Right Click Disable 2.5 helps stop casual copying on your Joomla website.

It can stop or warn visitors when they try to:

• Right-click
• Select text
• Drag images
• Use copy, cut, paste, or select-all shortcuts
• Open developer tools with common shortcuts
• Save, print, or view page source with shortcuts

You can show a popup, a small toast message, a normal browser alert, or stay silent (block the action with no message).

Two ways to use it

• Plugin: protect almost the whole site
• Module: protect only chosen pages

Each one works alone. Use one or the other on a page, not both.

Honest note: this slows down casual copying. It is not a lock. A determined person can still get content another way.

What you need

• Joomla 4, 5, or 6
• PHP 8.1 or newer (recommended)

Install the package

1. Download pkg_rightclick_disable_2.5.zip.
2. In Joomla admin, open System > Install > Extensions.
3. Click Upload Package File.
4. Choose the ZIP file. Do not unzip it first.
5. Click Upload & Install.
6. Open System > Clear Cache and clear all cache.

Optional single files

• mod_rightclick_disable_2.5.zip: module only
• plg_system_rightclick_disable_2.5.zip: plugin only

After install, choose your path

• Protect the whole site: go to the next tab and set up the plugin.
• Protect only some pages: set up the module and keep the plugin turned off.

Use the Plugin for the whole site

1. Open System > Manage > Plugins.
2. Search for System - Right Click Disable.
3. Open it and set your options on each tab.
4. Set Status to Enabled.
5. Click Save.

Extra plugin options: skip some user groups, components, or URL paths.

Use the Module for selected pages

1. Open Content > Site Modules.
2. Click New and choose Right Click Disable.
3. Set Title (anything is fine).
4. Set Show Title to Hide.
5. Choose a Position (any visible position works; many people use debug while testing).
6. Open Menu Assignment and pick the pages you want to protect.
7. Set Access (who should get the rules). Public is common.
8. Set Status to Published and Save.
9. Make sure the system plugin is Disabled if you only want the module.

Simple rule

If the module admin shows a yellow warning that the plugin is enabled, turn one of them off. On the same page, the plugin wins.

These settings are on the first options tab for both plugin and module.

Alert Type

• Popup: a dialog box over the page (default)
• Toast: a small notice in a corner
• Alert: the browser's own alert box
• None: block the action with no message

Toast options (only when Alert Type is Toast)

• Toast Position: top-left, top-center, top-right, bottom-left, bottom-center, bottom-right
• Toast Duration: how many seconds it stays (1 to 30). Default: 4
• Toast Background Colour
• Toast Text Colour
• Toast Accent Colour: used for the icon and progress bar
• Toast Width: example 360px

Which devices?

• Enable Mobile: Yes/No
• Enable Tablet: Yes/No
• Enable Desktop: Yes/No

Turn a device off if you do not want rules on that device type.

What to protect

• Screenshot Detection: optional phone screenshot signal. Default: No. Not perfect on every phone.
• Elements: choose Entire website, Images only, and/or Links only. Hold Ctrl/Cmd to pick more than one.
• Exception Selectors: CSS selectors that stay free (example: .my-gallery, #comments)
• Allow Forms and Editors: keep Yes so people can type in forms and use editors. Default: Yes
• Disable Selection: stop selecting text on the page
• Disable Image Dragging: stop dragging images to save them

With Allow Forms and Editors on, inputs, text boxes, dropdowns, and common editors (TinyMCE, CodeMirror, Joomla editors) stay usable. Normal text and images inside a form can still be protected.

Use this tab to stop common keyboard and clipboard actions.

• Disable Copy: stops Ctrl+C (Cmd+C on Mac) and Edit menu Copy. Default: Yes
• Disable Paste: stops Ctrl+V / Cmd+V and Edit menu Paste. Default: Yes
• Disable Cut: stops Ctrl+X / Cmd+X and Edit menu Cut. Default: Yes
• Disable Select All: stops Ctrl+A / Cmd+A. Default: Yes

Custom Keyboard Combinations

Click Add to create your own blocked shortcut.

