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A blank Cypress screenshot does not have one universal cause. First determine whether the application was actually blank when Cypress captured it, or whether the page looked correct while the capture failed because of timing, capture mode, browser state, scrolling, or the test environment. Identify the screenshot type, assert that the intended UI is ready, make the capture mode explicit, then compare browsers and local/CI runs before applying a workaround.
Start by identifying what “blank” means
Before changing Cypress configuration, classify the artifact. A screenshot can be empty because the app had not rendered, because the command captured a different region than expected, or because the browser could not produce a usable image. These branches require different fixes.
- Blank application: the page itself was empty, still loading, redirected, or showing an error at the instant of capture.
- Blank artifact: the page looked correct in the browser or video, but the saved image is white, gray, one pixel high, or otherwise incomplete.
- Wrong artifact: the file came from a different run, a failure hook, or a different screenshot mode than you intended.
Record your Cypress version, browser and version, operating system, local or CI context, exact command, screenshot options, and whether the page uses canvas or WebGL. Those details determine which branches are plausible.
Manual versus automatic screenshots
Automatic failure screenshots
Cypress takes automatic failure screenshots during cypress run by default. They are not automatically produced in cypress open. A failure screenshot is captured as the Cypress runner view, so it includes the browser viewport and Cypress Command Log rather than being equivalent to a normal application-only capture.
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Manual captures with cy.screenshot()
Use cy.screenshot() when you need a controlled checkpoint during a test. Confirm the screenshot directory and filename, especially when retries or parallel CI jobs can create similarly named files. A manual capture in open mode is not the same artifact as an automatic failure image from run mode.
cy.get('[data-testid="dashboard"]').should('be.visible');
cy.screenshot('dashboard-ready', {
capture: 'viewport',
overwrite: true
});The assertion is intentionally application-specific. It proves that a meaningful element is visible before the image is taken; an arbitrary sleep does not prove that the page reached the required state.
Confirm the application is ready at capture time
Cypress captures the state that exists at the instant the command runs. A route may have loaded its shell while data, fonts, images, transitions, or client-side hydration are still in progress. A screenshot can therefore be a valid image of an intermediate state.
Wait for observable application state
Prefer assertions tied to the UI or the request that supplies it. For example:
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cy.intercept('GET', '**/api/orders').as('orders');
cy.visit('/orders');
cy.wait('@orders').its('response.statusCode').should('eq', 200);
cy.get('[data-testid="orders-table"]')
.should('be.visible')
.and('contain.text', 'Order');
cy.screenshot('orders-ready');If the page has a loading indicator, assert that it disappears and that the replacement content is present. If a transition or lazy-rendered component is genuinely required, wait on a stable condition rather than choosing a delay that only works on one machine.
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Use video or Test Replay as a timeline
When video or Test Replay is available, inspect the frames around the screenshot command. If the UI is blank there too, investigate routing, failed requests, authentication, JavaScript errors, or test data. If the UI is rendered in the recording but the image is blank, continue with capture-mode and browser checks.
Make the capture mode match your goal
| Mode | What it captures | Typical diagnostic use |
|---|---|---|
viewport |
The current application viewport. | Check whether the visible page itself renders correctly. |
fullPage |
The application from top to bottom, using scrolling and stitched screenshots. | Capture a long document; investigate scroll or sticky-element artifacts. |
runner |
The browser viewport including Cypress Command Log. | Inspect a failure in the Cypress runner; this is the automatic failure mode. |
These outputs are not interchangeable. A full-page capture scrolls the application and stitches multiple images. Fixed or sticky elements can consequently appear more than once. For a diagnostic run, switch to an explicit viewport capture or target a single element:
cy.get('[data-testid="invoice"]')
.should('be.visible')
.screenshot('invoice-element');
cy.screenshot('current-viewport', { capture: 'viewport' });Check that the file you open is the artifact produced by this invocation, not an older full-page or runner image left in the screenshots folder.
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Cypress documents a Chromium-specific condition in which the renderer process for the Cypress tab is paused. Opening a new tab, commonly through a link with target="_blank", can leave Cypress unable to capture its own tab. Cypress attempts to activate the Cypress tab during capture; focus behavior can be particularly noticeable in open mode.
How to isolate it
- Find the navigation or click immediately before the blank image.
- Re-run without the new-tab action, or change the test flow so the destination is visited in the same tab for the diagnostic run.
- Compare the screenshot and video around that navigation.
- If you use the Cypress browser extension, keep it enabled while testing the documented focus behavior; disabling it can make Cypress force the main tab to the front and steal focus in open mode.
This is a Chromium condition, not an explanation for every blank screenshot and not a reason to apply the same workaround in Firefox automatically.
When scrolling and rendering are out of sync
Element and full-page screenshots may interact with scrolling, lazy rendering, and CSS movement. A repository report opened January 10, 2024 described an element image that was one pixel high or partly gray when scrolling had not finished. The reported setup was Cypress 13.6.1, Node 18.15.0, Windows 11, and Chrome 120. The reporter used scrollIntoView({ duration: 750 }) followed by a one-second wait.
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That report is a historical, case-specific example rather than confirmation of a current general defect. First ensure that the element has reached its intended position and that its content is stable:
cy.get('[data-testid="chart"]')
.scrollIntoView()
.should('be.visible')
.and(($el) => {
expect($el[0].getBoundingClientRect().height).to.be.greaterThan(10);
});
cy.get('[data-testid="chart"]').screenshot('chart');If a fixed delay is temporarily unavoidable, document why and replace it with a condition-based wait when the application exposes one. Re-test with a current Cypress release before treating an old workaround as a permanent fix.
