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How to List Virtual Screens in Puppeteer

Learn how to list Puppeteer screens with browser.screens(), configure virtual displays in headless Chromium, and choose the right API for viewport tests.
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Call await browser.screens() to list the screens Chromium exposes to Puppeteer. In headless mode, configure virtual displays with --screen-info or change them at runtime with browser.addScreen() and browser.removeScreen(). In headful mode, the listing reflects physical platform screens instead.

List the current screens

After launching Puppeteer, await browser.screens(). It returns a ScreenInfo[] array; inspect the fields relevant to your test, such as bounds, dimensions, labels, and primary status.

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import puppeteer from 'puppeteer';

const browser = await puppeteer.launch({
  args: ['--screen-info={800x600 label=primary}{600x800 label=portrait}'],
});

try {
  const screens = await browser.screens();
  console.log(`Number of screens: ${screens.length}`);

  for (const screen of screens) {
    console.log({
      id: screen.id,
      label: screen.label,
      left: screen.left,
      top: screen.top,
      width: screen.width,
      height: screen.height,
      isPrimary: screen.isPrimary,
      isExtended: screen.isExtended,
      orientation: screen.orientation,
    });
  }
} finally {
  await browser.close();
}

This launch configuration uses a documented headless example: an 800×600 primary landscape display and a 600×800 portrait display. The configuration describes Chromium’s virtual screens; it does not create physical monitors. See Puppeteer’s screen configuration guide.

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What the returned ScreenInfo includes

The documented interface includes the following fields. Which ones matter depends on whether you are checking topology, usable area, or display characteristics. See the ScreenInfo API reference.

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Field What it describes
id The screen identifier.
left, top The screen’s position in the display layout.
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availLeft, availTop The position of the available area.
availWidth, availHeight The dimensions of the available area.
label The screen label, if supplied or provided by the platform.
isPrimary Whether the screen is primary.
isExtended Whether the screen is an extended display.
isInternal Whether the screen is internal.
colorDepth The screen’s color depth.
devicePixelRatio The screen’s device-pixel ratio.
orientation An orientation object exposing type and angle.

Configure virtual screens in headless Chromium

Set the layout when launching

Pass Chromium’s --screen-info argument through Puppeteer’s launch({args}), then query browser.screens(). The documented headless default is one 800×600 screen unless --window-size is specified; with that option, the screen is as large as the requested window. Consult the guide for the current argument format.

Add or remove a screen while running

Headless Chrome can also change its virtual screen configuration after launch. The following example adds a secondary screen, checks the resulting listing, removes it, and checks the listing again:

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const before = await browser.screens();
console.log('Before:', before.length);

const added = await browser.addScreen({
  left: 800,
  top: 0,
  width: 600,
  height: 800,
  label: 'portrait',
});

const afterAdd = await browser.screens();
console.log('Added screen:', added);
console.log('After add:', afterAdd.length);

await browser.removeScreen(added.id);
const afterRemove = await browser.screens();
console.log('After remove:', afterRemove.length);

The primary screen cannot be removed. These screen-configuration operations are documented for headless mode; the API reference covers addScreen() and removeScreen().

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Headless virtual screens versus headful screens

Mode What browser.screens() lists How to configure or change screens
Headless Chromium’s configured virtual screens. Use --screen-info at launch, or addScreen()/removeScreen() at runtime.
Headful Physical screens reported by the platform. Screen configuration through --screen-info and the add/remove operations is not supported in this mode.

The listing call is documented for both modes. For the behavior and supported operations, refer to the Puppeteer guide and Browser.screens() API reference.

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Do not confuse screens with a page viewport

browser.screens() concerns the browser’s display configuration. If your test is about the dimensions of a web page, use the Page APIs instead:

  • page.setViewport() changes the viewport for an individual page. Each page can have its own viewport. See the setViewport() reference.
  • page.emulate(device) applies device metrics and a user agent; Puppeteer documents it as a shortcut for page.setUserAgent() and page.setViewport(). See the emulate() reference.

Use the Browser screen API to test display topology; use viewport or device emulation when you need a page-size or device-profile test.

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Troubleshooting

  • You see only one screen. In headless mode, set the intended layout with --screen-info. Without it, the documented default is one 800×600 screen unless a window size is specified.
  • --screen-info or screen mutation has no effect in headful mode. These configuration and mutation features are headless-only. Headful Chrome reports physical platform screens.
  • Removing a screen fails. The primary screen cannot be removed. Remove a secondary screen by its returned id, then query browser.screens() again.
  • The page does not render at the expected dimensions. A screen’s dimensions are not the same as a page’s viewport. Set the page viewport or emulate a device for page-rendering tests.
  • An API signature differs from your installed package. The current search-indexed guide is for Puppeteer 25.12.0, while API pages can reflect nearby versions. Check the guide and API reference for the version installed in your project.
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Or skip the browser setup

If you need a screenshot rather than a Puppeteer screen-topology test, ScreenshotNeo returns an image or PDF from one GET request. It does not list or emulate multiple monitors.

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For example, this cURL request captures a page as WebP; see the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for options:

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

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does browser.screens() return a number or an array?

It returns a ScreenInfo[] array, including screen metadata such as bounds, label, and orientation.

Can I use browser.screens() in headful mode?

Yes. In headful mode it lists physical platform screens; virtual-screen configuration and runtime add/remove operations are headless-only.

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