opera extensions (recommended for convenience)
Extensions offer one-click toggles and sometimes more targeted behavior than disabling JavaScript globally. Here are reliable extension approaches:
- “Enable Right Click” style extensions
- Many extensions simply intercept the page’s JavaScript that prevents context menus and restore default behavior. Search the Opera add-ons store for variations named “Allow Right Click,” “Right Click Enabler,” or “Enable Right Click.”
- Pros: Easy, quick toggle; usually works across sites.
- Cons: Trust the extension — it needs permission to run on pages.
- Script managers (e.g., Tampermonkey/Greasemonkey)
- Install a userscript manager like Tampermonkey for Opera, then add small scripts that remove oncontextmenu handlers and other protections.
- Example simple script (Tampermonkey):
// ==UserScript== // @name Enable Right Click // @match *://*/* // @run-at document-start // ==/UserScript== (function() { document.addEventListener('contextmenu', function(e){ e.stopPropagation(); }, true); // Remove inline oncontextmenu attributes document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function() { document.querySelectorAll('[oncontextmenu]').forEach(el => el.removeAttribute('oncontextmenu')); }); })();
- Pros: Fully customizable; can target only specific sites.
- Cons: Slightly technical; userscripts run with broad permissions.
- Developer-focused extensions
- Extensions like “Disable JavaScript” toggles or “Style & Script Blocker” permit fine-grained control over what runs on a page.
- Use these if you want to disable only the offending script rather than all site JavaScript.
Using Opera’s built-in Developer Tools
If you prefer not to install extensions, DevTools can quickly re-enable right-click for the current page:
- Open DevTools: Ctrl+Shift+I (Cmd+Option+I on macOS).
- In the Console, run:
document.addEventListener('contextmenu', e => e.stopPropagation(), true)
or to remove existing handlers:
document.querySelectorAll('[oncontextmenu]').forEach(el => el.removeAttribute('oncontextmenu')); window.oncontextmenu = null; document.oncontextmenu = null;
- Reloading the page may reapply the site’s scripts; run the commands after each load or create a small bookmarklet to run them quickly.
Bookmarklet example:
- Create a bookmark with this as the URL:
javascript:(function(){document.querySelectorAll('[oncontextmenu]').forEach(function(el){el.removeAttribute('oncontextmenu')});window.oncontextmenu=null;document.oncontextmenu=null;document.addEventListener('contextmenu',function(e){e.stopPropagation();},true);})();
Clicking the bookmarklet on any page removes inline handlers and restores the context menu until the next reload.
Safety, privacy, and trust
- Extensions and userscripts often require access to page content; install only from sources you trust.
- Disabling JavaScript can degrade site functionality; prefer targeted fixes (userscript or extension) over site-wide JS off.
- Bookmarklets and console snippets run only locally and temporarily — no external code is installed.
Legal and ethical considerations
- Bypassing right-click restrictions to copy copyrighted content or redistribute protected materials may violate laws or terms of service. Use these methods for legitimate purposes: accessibility, research, citation, or personal use where allowed.
- Respect site owners’ licensing and privacy requests even if technical barriers can be removed.
Quick troubleshooting
- If methods stop working after a site update: try updating the extension, adjust userscript selectors, or re-run DevTools commands.
- If an extension breaks the site, disable it for that site or switch to a script manager for finer control.
- For persistent problems with images, try the Network panel in DevTools to find the direct image URL and open it in a new tab.
Summary (one-line)
Use per-site JavaScript disabling, a lightweight extension, a Tampermonkey userscript, or quick DevTools/bookmarklet commands to restore the right-click menu in Opera — prefer targeted solutions to preserve site functionality and respect content rights.