The debut single received mixed reviews from music critics, who praised the Smeezingtons' production but dubbed its lyrics as sappy and corny.

The music video, directed by Ethan Lader, was released on September 8, 2010, and features Peruvian born Australian actress Nathalie Kelley.

"[4] Mars's A&R, Aaron Bay-Schuck, was responsible for finding the original idea from American record producers and songwriters Khalil Walton and Needlz.

[7] This was all facilitated by Bay-Shuck, who told HitQuarters that as soon as "Just the Way You Are" was finished they knew they had the first single, saying: "It had a massive chorus, an instantly memorable melody and lyric, and was a natural transition from the B.o.B and Travie McCoy songs ... [Also] it didn't sound like anything else on the radio.

"[5]Ari Levine explained: "Needlz had a track with a melody idea by Khalil Walton that was presented to us by one of the A&R guys.

[13] A deluxe edition which includes the official remix with rapper Lupe Fiasco and the music video was released on November 25, 2010.

[23] Nick Levine from Digital Spy describe it as a "huge-hearted urbany piano ballad", comparing its sound to "Empire State of Mind" (2009).

"[11] The song has been compared to a "U2 production" by Jon Caramanica of The New York Times[24] and by Andy Gill adding that he felt a "groove through R&B territory".

Billboard concludes, "Mars pens lyrics that aim to make female listeners feel nothing short of perfect in their own skin".

Digital Spy's Nick Levine gave it four out of five stars and described it as a "huge-hearted urbany piano ballad [...] with a similar, if not quite as undeniable, instant classic feel to 'Empire State of Mind' by Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys".

[11] Billboard wrote: "With its steady, danceable pulse and singalong chorus, Mars has created a feel-good jam that should establish him as a solo contender in his own right.

"[19] Alex Young from Consequence of Sound praised the track's chorus for being "undeniably catchy" and didn't find surprising for the single to be a "radio staple".

[28] AllMusic's Tim Sendra gave the single a mixed review saying, "it's not very deep and it's not poetry, but sweetly played and sung".

[26] Tony Clayton-Lea of The Irish Times dubbed the single "a slice of wide-eyed pop that automatically coaxes a smile.

"[29] On the other hand, Tim Byron of The Vine compared "Just the Way You Are" to Billy Joel's 1977 hit single of the same name, saying the latter "is a little more ambiguous...more aware of the ups and downs that characterize relationships".

Baniamer added, "The song never builds to any climax and it simply falls a bit flat, coming across quite corny and cheesy.

"[31] The Guardian's Paul Lester dubbed Mars's vocals on the track as a "breezy falsetto as characterless as you'd imagine.

[38] The song reached the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 on the chart dated October 2, 2010, ending the two-week reign of Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" (2010).

[39] The song spent a total of 48 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, debuting on August 7, 2010, and leaving the chart on July 2, 2011.

[51] The song also reached number one in Australia and was certified seven times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).

[9][65][66] Cameron Duddy was able to shoot the behind-the-scenes footage in exchange for his jean jacket, which Mars used during the music video.

Most of the images shown are animated, including a bell which Mars rings with his fingers in synchronization with the chimes near the end of the song.

[74] Bruno Mars performed the song at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City on August 25, 2010, with him and his four-piece band dressed in blue tuxedos and black skinny ties.

John Macdonald for Spin said "Despite a couple pitch problems here and there, Mars proved to be nearly as good a performer as he is a songwriter".

[83] Carolina Frost for the Huffington Post said that Mars at the 2012 Brit Awards "took his poptastic song Just the Way You Are, and gave it a fresh jazzy arrangement."

[94] San Diego band Pierce the Veil covered the track for the compilation album Punk Goes Pop 4, which was released on November 21, 2011.

[95] It was performed by Cory Monteith on "Furt", an episode of the American TV show Glee which aired on November 23, 2010.

[99][100][101] Daniel Evans, a finalist on The X Factor (UK), included his version of the song on his album Wicked Game, released on December 2, 2013.

[108] In 2017, Mars participated in the "Somos Una Voz" relief initiative, created by Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, in order to help survivors of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and Mexico's 7.1 earthquake.

[111] In 2020, British singer Jamie Miller covered "Just the Way You Are" as part of the tenth anniversary of Mars's debut album.