Start Firefox in headless mode, navigate to the page, then call Selenium’s save_screenshot() method. That method saves a PNG of the current browser window—not necessarily the whole webpage. Use Firefox’s full-page screenshot method when you need the entire document.
Capture the current Firefox window as a PNG
Install Selenium and make sure Firefox is available on the machine running your script. This example uses Firefox’s -headless option, checks whether the screenshot was saved, and closes the browser even if navigation or file writing fails.
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from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.firefox.options import Options
url = "https://example.com"
output_path = "/absolute/path/page.png"
options = Options()
options.add_argument("-headless")
driver = webdriver.Firefox(options=options)
try:
driver.get(url)
saved = driver.save_screenshot(output_path)
if not saved:
raise OSError(f"Could not save screenshot to {output_path}")
finally:
driver.quit()- Set
urlto the page you want to capture andoutput_pathto a writable absolute path ending in.png. - Pass Firefox options to
webdriver.Firefoxso the session starts headless. - Call
driver.get(url)before requesting the screenshot. - Check the boolean returned by
save_screenshot(); a false result indicates an I/O error. - Call
driver.quit()to end the WebDriver session and release browser resources.
The documented Firefox setup uses -headless as a browser argument. Selenium’s Firefox guide says Selenium 4 requires Firefox 78 or greater and recommends the latest geckodriver; compatibility can change, so check the installed versions if Firefox fails to start. Selenium Firefox functionality guide.
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Current-window screenshots versus full-page screenshots
driver.save_screenshot(path) captures the current window. It does not promise to include document content outside the visible window. Selenium also offers get_screenshot_as_png() when you need the current-window screenshot as bytes instead of writing directly to a file. Firefox’s Python WebDriver API separately provides save_full_page_screenshot(filename) for a full-document capture.
#1 Best Overall
| Need | Method | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Visible browser window saved to disk | driver.save_screenshot("/absolute/path/page.png") |
PNG file; returns a boolean indicating whether the save succeeded. |
| Visible browser window as data | driver.get_screenshot_as_png() |
PNG bytes for code that will process or store the image itself. |
| Entire document in Firefox | driver.save_full_page_screenshot("/absolute/path/page.png") |
Firefox full-document screenshot saved to a file. |
These are distinct capture scopes. Choose the full-document method when content below the current window must appear in the result. See the Selenium Python Firefox WebDriver API for the documented methods and output behavior.
Common problems and fixes
- Firefox will not start: Confirm Firefox is installed and check the Selenium, Firefox, and geckodriver versions together. Selenium’s Firefox guide specifies Firefox 78+ for Selenium 4 and recommends the latest geckodriver.
- No screenshot file appears: Use a full, absolute path, ensure its parent directory exists and is writable, use a
.pngfilename, and inspect the boolean returned bysave_screenshot(). - The image cuts off content lower on the page: The basic method captures the current window. Use Firefox’s
save_full_page_screenshot()for a full-document image. - The screenshot is blank or incomplete: Confirm navigation has occurred before capture. For pages that render content after navigation, the capture may need to wait until the required page content is present; Selenium’s documented workflow captures after navigation. Selenium windows and tabs documentation.
Or skip the browser setup
ScreenshotNeo returns a screenshot or PDF from one GET request, without requiring you to manage a local Firefox and geckodriver session. Its API accepts a URL and supports PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF output; see the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options.
Rank #2
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://example.com -o shot.webpScreenshotNeo removes cookie banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture; bot checks, blank pages, and failed loads are never billed. It also offers an MCP server so AI agents can take screenshots. The Free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month with no card, and paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 screenshots. Learn about ScreenshotNeo.
Sign up free for 1,000 screenshots a month with no card.
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