To capture an entire webpage with Playwright, use the page-level screenshot method and enable full-page capture: await page.screenshot({ path: 'screenshot.png', fullPage: true }); in JavaScript or TypeScript, and page.screenshot(path="screenshot.png", full_page=True) in Python. This captures the page’s full scrollable content, not the browser’s outer window or just the part currently visible on screen.
What Playwright means by a “full browser window” screenshot
In Playwright, the relevant feature is called a full-page screenshot. It captures the full scrollable page as though the page were displayed on a screen tall enough to show all of it at once. A normal page screenshot captures the current viewport instead. The distinction matters: increasing the browser window size is not the same as asking Playwright to capture the full document. See the official Playwright screenshot guide and Page API.
The screenshot is of webpage content. It is not a picture of the browser’s tabs, address bar, toolbar, or operating-system window. The options differ slightly by language: JavaScript and TypeScript use fullPage: true; Python uses full_page=True. The method belongs to a page object, so first launch a browser, create a page, and navigate to the target URL.
JavaScript: save a full-page screenshot to a file
Install Playwright and its Chromium browser if they are not already available in your project:
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npm install playwright
npx playwright install chromiumThen save the following as screenshot.js and run node screenshot.js. Replace the example URL with the page you want to capture.
const { chromium } = require('playwright');
(async () => {
const browser = await chromium.launch();
try {
const page = await browser.newPage({
viewport: { width: 1280, height: 720 }
});
await page.goto('https://example.com');
await page.screenshot({
path: 'screenshot.png',
fullPage: true
});
} finally {
await browser.close();
}
})().catch(error => {
console.error(error);
process.exitCode = 1;
});The screenshot call is the essential part: page.screenshot captures a page, and fullPage: true tells Playwright to include the full scrollable page. The explicit viewport makes the page’s initial responsive layout repeatable; the browser API documents a default viewport of 1280×720, while setting the viewport to null makes its size depend on the host window. That host-dependent choice can make responsive layouts vary between environments. See the Browser API.
The example uses page.goto with its default navigation behavior. If a site needs more time before the content you care about appears, decide what readiness condition makes sense for that page rather than assuming navigation alone means every visual element is ready. For repeatable work, use the same URL, viewport, and page state for each capture. The screenshot guide shows the full-page option; it does not promise identical output for sites whose content or layout changes over time.
Python: save a full-page screenshot
Install the Python package and a browser supported by Playwright:
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pip install playwright
playwright install chromiumSave this as screenshot.py, change the URL as needed, and run python screenshot.py:
from playwright.sync_api import sync_playwright
with sync_playwright() as playwright:
browser = playwright.chromium.launch()
try:
page = browser.new_page(
viewport={"width": 1280, "height": 720}
)
page.goto("https://example.com")
page.screenshot(
path="screenshot.png",
full_page=True
)
finally:
browser.close()In asynchronous Python, await the screenshot call. The Python screenshot guide documents both the full-page option and screenshot bytes: Playwright for Python: Screenshots.
from playwright.async_api import async_playwright
async def main():
async with async_playwright() as playwright:
browser = await playwright.chromium.launch()
try:
page = await browser.new_page(
viewport={"width": 1280, "height": 720}
)
await page.goto("https://example.com")
await page.screenshot(
path="screenshot.png",
full_page=True
)
finally:
await browser.close()Run an async script with an event-loop entry point:
import asyncio
asyncio.run(main())Add that entry point after the function definition. If you are using the synchronous API, do not add await; if you are using the asynchronous API, include it for navigation and capture. Use the API style that fits the rest of your program.
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Choose file output or image bytes
Pass path when you want Playwright to write the screenshot to a file. The file extension can be used to infer the image type. If you omit the path, the screenshot method returns image data for your program to store, process, or send elsewhere. JavaScript returns a buffer; Python returns bytes. The available format and screenshot options are documented in the language-specific screenshot guides: JavaScript and TypeScript and Python.
// JavaScript: keep the image data in memory
const imageBuffer = await page.screenshot({ fullPage: true });# Python: keep the image data in memory
image_bytes = page.screenshot(full_page=True)Choose one output approach for each capture: write to a path if a file is the intended result, or omit it when the calling code should handle the returned data. A path is useful for a local artifact; bytes are useful when the next step in your workflow accepts in-memory image data. The capture scope remains full-page in either case.
