To include content outside the visible browser viewport, pass the target element to html2canvas and set windowWidth and windowHeight to that element’s scrollWidth and scrollHeight. These options expand the virtual rendering window; width and height instead control the output canvas, and neither setting can bypass browser canvas size limits.
Capture the element’s full scrollable area
Install or load html2canvas in your page, select the element you want to render, and await the returned Promise. This example assumes the page contains an element with id="capture":
const element = document.querySelector('#capture');
if (!element) {
throw new Error('Could not find #capture');
}
const canvas = await html2canvas(element, {
windowWidth: element.scrollWidth,
windowHeight: element.scrollHeight,
});
document.body.appendChild(canvas);Use this inside an async function or another context where await is allowed. The Promise resolves to a canvas; wait for it before displaying the result or exporting it. The html2canvas project’s FAQ recommends matching the virtual window dimensions to the target’s scroll dimensions when a result is empty or clipped partway through.
scrollWidth and scrollHeight describe the element’s scrollable extent, which can be larger than its visible box. This is useful for a tall panel, an overflow container, or a target whose content extends beyond the current viewport. The exact result still depends on the element’s DOM, styles, resources, and the browser’s canvas limits.
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Export the canvas as an image
Once the Promise resolves, export the canvas. For example, this creates a PNG download:
function downloadCanvas(canvas, filename = 'capture.png') {
canvas.toBlob((blob) => {
if (!blob) {
throw new Error('The canvas could not be exported');
}
const link = document.createElement('a');
const objectUrl = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
link.href = objectUrl;
link.download = filename;
link.click();
URL.revokeObjectURL(objectUrl);
}, 'image/png');
}
downloadCanvas(canvas);Export only after rendering finishes. If your application needs a JPEG or WebP, request that MIME type from the canvas export method and use a matching filename; browser support and output behavior can vary. If the canvas is tainted by a cross-origin image, browser security restrictions can prevent export even if the image appeared in the rendered page.
Separate the virtual window, output bounds, and scroll position
Several html2canvas options sound similar but solve different problems. The full-window dimensions are the key settings for extending a capture beyond the visible viewport.
| Option | What it controls | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
windowWidth, windowHeight |
The virtual browser-window dimensions used during rendering. By default, they use the browser’s inner dimensions and can affect media queries. | Set them to the target’s scrollWidth and scrollHeight when the complete scrollable area should be rendered. |
width, height |
The output canvas dimensions. | Use them when you deliberately need a particular output size. They are not substitutes for expanding the virtual window. |
x, y |
The crop’s starting coordinates. | Use them to capture a region rather than the whole rendered area. The official examples show a 400-by-300 region beginning at x=100, y=100. |
scrollX, scrollY |
The scroll position used while rendering an element. | Consider them when fixed-position content is involved. They do not expand the virtual window for tall content. |
cullOffscreen |
Whether nodes entirely outside the captured viewport are skipped while painting; the default is false. |
Enabling it can speed up viewport-sized captures of large pages. It is not a way to include offscreen content. |
For example, the documented crop settings can be combined with an explicit output size:
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const canvas = await html2canvas(element, {
x: 100,
y: 100,
width: 400,
height: 300,
});That example asks for a crop; it does not request a full-height rendering window. Choose crop and output options based on the final dimensions you need, and set windowWidth and windowHeight separately when the virtual window must cover the target’s scrollable extent.
Account for layout changes and content that loads later
Changing windowWidth or windowHeight can affect responsive styles because those dimensions can change which media queries apply. A capture rendered with a wider virtual window may therefore have a different layout from the one currently visible in the browser. If the goal is to reproduce a particular responsive state, use dimensions that correspond to that intended state and check the rendered canvas rather than assuming it will match the current viewport.
The dimensions are also measured when you read them. If the page adds content later, such as after an application update or delayed rendering, the element’s scroll dimensions may have changed by the time capture begins. In that situation, wait until the content is present, then measure the element and call html2canvas. The library returns a Promise, so place export or display logic after the awaited call.
