Obtaining Google Earth images using Google Earth Pro on your desktop

The easiest way to use Google Earth is to use the web version earth.google.co.uk 

An alternative is to download Google Earth Pro to your computer and use that use that but when using Google Earth Pro you need to be careful to set the appropriate options as explained below.

Finding the location you are interested in

You can find the location you are interested in by entering a place name or postcode in the search box and tapping the Search button. 

You can then use the navigation bar on the right to zoom in as needed. If you cannot see the navigation bar tap the View tab and tick the Show Navigation...Automatically box.

Set View options

Initially you needed the navigation bar to zoom but, once you have set the zoom, you can tick the Show Navigation... Compass Only box so that the outline of the navigation bar does not appear when you come to take a screenshot.

Tick the Sidebar box and untick all the Layers options.  The Layers options superimpose information on the image such as the names and locations of shops, businesses and places of interest but generally it is only the image itself (and objective data such as the scale legend and North pointer)  which you want to include in the screenshot and not anonymous commentary. 

If you initially found the image you are interested in by doing a search there will be a red marker labelled with the place name or postcode you searched for  superimposed on the image.  You can remove the red marker by tapping the X symbol in the sidebar just below (and slightly to the right) of the search box. 

Make sure that the only other box ticked (under View) is Historical Imagery.  

Adjust the boundaries of the display panel so that the image is slightly taller than it is wide.

Finding the historical images you are interested in

Click on the left and right arrows of the time slider to move the slider to the year you are interested in. 

Saving Google Earth Pro images

Whilst it is possible to save an image by selecting File - Save or File - Print, if you use either of those options the image saved in either of those ways will not show the time slider which indicates in which year the image was taken. If you want the time slider to be shown, tap CTRL-SHIFT-E to email the image as a screenshot to yourself.

Disclaimer

This information page is designed to be used only by clients of John Antell who have entered into an agreement for the provision of legal services. The information in it is necessarily of a general nature and will not be applicable to every case: it is intended to be used only in conjunction with more specific advice to the individual client about the individual case. This information page should not be used by, or relied on, by anyone else.

The information on this page about specific computer techniques is provided for information purposes only. Every reasonable effort has been made to ensure that the information is accurate and up to date at the time it was written but no responsibility for its accuracy, or for any consequences of relying on it, is assumed by me. You should satisfy yourself, before using any of the techniques, software or services described, that the techniques are appropriate for your purposes and that the software or service is reliable.

This page was lasted updated in August 2025 Disclaimer