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How to Capture a Webpage Screenshot in Dark Mode with Playwright

Use Playwright’s color-scheme emulation to signal dark mode, then capture a viewport or full-page screenshot in JavaScript or Python.
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Set Playwright’s emulated color scheme to dark before capturing the page. For a single page, call page.emulateMedia({ colorScheme: 'dark' }); to use dark mode throughout a browser context, set colorScheme: 'dark' when creating it. This signals prefers-color-scheme: dark to the site—it does not force a site without dark-mode styles to change its appearance.

Capture a page in dark mode with Playwright

Here is a complete JavaScript example using Playwright’s library API. Install Playwright and its browser for your project first; the code uses Chromium, opens the page, and saves a full-page PNG.

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import { chromium } from 'playwright';

const browser = await chromium.launch();
try {
  const context = await browser.newContext({
    colorScheme: 'dark',
    viewport: { width: 1280, height: 800 },
  });
  const page = await context.newPage();
  await page.goto('https://example.com');
  await page.screenshot({ path: 'page-dark.png', fullPage: true });
} finally {
  await browser.close();
}

The viewport dimensions are an example, not a requirement. The context option applies the dark preference from page creation. If you need to change the preference for just one page or after navigation, use page.emulateMedia() instead. See Playwright’s emulation guide and Page API.

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Choose where to set the dark preference

For one page

Emulate the media preference before taking the screenshot:

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

This is useful when you want to alter the preference at a particular point in a script. If the page has already loaded, call it before capture so the site can respond to the changed media setting.

For a whole context or test

Set colorScheme: 'dark' in browser.newContext() to have pages in that context use the preference. With Playwright Test, configure colorScheme: 'dark' in the test configuration or use test.use({ colorScheme: 'dark' }) for a test. The Playwright emulation guide documents these options.

Capture a viewport or the full page

By default, page.screenshot() captures the visible viewport. Set fullPage: true if the image should include the full scrollable page:

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

Use fullPage: false or omit the option for a viewport capture. A full-page capture can be much taller than the viewport; choose it only when the entire document is needed. For lazy-loaded images or content that appears after scrolling, make sure the page has loaded that content before capturing; a screenshot option alone does not guarantee every site has rendered all asynchronous content.

Set output format, scale, and stability options

Playwright’s screenshot API supports these useful options:

  • File type: choose PNG, JPEG, or WebP with type, or use a matching path extension. PNG is the documented default.
  • Pixel scale: scale: 'css' produces one image pixel per CSS pixel. scale: 'device' uses device pixels and can produce larger images on high-DPI devices; it is the documented default for page.screenshot().
  • Animations: animations: 'disabled' can make captures more stable when animations are irrelevant to the screenshot.
  • Capture-time stylesheet: style can inject CSS during the screenshot, for example to hide a changing element. Because this alters what appears in the image, use it only when that is intended.

For example, a viewport-sized WebP capture with CSS-pixel scaling and animations disabled is:

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await page.screenshot({
  path: 'page-dark.webp',
  type: 'webp',
  fullPage: false,
  scale: 'css',
  animations: 'disabled',
});

Use dark mode in Python

The same preference is available in Playwright for Python. This asynchronous example sets it when creating the context, then saves the full page:

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from playwright.async_api import async_playwright

async def main():
    async with async_playwright() as p:
        browser = await p.chromium.launch()
        try:
            context = await browser.new_context(color_scheme="dark")
            page = await context.new_page()
            await page.goto("https://example.com")
            await page.screenshot(path="page-dark.png", full_page=True)
        finally:
            await browser.close()

import asyncio
asyncio.run(main())

To change the setting at page level instead, call await page.emulate_media(color_scheme="dark") before capture. The official Playwright Python emulation guide documents both approaches.

Make captures repeatable

Dark preference is only one input to a screenshot. Playwright notes that rendering can vary with operating system, browser version, browser settings, hardware, power conditions, and headless mode. For visual comparisons, create and compare screenshots in a consistent environment; see the visual comparisons guide.

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There is no universal wait condition that guarantees every site’s content is ready for capture. Wait for the page-specific content your application depends on—such as a selector or asynchronous data—rather than relying on an arbitrary fixed delay. If animations or transient UI cause visual differences, consider disabling animations or applying a deliberate capture-time stylesheet.

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Troubleshoot dark-mode screenshots

The screenshot still looks light

colorScheme: 'dark' emulates the browser’s prefers-color-scheme: dark media preference; it does not recolor the page. Check whether the site has dark styles or application logic that responds to that preference. If it does, confirm the context was created with the option or call page.emulateMedia({ colorScheme: 'dark' }) before capture.

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The screenshot is blank or incomplete

Check that navigation succeeded and that the content you expect has finished rendering. Pages that fetch data or reveal content after interaction may need a page-specific readiness check before the screenshot. A fixed delay is not reliable for every site.

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The screenshot changes between runs

Keep the operating system, browser version, settings, hardware conditions, and headless mode consistent with the environment used for the comparison. Disable animations if motion is not part of what you need to test, and account for page content that changes over time.

The output has unexpected dimensions or file type

Check whether you requested a full-page capture or only the viewport, and review the selected scale. A device-pixel scale can create a larger image on high-DPI devices. Specify type or use an appropriate file extension when you need a particular supported format.

Or skip the browser setup

If you want an API call instead of managing Playwright and a browser, ScreenshotNeo can capture a URL as an image. Its API accepts a dark-mode option, along with other capture settings. The example below requests a WebP screenshot of the page in dark mode; replace the example URL with your target and use your API key.

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

See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request parameters and response details. ScreenshotNeo accepts cookie or 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 or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and responses identify the page verdict and billing status in headers. It also offers an MCP server with screenshot, page-info, and PDF-capture tools for AI agents.

The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month with no card required; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 screenshots. Sign up for ScreenshotNeo free.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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