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To capture a full page through Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP), call Page.captureScreenshot with captureBeyondViewport: true and fromSurface: true, and leave clip out of the request. Chromium then captures the page beyond the visible viewport in one operation. The response contains base64-encoded image data; decode it and save it as a file.
The CDP request for a full-page screenshot
Send this command to the WebSocket endpoint for the page target you want to capture:
{
"id": 1,
"method": "Page.captureScreenshot",
"params": {
"format": "png",
"captureBeyondViewport": true,
"fromSurface": true
}
}A successful response has the shape {"id":1,"result":{"data":"..."}}. The value in result.data is base64-encoded image data, not a file path or raw PNG bytes. Decode it before writing the result to disk.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFor a full-page capture, the important combination is captureBeyondViewport: true, fromSurface: true, and no clip. Chromium’s full-page path asks the renderer for the page size and captures from the top-left at scale 1. Adding a clip instead requests a bounded rectangle, so leave it out when you want the automatic full-page capture.
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Run a complete capture with Python
The example below assumes Chrome or Chromium is already running with its remote debugging endpoint available at 127.0.0.1:9222. Install the Python WebSocket client with python -m pip install websocket-client. The script selects the first page target, navigates it, waits for the document’s readyState to become complete, requests the screenshot, decodes the response, and writes full-page.png.
import base64
import json
import time
import urllib.request
import websocket
DEBUG_URL = "http://127.0.0.1:9222/json"
OUTPUT_FILE = "full-page.png"
with urllib.request.urlopen(DEBUG_URL, timeout=10) as response:
targets = json.load(response)
page = next((target for target in targets if target.get("type") == "page"), None)
if page is None:
raise RuntimeError("No page target found. Open a tab in the remote-debugging browser.")
ws = websocket.create_connection(page["webSocketDebuggerUrl"], timeout=30)
next_id = 0
def command(method, params=None):
global next_id
next_id += 1
command_id = next_id
ws.send(json.dumps({"id": command_id, "method": method, "params": params or {}}))
while True:
message = json.loads(ws.recv())
if message.get("id") == command_id:
if "error" in message:
raise RuntimeError(f"CDP error for {method}: {message['error']}")
return message.get("result", {})
try:
command("Page.enable")
command("Runtime.enable")
command("Page.navigate", {"url": "https://example.com"})
deadline = time.monotonic() + 30
while time.monotonic() < deadline:
result = command("Runtime.evaluate", {
"expression": "document.readyState",
"returnByValue": True
})
if result.get("result", {}).get("value") == "complete":
break
time.sleep(0.25)
else:
raise TimeoutError("Document did not reach readyState complete within 30 seconds")
result = command("Page.captureScreenshot", {
"format": "png",
"captureBeyondViewport": True,
"fromSurface": True
})
with open(OUTPUT_FILE, "wb") as image_file:
image_file.write(base64.b64decode(result["data"]))
print(f"Saved {OUTPUT_FILE}")
finally:
ws.close()Replace https://example.com with the page you need. The readiness check is deliberately basic: readyState reaching complete does not establish that a site’s data, lazy images, fonts, or client-rendered layout have settled. For a reliable capture, replace or supplement it with a site-specific condition, such as a known element becoming visible or an application status marker changing to its ready state.
Starting Chrome with a debugging endpoint
Start a separate Chrome or Chromium process with remote debugging enabled, then run the script. For example, on systems where the executable is named google-chrome:
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google-chrome --remote-debugging-port=9222 --user-data-dir=/tmp/cdp-screenshot-profileThe executable name and command-line setup vary by operating system and installation. Use a dedicated profile for automation instead of exposing a debugging endpoint for a personal browsing session. CDP gives a connected client substantial control over the browser, so keep the endpoint local and do not make it reachable by untrusted users.
Choose the output format and capture settings
| Setting | What it does | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
format |
Accepts png, jpeg, or webp; PNG is the protocol default. |
Use PNG when lossless output matters; choose JPEG or WebP when those formats fit your storage or delivery pipeline. |
quality |
Sets JPEG quality on a scale from 0 to 100. It is ignored for PNG and WebP. | For example, add "quality": 85 when using JPEG. Do not expect this parameter to change PNG or WebP output. |
captureBeyondViewport |
Asks Chromium to capture content outside the viewport. | Set it to true for the automatic full-page path. |
fromSurface |
Selects the surface capture path used by Chromium’s full-page branch; its default is true. | Set it explicitly to true to make the intended behavior clear. |
clip |
Limits capture to a specified rectangle. | Omit it for an automatic full-page capture. Supply a clip when you intentionally want only a region. |
For JPEG, a request can include "format": "jpeg" and "quality": 85. The client should save the decoded bytes with the matching extension; the capture format and the filename suffix need to agree to avoid confusion in later processing.
