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Capture a Website Screenshot in Node.js with Playwright

Capture a website screenshot in Node.js with Playwright, from a basic PNG to full-page and clipped captures, plus repeatability and regression-testing guidance.
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Use Playwright’s page.screenshot() after navigating to a page. By default, it captures the visible viewport; set fullPage: true to capture the full scrollable page. The example below saves a PNG and closes the browser even if navigation or capture fails.

Install Playwright and prepare a browser

Install the playwright package and the browser engine you plan to use, following the current Playwright installation guide. This guide does not specify minimum Node.js versions or browser-install commands because those prerequisites can change; use the official setup instructions for your environment.

The example uses Chromium. Playwright’s Page API also supports using WebKit or Firefox. Run the script from the directory where you want the screenshot file to be created.

Capture and save a screenshot

const { chromium } = require('playwright');

(async () => {
  const browser = await chromium.launch();

  try {
    const page = await browser.newPage();
    await page.goto('https://example.com');
    await page.screenshot({ path: 'screenshot.png' });
  } finally {
    await browser.close();
  }
})();

The key operation is await page.screenshot() after navigation. With a path, Playwright writes the image to that location; a relative path is resolved from the current working directory. The method also returns a Buffer, so you can omit path when you want to handle the image bytes yourself. See the official Page screenshot API.

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Choose what to capture and how to save it

Viewport, full page, or a clipped region

  • Viewport: The default captures what is currently visible in the page.
  • Full page: Set fullPage: true to capture the full scrollable page, rather than only the visible viewport.
  • Clipped region: Pass a clip rectangle with x, y, width and height to capture a specific area.
await page.screenshot({
  path: 'full-page.png',
  fullPage: true
});

await page.screenshot({
  path: 'region.png',
  clip: { x: 0, y: 0, width: 800, height: 500 }
});

Image format and output scale

  • PNG: The default format. Playwright infers the format from the path extension when possible; otherwise it defaults to PNG.
  • JPEG and WebP: Set type: 'jpeg' or type: 'webp'. JPEG quality can be configured with quality.
  • CSS scale: scale: 'css' produces one output pixel per CSS pixel, which can keep high-DPI screenshots smaller.
  • Device scale: scale: 'device' captures device pixels and may produce substantially larger images.
  • Transparent background: Use omitBackground: true for transparency; it does not apply to JPEG.

These options are documented in the Playwright screenshot API.

Make captures more repeatable

For screenshots used in documentation or visual checks, Playwright offers controls that reduce some incidental differences:

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  • animations: 'disabled' disables CSS animations, transitions and Web Animations under the documented behavior.
  • caret: 'hide' hides the text caret.
  • mask covers chosen locator regions.
  • style applies a stylesheet during capture.

These options help control the capture but do not guarantee identical rendering on every machine. Playwright notes that host operating system, browser version, settings, hardware, power source and headless mode can affect rendering. For reliable visual baselines, generate and compare screenshots in the same environment. See the visual comparisons guide.

Use screenshot assertions for visual regression tests

A one-off page.screenshot() saves an image; it does not compare the result with an expected image. For regression checks, use Playwright Test’s expect(page).toHaveScreenshot(). The assertion waits for two consecutive screenshots to match before comparing against the expectation, and it is intended for the Playwright test runner. See Playwright visual comparisons.

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Troubleshoot common problems

The browser does not launch

Confirm that Playwright and the selected browser engine are installed for the project. Follow the current installation instructions; package installation and browser setup are separate prerequisites.

The output file is missing

Check the process’s current working directory and the spelling of the path. Relative paths resolve from that directory. If you call page.screenshot() without a path, use its returned Buffer in your own code or provide a path to save a file.

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The screenshot shows only part of the page

That is the default viewport behavior. Set fullPage: true for the full scrollable page, or use clip to capture a particular rectangle.

Images differ between machines or test runs

Browser and host differences can alter rendering. Keep the browser and operating environment consistent between baseline creation and comparison; use animation, caret, mask or stylesheet controls where they address the specific changing content.

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The script exits before the screenshot finishes or leaves a browser running

Await both page.goto() and page.screenshot(). Put browser.close() in a finally block so it runs when navigation or capture throws an error.

Or skip the browser setup

ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server for developers. One GET request can return an image or PDF, with options for full-page capture and other browser controls. The API accepts parameters used by other screenshot APIs, which can make switching easier. See the ScreenshotNeo website and API documentation.

const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://example.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);

Cookie banners, popups and chat widgets are removed before the shot; each step can be turned off. Bot checks, blank pages and failed loads are never billed, and the response identifies page verdict and billing status. An MCP server lets AI agents use screenshot tools. The Free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000.

Sign up free for 1,000 screenshots a month, with no card required.

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