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Use html2canvas in a browser to render a text-containing DOM element into a canvas, then export that canvas as a PNG with the browser’s Canvas API. The result is a DOM-and-CSS reconstruction, not a native screenshot, so wait for fonts and layout to settle and use a higher scale when you need sharper text.
What html2canvas does—and what it does not
html2canvas traverses an element’s DOM and reads its styles to create a visual representation on a canvas. It runs in a browser and depends on browser APIs, so it is not a Node.js rendering library. The official project describes it as taking “screenshots” of webpages or parts of them “directly in the users browser,” but it does not capture the browser’s already-painted pixels. Unsupported CSS, plugins, or inaccessible external content can make the output differ from what you see on screen. See the project documentation and FAQ.
This approach is useful when you need to capture text that already exists in the current page and can be rendered from its DOM. If you need a closer pixel-for-pixel browser capture, or the target is not available in the current page’s DOM, consider a native browser screenshot or a server-side renderer instead.
Install html2canvas and capture a text element
The package’s getting-started guide uses npm and an ES module import. The capture call returns a Promise that resolves to a canvas.
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npm install @html2canvas/html2canvasThen in browser-side JavaScript:
import html2canvas from '@html2canvas/html2canvas';
async function captureText() {
const element = document.querySelector('#text-to-capture');
if (!element) {
throw new Error('Could not find #text-to-capture');
}
const canvas = await html2canvas(element, {
backgroundColor: '#ffffff',
scale: window.devicePixelRatio,
});
document.body.appendChild(canvas);
return canvas;
}
captureText();The selector must point to the element you actually want to render. For example:
<div id="text-to-capture">
<h1>A headline to save</h1>
<p>This paragraph will be rendered into the canvas.</p>
</div>Appending the returned canvas is optional; it is useful for checking the result on screen while developing. In a production flow, you can export it directly without displaying it.
Download the result as a PNG
Rendering and downloading are separate steps. Once the Promise resolves, convert the canvas to a data URL and trigger a download:
const link = document.createElement('a');
link.download = 'text.png';
link.href = canvas.toDataURL('image/png');
link.click();For applications that need to upload or otherwise handle a file object, use canvas.toBlob() rather than building a data URL:
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canvas.toBlob((blob) => {
if (!blob) {
throw new Error('Could not export canvas as PNG');
}
// Use blob with your upload or file-handling code.
}, 'image/png');toDataURL() can be convenient for a direct browser download, while a Blob is generally the appropriate output to pass into file or upload workflows. Both export the canvas that html2canvas created; neither changes what the library was able to render.
Make text sharp without making captures unnecessarily large
The scale option sets output density. Its default is window.devicePixelRatio; setting it deliberately can make small text and fine strokes clearer, but a larger output canvas consumes more memory and can take longer to render.
const canvas = await html2canvas(element, {
scale: 2,
backgroundColor: '#ffffff',
});Use a scale appropriate to the final use: screen display, a high-density display, or a larger printed asset may need different output dimensions. There is no official numeric benchmark specifying a universally best scale; check the exported image at its actual display size and watch for browser memory or canvas-size limits.
Wait for web fonts before capturing
If a custom font is still loading, the browser may initially use fallback glyphs. That can change both the appearance and line breaks in the rendered text. Coordinate capture with your app’s own ready state and wait for the document fonts before calling html2canvas:
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await document.fonts.ready;
const canvas = await html2canvas(element, { scale: window.devicePixelRatio });Likewise, wait until text content has been inserted and any layout-affecting state has settled. html2canvas does not decide when your application’s content is ready.
Set the background, crop, and viewport
The background defaults to white. Set backgroundColor explicitly when you want a predictable background, or set it to null for transparency.
const transparentCanvas = await html2canvas(element, {
backgroundColor: null,
});Use x, y, width, and height to render a particular rectangle. These options are useful when the element’s full bounds are not the output you need. The windowWidth and windowHeight options set the viewport dimensions used for layout and media queries, while scrollX and scrollY set scroll positions, including for captures involving fixed-position content. Consult the configuration options for the complete option list and defaults.