Full page, viewport, or one element?
| Capture scope | What it targets | When to choose it |
|---|---|---|
| Viewport | The currently visible page area | When you need a screenshot of what fits in the current viewport. |
| Full page | The page’s full scrollable content | When the output should include content below the initial viewport. |
| Element | A matched page element | When you need a specific component, such as a header, rather than the whole page. |
For an element, use a locator screenshot, for example:
await page.locator('.header').screenshot({ path: 'header.png' });A locator screenshot is not a shortcut for capturing every item inside a scrollable container: Playwright’s Locator API says that only the content currently scrolled into view is visible in that case. Choose the page-level full-page screenshot for the full scrollable page, and the locator method when the matched element itself is the intended subject. See the Locator API.
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Make captures more consistent
Set a deliberate viewport
Viewport dimensions affect responsive rendering: the same page can arrange its content differently at different widths. Set a viewport explicitly when screenshots need comparable layout across runs or machines. Playwright documents a 1280×720 default viewport; a viewport of null depends on the host window and is therefore not a fixed size. Neither choice guarantees that a page’s content will remain unchanged, but a deliberate size removes one avoidable source of layout variation.
Decide what “ready” means for the page
A page can continue changing after navigation—for example, a page may populate content after its initial document appears. Choose a wait condition that matches the target site and the content being captured. If the image is missing expected content, first check whether that content had appeared by the time the screenshot ran. Avoid treating a screenshot as proof that every part of a site has loaded: the cited screenshot APIs describe capture behavior, not a universal readiness guarantee.
Keep full-page output in proportion to the task
Full-page capture can produce a much taller image than a viewport capture. If the consumer only needs an above-the-fold preview, use the ordinary page screenshot instead. If it needs the complete page, retain fullPage: true or full_page=True. Pick an image format and destination appropriate to what will consume the output; Playwright’s guides explain the supported screenshot options, but the best output choice depends on your downstream workflow.
Troubleshooting a full-page screenshot
- The screenshot stops at the visible area: Confirm that you used the page-level screenshot method and set the correctly cased option for your language:
fullPage: truefor JavaScript/TypeScript orfull_page=Truefor Python. A screenshot without that option captures the viewport. - The layout changes between runs: Set an explicit viewport instead of relying on a host-dependent window size. Responsive pages can render differently at different dimensions.
- Expected content is absent: Check whether the target content was present when capture ran and whether navigation or the page-specific readiness condition was sufficient. The screenshot method captures the page state available to it; it does not itself establish that every site has finished loading dynamic content.
- An element screenshot omits part of a scrollable panel: This is a different capture scope. For a scrollable element, the Locator API specifies that only its currently scrolled content is visible. Use the page-level full-page capture if the goal is the full page rather than that element’s current visible portion.
- The file is not where you expected: Check the
pathyou supplied and the working directory from which the script runs. If you omitpath, handle the returned buffer or bytes instead of expecting a file to be written. - Behavior differs from an example: The cited Playwright pages are current documentation, but they do not pin a specific installed Playwright release. Check the documentation for the version installed in your project when version-specific behavior matters.
Or skip the browser setup
If you need an API call rather than running Playwright and a browser yourself, ScreenshotNeo takes a URL in one GET request and returns a screenshot or PDF. Its clean-shot steps accept cookie or consent banners like a visitor and remove more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets; each step can be turned off. Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits cost nothing, and the response identifies the page verdict and billing status in headers. It also provides an MCP server for AI agents, including Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots a month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000.
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Further reading
- Playwright screenshot guide
- Playwright Page API
- Playwright for Python screenshot guide
- Playwright Browser API
- Playwright Locator API
- Playwright PageAssertions API
Frequently Asked Questions
Does full-page capture mean Playwright resizes the visible browser window?
No. It captures the page’s full scrollable content; it is not a screenshot of the browser window frame or a request to enlarge the operating-system window.
Which Playwright release do these examples require?
The cited documentation does not specify a pinned release. Check the official API documentation for the version installed in your project if behavior is version-sensitive.
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