Canvas, WebGL, and browser-specific rendering
Graphics-heavy content can follow a different rendering path from ordinary HTML. A historical issue opened October 11, 2022 described a blank screenshot of a Mapbox GL/WebGL map in Firefox 91.7.0 ESR with Cypress 9.5.2, while the map appeared in video and Electron. It asked whether upgrading Cypress changed the result; it does not establish that current Firefox or all WebGL screenshots are broken.
- Run the same test in another supported browser and compare the result.
- Check whether the canvas or map appears in video or Test Replay.
- Record the exact Cypress and browser versions before choosing a workaround.
- Reduce the test to a page containing only the problematic graphics component.
A browser change that makes the image appear is a useful isolation result, not proof that the application or every Firefox capture is defective.
Local, CI, viewport, and runner differences
Cypress troubleshooting guidance recommends comparing browsers and environments rather than assuming that CI caused the failure. Use the same fixed viewport and, for visual comparisons, generate and compare images in the same environment.
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Run a controlled comparison
- Run the minimal test locally with a fixed viewport.
- Run it in CI with the same browser family and viewport.
- Repeat in another supported browser.
- Compare the image with video or Test Replay and save the exact command and versions.
- Remove unrelated routes, intercepts, plugins, and test data until the failure is smallest.
The Cypress Command Log can add performance pressure in some situations. To isolate runner UI effects, try:
CYPRESS_NO_COMMAND_LOG=1 cypress run
cypress run --no-runner-uiThese are diagnostic options. With the Command Log disabled, screenshots and videos do not include it; they do not repair an application canvas that failed to render.
A complete diagnostic checklist
- Identify the artifact: manual or automatic,
cypress runorcypress open, expected folder and filename. - Prove readiness: assert meaningful content or a completed network-backed state before capture.
- Inspect the timeline: use video or Test Replay to see what the browser displayed at that moment.
- Make options explicit: test
viewport,fullPage, or an element capture separately. - Check tabs: in Chromium, investigate a recent
target="_blank"navigation. - Check movement: wait for transitions, lazy content, and scrolling to settle using observable conditions.
- Compare environments: fixed viewport, local versus CI, and more than one browser.
- Reduce the case: create the smallest reproducible test before consulting historical issue reports.
Common symptoms and targeted fixes
| Symptom | Likely branch | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| White image and blank video frame | Application or navigation was not ready. | Assert route data and visible content; inspect failed requests and errors. |
| Video shows the page, image is white in Chromium | Renderer focus, capture mode, or browser path. | Check new-tab navigation, use explicit viewport capture, compare browsers. |
| Only full-page image is wrong | Scroll-and-stitch or lazy-render timing. | Try viewport/element capture and wait for stable positions. |
| Element image is one pixel or gray | Scroll had not completed; historical reports show this in specific setups. | Assert geometry and visibility, reproduce on current Cypress. |
| Only WebGL/canvas content is missing | Browser-specific graphics path. | Compare supported browsers and inspect video; minimize the test. |
| Only CI fails | Environment, viewport, resource, or timing difference. | Match versions and viewport, then reproduce locally and in a minimal CI case. |
Or skip the browser setup
If your goal is a clean website image rather than a Cypress test artifact, ScreenshotNeo provides a one-request screenshot API and MCP server. It accepts consent banners before capture and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets. Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and each response reports the page verdict and billing status in headers.
cURL (see the ScreenshotNeo documentation):
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpPython:
import requests
r = requests.get("https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot", params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"}, timeout=90)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)Node.js:
const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://stripe.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);ScreenshotNeo also offers full-page and element capture, device and retina settings, custom CSS and JavaScript, waits, request blocking, cookies and headers, PDF output, caching, signed links, asynchronous webhooks, bulk capture, usage reporting, and an MCP server with take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf for AI clients. The Free plan includes 1,000 shots per month without a card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots. Create a free ScreenshotNeo account.
FAQ
Why is a Cypress screenshot blank but the browser looks fine?
That combination points toward capture mode, tab renderer state, scrolling, or browser-specific rendering rather than an obviously blank application. Use video or Test Replay and a minimal reproduction to separate those possibilities.
Does cy.screenshot() work in cypress open?
Yes, manual screenshots use cy.screenshot(). Automatic failure screenshots are the behavior associated with cypress run by default.
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Should I add a long sleep?
Only as a temporary diagnostic. An assertion tied to the required UI state is more reliable across machines and CI.
Can a blank screenshot prove that the page is broken?
No. It may be a faithful image of an intermediate application state or a capture-path failure. Compare the image with the browser timeline and another capture mode.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFrequently Asked Questions
Why is a Cypress screenshot blank when the browser looks fine?
That usually warrants checking capture mode, tab renderer state, scrolling, and browser-specific rendering with video or Test Replay and a minimal reproduction.
Does cy.screenshot() work in cypress open?
Yes. Manual screenshots use cy.screenshot(); automatic failure screenshots are produced by cypress run by default.
Should I fix blank screenshots with a long sleep?
Use a condition-based assertion whenever possible. A fixed delay is only a temporary diagnostic for genuinely time-based rendering.
Can a blank screenshot prove that my page is broken?
No. It can represent an intermediate app state or a capture-path problem, so compare the image with the browser timeline and another capture mode.
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