For a long text block that is clipped or laid out at an unintended responsive breakpoint, set a viewport that matches the layout you want, then confirm the resulting canvas dimensions. A viewport setting affects responsive CSS; it is not a guarantee that arbitrarily large content will fit within browser canvas limits.
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Keep controls and unrelated UI out of the image
Add data-html2canvas-ignore to controls or surrounding elements that should not appear in the capture:
<button data-html2canvas-ignore>Save image</button>You can also use the ignoreElements configuration callback when the elements to omit need to be selected in JavaScript. The documentation’s configuration page lists the supported options.
Handle images, CORS, and iframes
Text-only captures avoid many image-related problems, but a text container may include a logo, background image, or other external asset. Browser security still applies: html2canvas cannot bypass content-policy rules. A cross-origin image can taint the canvas, preventing exports such as toDataURL().
- Set
useCORS: trueonly if the image server returns suitable CORS headers. - If the image host cannot provide those headers, serve the resource through a same-origin proxy configured with html2canvas’s
proxyoption. - Do not rely on
allowTaintto make a tainted canvas exportable; it does not remove the browser’s export restrictions. - Use the
onErrorcallback to report resource failures, including an image or SVG that could not load.
Cross-origin iframes cannot be rendered because browser security prevents access to their contentDocument. Same-origin iframes are supported recursively. If the text is inside a third-party frame, capture it through a method that has access to that page rather than expecting html2canvas on the parent page to read it. See the FAQ on tainted canvases and browser limitations.
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Common problems and fixes
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The canvas is empty or the wrong content appears | The selector does not point to the intended element, or the element is not visible in the capture viewport. | Check the selector and inspect the element’s visibility and dimensions before calling html2canvas. |
| Text uses the wrong font or wraps differently | A web font or content update had not completed before capture. | Wait for the page’s ready state and for document.fonts.ready, then capture. |
| Text looks blurry | The output canvas density is too low for the intended use. | Set a higher scale, then check render time, memory use, and output dimensions. |
| A long capture is cut off | The element or viewport dimensions do not include the desired content, or the browser has reached a canvas size limit. | Review the element’s scroll dimensions and set appropriate windowWidth and windowHeight. Browser canvas limits can still apply. |
| An image is missing or PNG export fails | A resource failed to load, or a cross-origin image tainted the canvas. | Check the resource load and onError; use CORS only with valid server headers, or a same-origin proxy. |
| Part of the design differs from the visible page | html2canvas reconstructs the DOM and CSS rather than capturing native browser pixels; a style or external item may be unsupported or inaccessible. | Check the project’s supported behavior and constraints. If exact browser-painted pixels are essential, use a native screenshot approach. |
When to use html2canvas instead of a browser screenshot
Choose html2canvas when browser-side JavaScript state matters and the target content is accessible in the page DOM. Its output control includes element selection, crop and viewport settings, transparency, and canvas export, but fidelity depends on the library’s DOM/CSS reconstruction and browser access to resources. A native browser screenshot is a better fit when the requirement is to capture what the browser actually painted. A server-side renderer is useful when capture must run outside a visitor’s browser, but involves a separate rendering environment. The official html2canvas sources do not publish a quantitative benchmark against those alternatives, so choose based on pixel fidelity, CSS coverage, cross-origin access, JavaScript state, deployment needs, output controls, and memory cost rather than an assumed speed or quality ranking.
Or skip the browser setup
If your goal is to capture a live webpage rather than an element already in your app’s DOM, ScreenshotNeo provides a screenshot API and MCP server for developers. A single GET request can return PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF. For example, with cURL:
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpSee the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for setup and request options. Cookie banners, popups, and chat widgets are removed before the shot; bot checks, blank pages, and failed loads are never billed. Its MCP server lets AI agents take screenshots, and 1,000 screenshots a month are free with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000. Sign up for the free plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use html2canvas in Node.js?
No. It depends on browser APIs and is intended to run in a browser.
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Does html2canvas take a true screenshot?
No. It reconstructs a representation from DOM and CSS rather than reading the browser’s painted pixels.
Can html2canvas capture text inside a cross-origin iframe?
No. The browser does not expose a cross-origin iframe’s document to the parent page.
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