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Fix Playwright Mobile Screenshots That Are the Wrong Size

A Playwright mobile screenshot larger than its CSS viewport may be using device-pixel scale. Set CSS scale, then check presets, overrides and full-page capture.
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If a Playwright mobile screenshot is larger in pixels than the configured viewport, set scale: 'css' on page.screenshot(). Its documented default is 'device', which captures at device-pixel resolution; a high-DPI emulation can therefore produce an image wider or taller than the CSS viewport. Then check the device preset, viewport overrides and whether the capture is full-page.

Why a mobile screenshot can be bigger than its viewport

A viewport is measured in CSS pixels, while an image file has pixel dimensions. Those numbers need not match: page.screenshot() defaults to scale: 'device', so output pixels follow device-pixel resolution. On a high-DPI emulated device, the image may be larger than the CSS viewport—sometimes by a clean multiple, though there is no universal multiplier. Use Playwright’s screenshot API reference for the documented scale behavior.

For one output pixel per CSS pixel, set scale: 'css'. Choose 'device' when the higher-resolution device-pixel image is what you need.

Diagnose the size in this order

  1. Compare file dimensions with the intended viewport. Inspect the image’s actual width and height, then compare them with the configured CSS viewport width and height. A clean multiple can point to device scaling, but does not prove it.
  2. Set scale explicitly for direct screenshots. If the required output dimensions should match CSS pixels, pass scale: 'css' to page.screenshot().
  3. Check device and viewport configuration. Presets include a bundle of emulated properties; confirm the selected preset and any project or context overrides.
  4. Check capture scope. A viewport screenshot reflects the visible viewport. With fullPage: true, Playwright captures the full scrollable page, so the image can be much taller than the viewport by design.
  5. Identify the screenshot API. The direct screenshot and screenshot assertion APIs document different scale defaults. Specify scale where the API supports it and dimensions must be predictable.
  6. If dimensions match but pixels still differ, stabilize the environment. Browser, operating system, settings, hardware, power source and headless mode can affect rendering. Compare in an environment matching the baseline.

Set the scale on a direct screenshot

For a viewport-sized image in CSS pixels:

await page.screenshot({ path: 'mobile.png', scale: 'css' });

For device-pixel resolution, request it explicitly instead:

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await page.screenshot({ path: 'mobile.png', scale: 'device' });

The first setting controls pixel density; it does not change the page’s CSS viewport. If the file is still too tall, inspect fullPage and the viewport configuration separately.

Check mobile presets and viewport overrides

Playwright device presets can set viewport, screen size, user agent and touch behavior. When spreading a preset and setting a custom viewport, put the override after the spread so it takes precedence. This example uses an illustrative preset and viewport; verify the device name and target dimensions against the Playwright version and device you intend to emulate.

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import { defineConfig, devices } from '@playwright/test';

export default defineConfig({
  projects: [{
    name: 'mobile-chromium',
    use: {
      ...devices['iPhone 13'],
      viewport: { width: 390, height: 844 },
    },
  }],
});

See Playwright’s device emulation documentation for preset configuration. If you set the viewport at runtime with page.setViewportSize(), Playwright resizes the page and resets screen. Set it before navigation where practical: a site may not expect a phone’s size to change mid-session. The API reference documents the method and behavior.

Choose viewport capture or full-page capture

Leave fullPage unset or set it to false when the artifact should have the visible viewport’s height. Use fullPage: true when the whole scrollable document is the intended result; a tall image is then expected. Full-page mode changes capture height, while scale determines the relationship between CSS and output pixels. See Playwright’s screenshot guide.

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Check screenshot assertions separately

page.screenshot() documents device as its scale default, while expect(page).toHaveScreenshot() documents css. If a test saves a direct screenshot and also compares an assertion screenshot, do not assume both APIs produce the same dimensions by default. Set the desired scale explicitly in the applicable options and consult the screenshot assertion API reference.

Troubleshoot common wrong-size results

Symptom Likely cause What to check
Image is wider and taller than the CSS viewport by a consistent factor page.screenshot() is using device-pixel scale. Set scale: 'css' if CSS-pixel dimensions are required; verify the actual image dimensions.
Image has the expected width but is far too tall Full-page capture includes the scrollable page. Remove fullPage: true for a viewport-only capture.
Configured viewport is not taking effect A preset or later override supplies a different value. Review merged project/context settings; put the intended viewport after the device spread.
Layout or screenshot changes after resizing setViewportSize() ran after navigation, or screen-dependent behavior changed. Set the viewport before navigation when practical; remember that resizing resets screen.
Dimensions match, but visual comparison fails Rendering differs across browser, OS, settings or execution environment. Use the same browser, operating system and headless or headed mode as the baseline.

Or skip the browser setup

If your task is to capture a URL rather than test Playwright’s emulated mobile environment, ScreenshotNeo offers a one-call screenshot API. This example saves the returned image as WebP; see the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options.

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Version and rendering notes

Playwright documentation is rolling; the references cited here were accessed on October 3, 2026. Confirm defaults and device registry names against the documentation for the Playwright version installed in your project. Browser, operating system, settings, hardware, power source and headless mode may all affect rendered pixels, so matching dimensions alone does not guarantee identical images.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does setting scale: 'css' change the emulated mobile viewport?

No. It changes output image scaling, not the viewport configuration.

Why do two Playwright screenshot methods produce different dimensions by default?

The documented default for page.screenshot() is device, while toHaveScreenshot() documents css. Set the intended scale explicitly where dimensions matter.

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