1. Enter the key (example: S or F1 style letters where supported).
2. Turn on Ctrl, Shift, Alt, and/or Meta (Mac Command) as needed.
3. Save.

Inside forms and editors (when Allow Forms and Editors is Yes), copy/paste still works so people can fill forms normally.

If Developer Tools blocking is on, Ctrl+Shift+C is treated as Inspect Element, not as Copy.

• Disable Developer Tools: tries to block F12, Ctrl+Shift+I, Ctrl+Shift+J, and Ctrl+Shift+C. It can also notice when tools open after the page loads. Default: Yes
• View Source: set to No to block Ctrl+U / Cmd+U
• Save Page: set to No to block Ctrl+S / Cmd+S
• Print Page: set to No to block Ctrl+P / Cmd+P

Good defaults for most sites

• Disable Developer Tools: Yes
• View Source: No (blocked)
• Save Page: No (blocked)
• Print Page: No (blocked)

Tip: test Developer Tools on a normal Chrome or Firefox window. Some in-app browsers can trigger a false warning.

Message Preset

• Custom: use your own message text
• Short: a short ready-made message
• Friendly: a polite ready-made message
• Firm: a stronger ready-made message

Your custom message is kept even if you try another preset.

Main Message

Shown for Popup, Toast, and Alert. You can use simple HTML such as bold, line breaks, lists, and headings. Unsafe code is removed.

Different messages per action (optional)

1. Turn Enable Action Messages to Yes.
2. Fill any of these (leave blank to use the main message):
   • Right-click message
   • Keyboard message
   • Developer tools message
   • Screenshot message

These fields only show when Alert Type is Popup, Toast, or Alert (not None).

Popup look (when Alert Type is Popup)

• Background Colour: dim overlay behind the dialog
• Text Colour
• Popup Width: example 480px or 90%
• Popup Height: example auto or 80%
• Font Size: example 16px
• Font Weight: normal, bold, and similar options

Additional CSS (optional)

Add only trusted CSS. Max about 4,000 characters. Do not paste full <style> tags. Target classes that start with .jx-rcd-.

Plugin: skip some people or pages

Open the plugin Exclusions tab.

• User Groups: pick groups that should NOT get the rules (example: Super Users, Editors)
• Exclude Components: pick components where rules should be off (example: a contact form component)
• Exclude URLs: list path pieces to skip, one per line (example: /login or /checkout)

Module: use Joomla Access

The module does not have its own group list. Use Joomla Access instead.

1. Open Users > Access Levels.
2. Make a level that includes only the groups you want to protect (example: Guest only).
3. Open your Right Click Disable module.
4. Set Access to that level.
5. Assign menus and Save.

Example: Guests get the rules. Logged-in editors do not, because the module never loads for them.

Recipe A: Whole site, soft warning

1. Enable the plugin. Keep the module unpublished.
2. Alert Type: Toast
3. Allow Forms and Editors: Yes
4. Message Preset: Friendly
5. Exclude User Groups: Super Users (and Editors if you want)
6. Save, clear cache, test as a guest

Recipe B: Photo page only

1. Disable the plugin.
2. Create a module. Assign only the photo menu item.
3. Elements: Images only
4. Disable Image Dragging: Yes
5. Alert Type: Popup
6. Access: Public
7. Save and test that page

Recipe C: Guests only, editors free

1. Disable the plugin.
2. Create an Access Level with only Guest.
3. Module Access: that Guest level
4. Alert Type: Popup
5. Assign the pages you want
6. Log in as an editor and confirm the rules are off

Recipe D: Silent block

1. Alert Type: None
2. Turn on the keyboard and advanced options you need
3. No message will appear; actions are still blocked

Basic checks first

1. Clear Joomla cache: System > Clear Cache.
2. Hard refresh the page (Ctrl+F5 or Cmd+Shift+R).
3. Test in a private/incognito window as a guest.
4. Confirm only the plugin OR the module is active on that page.