Wait for the page state you actually need
CDP does not define one universal readiness event that guarantees every page is fully rendered for a screenshot. A page can signal that navigation or loading has completed and still fetch data, render components, load web fonts, or reveal images later. A capture records the rendered state when the command runs; it does not wait for all application work by itself.
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- Navigate. Issue
Page.navigatefor the target URL. - Wait for a meaningful condition. Prefer an application-specific DOM marker or known state over a fixed delay where possible. If no such marker is available, use a bounded wait and check the page before capture.
- Account for lazy content. Full-page capture is not defined as a scroll-and-stitch loop. Do not assume that requesting the full page will trigger every site’s scroll-dependent loading behavior.
- Capture only after layout has settled. If content is still changing size, wait for the change to finish or capture a defined region after the page stabilizes.
A short delay can be useful for a known, predictable animation or delayed widget, but it is not a general substitute for a readiness condition. If a page’s height changes between the readiness check and the screenshot command, repeat the check or log the changed state so that intermittent output can be diagnosed.
Handle very tall pages and capture errors
Chromium’s full-page implementation rejects a capture when either image dimension is at least 128 × 1024 pixels (131,072), returning the server error Page is too large. This is an implementation limit, not a recommended page size. The implementation source also mentions a 16K headless-mode concern, but the enforced guard is the 128K-per-dimension check; verify behavior against the Chrome version you deploy, particularly near a boundary.
When the page exceeds the limit
- Reduce the emulated viewport scale or dimensions if they are making the resulting capture unnecessarily large.
- Capture logical page sections with explicit clips, then combine the resulting images in your own application if a single output file is required.
- Check the actual page dimensions and browser version in logs rather than repeatedly retrying an image that will remain over the guard.
Section capture is a different strategy from Chromium’s automatic full-page branch. When you use a clip, specify rectangles deliberately and account for overlap or seams in your own stitching logic. If the page changes between section captures, the combined image can contain inconsistent content.
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Common symptoms and fixes
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The image ends at the visible viewport. | captureBeyondViewport is missing or false, or a clip is restricting the capture. |
Set captureBeyondViewport to true, use the surface path, and omit clip for full-page capture. |
The command returns Page is too large. |
At least one image dimension has reached Chromium’s full-page implementation guard. | Reduce scale or size, or capture sections with clips. |
| The screenshot is blank, partial, or shows a loading state. | The wrong target may be selected, the page may not be ready, or rendering may still be in progress. | Confirm the page target and URL, wait for a meaningful site-specific condition, then retry with a bounded timeout. |
| The client cannot connect or stops receiving responses. | The target may be unavailable or the debugging endpoint may not be reachable. | Check that Chrome is running with remote debugging enabled, rediscover the target, and use timeouts so a stalled connection is reported clearly. |
| The output file is corrupt or has the wrong type. | The base64 data may not have been decoded, or the extension may not match the requested format. | Decode result.data and save it using the extension matching the requested format. |
Make captures reproducible and manageable
When screenshots are used for regression checks, documentation, or production workflows, keep a record alongside each capture of the browser version, URL, viewport and emulation settings, output format, and readiness condition. These details make a difference when a page changes or an image differs from an earlier run.
- Use bounded waits. Give navigation, readiness checks, and WebSocket operations timeouts. Log failures with the target and command instead of allowing automation to hang indefinitely.
- Retry selectively. Rediscover an unavailable target and retry transient connection failures, but do not blindly repeat permanent errors such as an oversized page.
- Keep target and state consistent. Capture the intended tab after navigation and readiness checks; avoid sharing a page target with unrelated automation that can navigate or resize it.
- Plan for image size. Tall pages and large raster output take more memory and storage than viewport images. Use an appropriate format and section captures where a full-page image exceeds the browser guard or downstream limits.
The protocol operation itself is a single capture request, not a sequence of viewport screenshots. Performance and output size still depend on the page’s rendered dimensions and chosen format, so measure those in the environment that will run the job rather than assuming one setting fits every site.
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If you need a screenshot without managing a Chrome process, ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server for developers. A GET request with a URL returns an image or PDF. One cURL request looks like this; replace the example URL with the page to capture:
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does CDP’s full-page screenshot scroll the page and stitch separate images?
No. Chromium’s full-page branch captures beyond the viewport in one protocol operation; it is not defined as a scroll-and-stitch loop.
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Yes. Chrome Protocol Monitor is one of the clients that can issue CDP methods; send Page.captureScreenshot with the full-page parameters shown above.
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