It was released on February 15, 2010 by Hollywood Records as the second and final single from Cyrus' first EP, The Time of Our Lives (2009).

"When I Look at You" received average to mixed critical reception and was unable to duplicate the commercial success of Cyrus' previous single, "Party in the U.S.A.".

[2] It was used to promote the 2010 coming-of-age romantic drama film The Last Song based on Nicholas Sparks' novel of the same name, in which Cyrus stars as Veronica "Ronnie" Miller, an angry, rebellious seventeen-year-old forced to spend a summer with her estranged father, Steve (Greg Kinnear).

[6] Reception from contemporary critics for the song has been average to mixed, with Variety magazine's Lael Lowenstein calling it an "almost inevitable hit single"[9] and Allmusic's Heather Phares noting that "When she lets her ... ballad-singing diva come to the fore, Cyrus really shines.

Miley Cyrus did have a big hit with the highly inspirational 'The Climb,' but the ballads here flush out the distinctiveness in her voice and simply feel ordinary.

"[10] Michael Hann of the English newspaper The Guardian referred to "When I Look at You" as one of the "inferior ballads" on The Time of Our Lives.

[17] As of March 2023, "When I Look At You" has sold over 3,000,000 copies in the United States and was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

[3] He believed Cyrus and Hemsworth had "great chemistry" while filming The Last Song and brought it into the set of the video.

[3] The video opens by showing a black grand piano alone on a pier, which transitions to a close-up of Cyrus with her wavy hair styled loose.

Australian actor Liam Hemsworth, who portrays Will Blakelee in The Last Song, appears next to the piano, Cyrus not being present.

Throughout the rest of the video, Cyrus sings and plays the piano in a forest, the beach, and a mansion's front yard.

[4] The latter version replaces cut-scenes with shots of Bisbal signing in a forest and beach; his scenes were directed by Marc Roussel.

[29] Melinda M. Thompson of The Oregonian believed that by playing the piano at the opening night's performance of "When I Look at You", Cyrus "showcased her many talents and proved she really just beginning to grasp her star power.

"[30] Upon its release as a single, Cyrus performed "When I Look at You" on the ninth season of singing competition American Idol on March 24, 2010, the same week she mentored the contestants on the show.

[6] Katie Byrne of MTV News commented, "Cyrus seemed to take her own advice by connecting with the audience and making eye contact during the dramatic performance.

[citation needed] Cyrus was joined by David Bisbal to perform "When I Look at You" at the Rock in Rio concert in Madrid, Spain on June 4, 2010.