• Nothing is blocked at all

  • Plugin path: Status must be Enabled.
  • Module path: Status Published, Show Title Hide, Position set, Menu Assignment includes this page, Access allows the current visitor.
  • Check Enable Mobile / Tablet / Desktop for your device.
  • Check Elements is not empty.

• I see two messages, or settings seem mixed

  • Disable the plugin or unpublish the module. Use only one.
  • If several modules are on one page, only one config runs (plugin first, otherwise the first module).

• Right-click still works on some parts

  • If Elements is Images only or Links only, other areas stay free on purpose.
  • Check Exception Selectors. Remove any selector that is too broad.
  • Form fields and editors stay free when Allow Forms and Editors is Yes.

• I cannot type in a form or use an editor

  • Set Allow Forms and Editors to Yes.
  • For a custom editor, add its CSS class in Exception Selectors.

• Copy still works from the Edit menu

  • Set Disable Copy to Yes and clear cache so version 2.5 assets load.
  • Inside form fields, copy is still allowed on purpose.

• Ctrl+C is blocked, but Ctrl+Shift+C does something else

  • That is normal when Disable Developer Tools is Yes. Ctrl+Shift+C is Inspect Element.

• My custom keyboard combo does nothing

  • Save the row with a key letter and the matching Ctrl/Shift/Alt/Meta switches.
  • Test outside form fields.
  • Clear cache and reload.

• View Source, Save, or Print still work

  • On Advanced Protection, set View Source / Save Page / Print Page to No (blocked).
  • Some browsers still offer those actions from their own menus.

• Developer tools warning shows as soon as the page opens

  • Test in a normal full browser window, not an embedded preview.
  • Temporarily set Disable Developer Tools to No if the false warning continues.

• Toast never appears

  • Alert Type must be Toast.
  • Duration must be at least 1 second.
  • Check device enable switches.
  • Clear cache.

• Popup looks cut off or too big

  • Lower Popup Width (try 420px or 90%).
  • Set Popup Height to auto.
  • Shorten the Message text.

• Action-specific messages do not show

  • Enable Action Messages must be Yes.
  • Alert Type must be Popup, Toast, or Alert (not None).
  • Fill the matching action field, or leave it blank to use the main message.

• Message Preset does not change what I see

  • Save settings, clear cache, hard refresh.
  • If Action Messages are filled, those override the main/preset text for that action.

• Screenshot detection never fires

  • This is optional and not reliable on every phone or browser. Treat it as a bonus, not a guarantee.

• New images loaded by scroll/AJAX are not protected

  • Clear cache and confirm 2.5 JS is loaded. Version 2.5 covers new images and links automatically.

• Plugin exclusions are ignored

  • Confirm you edited the plugin (not only a module).
  • For URL exclusions, use path pieces that match the live URL.
  • For groups, make sure you are logged in as a member of the excluded group.

• Module works for me but not for guests (or the reverse)

  • Check the module Access level.
  • Test once logged out and once logged in.

• Additional CSS does nothing

  • Remove <style> tags, imports, and script-like CSS.
  • Keep under 4,000 characters.
  • Use selectors like .jx-rcd-popup or .jx-rcd-toast.

• Old look or old behavior after updating

  • Clear Joomla cache, CDN/proxy cache if you use one, and browser cache.
  • Confirm the page loads jx-rightclick-disable.js and jx-rightclick-disable.css from the plugin or module assets folder.

• Do I need both the plugin and the module?

  • No. Pick one style of use. They work independently.

• Is content 100% safe from copying?

  • No. This reduces casual copying. It is not encryption.

• Which alert should a beginner choose?

  • Start with Popup or Toast. Use None only if you want a quiet block.

• Will contact forms still work?

  • Yes, when Allow Forms and Editors is Yes (the default).

• Can I protect only images?

  • Yes. Set Elements to Images only and turn on Disable Image Dragging.

• Where do I get help?

  • Visit support.joomlax.com. Send your Joomla version, PHP version, whether you use plugin or module, the page URL, and any browser console error.

Docs: joomlax.com/documentation/right-click-disable