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How to Capture a Screenshot of a Specific URL with Playwright

Navigate to a URL with Playwright, save its screenshot, and choose viewport, full-page, clip, element, format, or scale options.
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With Playwright, navigate a page to the URL you want, then call page.screenshot(). The example below saves the visible viewport as a PNG; set fullPage: true to capture the full scrollable page instead.

Capture a URL and save its screenshot

Install Playwright and its browser binaries in your project, then run this Node.js script. It uses Chromium and saves the screenshot to screenshot.png.

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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();
  }
})();

Replace https://example.com with the page URL. The sequence is: launch a browser, create a page, navigate with page.goto(), and capture with page.screenshot(). See the Playwright Page API for the current options.

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Choose what to capture

Visible viewport or full page

Without additional options, Playwright captures the currently visible viewport. To request the full scrollable document, use:

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await page.screenshot({ path: 'full-page.png', fullPage: true });

The Page API describes fullPage: true as taking a screenshot of the full scrollable page instead of the currently visible viewport.

Return image bytes instead of saving a file

Omit path to get the image as a buffer, which you can pass to other code or post-process:

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const buffer = await page.screenshot();

Capture a rectangular region

Use clip to capture a rectangle at the specified page coordinates:

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await page.screenshot({
  path: 'region.png',
  clip: { x: 0, y: 0, width: 800, height: 400 }
});

Capture one element

Use a locator’s screenshot method when you only need a particular element, such as a header:

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await page.locator('.header').screenshot({ path: 'header.png' });

Choose a selector that identifies the intended element on the page. Locator screenshots are documented in the Locator API.

Set format and pixel scale

The filename extension determines the screenshot format. Playwright supports PNG, JPEG, and WebP. JPEG quality can be configured; the quality option does not apply to PNG. Check the Page API for supported option details.

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The default scale is 'device', which uses device pixels and may produce larger images on high-DPI displays. Set scale: 'css' for one output pixel per CSS pixel:

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

Make captures more dependable

A successful navigation does not guarantee that a page’s final appearance is stable: content may depend on scripts, timing, or changing data. For a one-off screenshot, choose a capture point that suits the page. For repeatable comparisons, control dynamic content and run the baseline and comparison in a consistent environment.

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Playwright notes that browser rendering can vary with host operating system, browser version, settings, hardware, power source, headless mode, and other factors. Treat visual differences as meaningful only when those conditions are suitably consistent. The visual comparison guide is at Playwright’s screenshot comparison documentation; because that path is labeled next, use the stable Page API as the reference for screenshot method options.

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Screenshot capture versus visual regression testing

Use page.screenshot() when you need an image artifact. For visual regression checks with Playwright Test, use toHaveScreenshot():

await expect(page).toHaveScreenshot();

This assertion belongs to the Playwright Test runner, not the standalone Page screenshot method. On its first execution, the test runner generates a reference image; subsequent runs compare against it. Screenshot assertions wait until two consecutive screenshots are identical before comparing with the expectation. These checks are most useful when the baseline and later runs share a controlled rendering environment.

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Common problems and fixes

  • The image shows only part of a long page: The default is the viewport. Capture with fullPage: true when you need the full scrollable document.
  • The screenshot file is missing: Confirm that the script reaches page.screenshot(), that the destination is writable, and that the supplied path is where you expect. If you need to handle the image in memory, omit path and use the returned buffer.
  • The locator screenshot fails: Check that the selector matches the intended element on the loaded page. Use page.locator('.header').screenshot(...) only when that element exists.
  • The image is unexpectedly large: Device-pixel scaling can create larger images on high-DPI displays. Try scale: 'css' when one pixel per CSS pixel is suitable.
  • Visual comparisons differ between runs: Rendering may vary across operating systems, browser versions, settings, hardware, power states, and headless modes. Align the environments and control dynamic page content before treating changes as regressions.

Or skip the browser setup

ScreenshotNeo provides a screenshot API and MCP server for developers. Send a GET request with a URL to return an image or PDF; the example below saves a WebP response. See the ScreenshotNeo documentation.

curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://example.com -o shot.webp

ScreenshotNeo accepts cookie and consent banners before capture and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets; each of those steps can be turned off. Bot checks and CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and each response indicates the page verdict and billing status in headers. Its MCP server offers take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf for AI agents and MCP clients. The Free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month without a card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots.

Sign up for ScreenshotNeo and get 1,000 screenshots a month free, with no card.

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