Work around canvas size limits on very long content
Increasing the virtual window does not remove browser limits on canvas dimensions or total pixel area. The html2canvas project FAQ gives rough guidance—not guaranteed thresholds—for maximum canvas dimensions and area:
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| Browser family | Approximate guidance in the html2canvas project FAQ |
|---|---|
| Chrome/Chromium | About 32,767 px maximum dimension and about 268 million pixels maximum area. |
| Firefox | About 32,767 px maximum dimension and about 472 million pixels maximum area. |
| Desktop Safari | About 32,767 px maximum dimension; area is described as similar to Chrome. |
| iOS browsers | Limits are lower and depend on device memory; the FAQ does not provide one fixed threshold. |
These are approximate figures from the project documentation accessed in 2026; the live FAQ does not state a publication date. Actual limits vary with GPU, operating system, device, and available memory. A canvas may be blank, incomplete, or fail to export when dimensions or area exceed what a particular environment can handle.
For an unusually long page, a practical fallback is to capture smaller vertical sections and combine or export them separately. This follows from the documented limits; html2canvas does not prescribe a particular stitching workflow. Section captures reduce the size of each canvas, but you will need to manage their positions and any overlaps in your own code or image-processing workflow.
Understand what html2canvas can and cannot reproduce
html2canvas is not a pixel-level browser screenshot. The project documentation explains that it traverses the page DOM and reconstructs a representation from DOM and style information. It can only reproduce CSS properties that it implements, so some visual differences from the live page are expected. Expanding the virtual window fixes a viewport-bound issue; it does not make unsupported styling or inaccessible content render correctly.
Cross-origin images
Images from another origin need suitable CORS response headers for browser-side access. You can request CORS use with useCORS: true when the image server permits it:
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const canvas = await html2canvas(element, {
windowWidth: element.scrollWidth,
windowHeight: element.scrollHeight,
useCORS: true,
});This option cannot override the image server’s policy or browser security rules. If you control the relevant environment, a same-origin proxy is another documented approach. If neither the server configuration nor a proxy makes the image accessible, html2canvas cannot use that image as though it were same-origin.
Iframe content
Same-origin iframe content is supported recursively. Cross-origin iframe contents are inaccessible under browser security restrictions, so do not expect html2canvas to capture their internal page as part of the parent render. The parent document cannot use this library to bypass the browser’s origin boundary.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshoot blank, clipped, or different-looking captures
- The capture stops at the viewport: Set both
windowWidthandwindowHeightfrom the target’sscrollWidthandscrollHeight. Check that you passed the intended element and that its scroll dimensions include the content you expect. - The result is blank or truncated despite the dimensions: Inspect the resulting canvas’s
widthandheight, the configured scale, and the total pixel area. A canvas size limit can prevent a full render; try smaller vertical captures. - Responsive styling changed: Check whether the virtual window dimensions activated different media queries. Use dimensions appropriate to the responsive layout you want.
- Images are missing or export fails: Check whether images are cross-origin. Use
useCORS: trueonly when the server sends the required CORS headers, or use a same-origin proxy where appropriate. - An iframe appears empty: Determine whether it is cross-origin. Its contents cannot be read through the parent page’s browser security context.
- Some styles do not match the page: Remember that html2canvas reconstructs a render from DOM and style data and supports only implemented CSS properties; it is not a native screenshot of browser pixels.
- Offscreen elements disappear after enabling an optimization: Check
cullOffscreen. It is intended to skip nodes outside the captured viewport, not enlarge the capture.
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Example request and response handling are documented at ScreenshotNeo’s API documentation:
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Frequently asked questions
Does html2canvas scroll the real page to capture the target?
The recommended approach expands the virtual rendering window with the target’s scroll dimensions. It is not the same as manually scrolling the visible browser page through each section.
Can a larger window make html2canvas capture a cross-origin iframe?
No. A larger virtual window does not change browser origin restrictions. Cross-origin iframe content remains inaccessible to the parent page.
Is cullOffscreen useful for a full-page capture?
It is intended to skip off-viewport nodes for viewport-sized captures. It does not expand the region being rendered.
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