Use Puppeteer’s Page.screenshot() method. If you want to use Chrome already installed on Ubuntu, launch Puppeteer with that installation’s verified executable path, navigate to the page, capture it, then close the browser. Ubuntu installations do not all put Chrome at the same path, so don’t copy a path without checking it on your machine.
Take a screenshot with installed Chrome
This example uses the puppeteer package and an explicit path to your installed browser. Replace the illustrative path with the actual Chrome or Chromium executable on your system.
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import puppeteer from 'puppeteer';
const browser = await puppeteer.launch({
executablePath: '/path/to/installed/chrome',
});
try {
const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.goto('https://example.com', { waitUntil: 'networkidle2' });
await page.screenshot({ path: 'screenshot.png' });
} finally {
await browser.close();
}Save this as an ES module, for example screenshot.mjs, and run it in a Node.js project where puppeteer is installed. Puppeteer documents Page.screenshot() with a file path and browser shutdown as the basic capture sequence (Puppeteer screenshots guide).
Find and verify the browser executable
Use the executable path provided by your own Chrome installation. Puppeteer’s official documentation does not establish one universal Ubuntu path for every installation method. Confirm the path using the installation method you used, and make sure the file exists and is executable before passing it to executablePath.
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Choose between system Chrome and Puppeteer’s browser
The package choice depends on who manages the browser. The regular puppeteer package normally downloads a compatible Chrome for Testing build; puppeteer-core does not download a browser and is intended for a browser you manage yourself or a remote browser. For a locally installed browser with either setup, specify a supported executablePath or channel as appropriate (Puppeteer installation guide, Puppeteer configuration).
| Approach | Browser source | What to consider |
|---|---|---|
puppeteer default |
Downloads Chrome for Testing intended to work with Puppeteer. | The current installation guide estimates a Linux download of about 282 MB; this is approximate and may vary by release and configuration. Puppeteer’s compatibility guarantees apply to Chrome for Testing binaries, not every system browser build. |
puppeteer-core with installed Chrome |
You manage the local browser. | Pass the verified executable path or a supported channel. Check browser-version compatibility rather than assuming every installed Chrome or Chromium build is guaranteed to work. |
If package installation scripts are blocked by your package manager, Puppeteer’s installation guide says to install the browser manually with npx puppeteer browsers install. See the live guide for current installation details and compatibility notes (Puppeteer installation guide, Puppeteer browser API).
Set the right capture and page-readiness behavior
The sample waits for networkidle2, matching Puppeteer’s documented basic example. It is not the right readiness signal for every site: pages with persistent connections or delayed client-side rendering may not be ready when that condition occurs, or may never satisfy it in the way you expect. Use an application-specific condition, such as waiting for a selector that appears when the content is ready, if the captured page is incomplete.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFor a full-page image, pass fullPage: true to page.screenshot(). To capture a single element, select it and use the element handle’s screenshot method:
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const card = await page.waitForSelector('.report-card');
if (!card) throw new Error('Report card was not found');
await card.screenshot({ path: 'report-card.png' });Puppeteer documents ElementHandle.screenshot(); by default it attempts to scroll the element into view when hidden (Puppeteer screenshots guide).
Resolve Chrome launch failures on Ubuntu
Check missing shared libraries first
If Chrome exits before a page opens, check whether its Linux shared-library dependencies are present. Puppeteer’s troubleshooting guide suggests inspecting unresolved libraries with ldd chrome | grep not (run it against the actual browser executable). Its Debian/Ubuntu dependency guidance covers certificates and fonts, audio and accessibility libraries, GTK and NSS, graphics libraries, and X11 libraries. Follow the current dependency list rather than relying on an old copied package list, because requirements can change (Puppeteer troubleshooting guide).
Puppeteer documents this browser-installation option for Chrome on Ubuntu/Debian:
npx puppeteer browsers install chrome --install-depsThis command installs Chrome through Puppeteer’s browser installation path and requires root privileges. If you are using a separately managed system Chrome, you may instead need to install the operating-system dependencies required by that binary.
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Keep the sandbox enabled where possible
Do not make --no-sandbox a default fix. Puppeteer says running without a sandbox is strongly discouraged and recommends sandboxed Chrome (Puppeteer troubleshooting guide). Diagnose the launch error and retain the sandbox unless your environment has a deliberate, supported reason to use another approach.
There is a version- and configuration-sensitive Ubuntu/AppArmor issue to check when the error is No usable sandbox!: Puppeteer’s troubleshooting guide reports that Ubuntu 23.10 and later ship an AppArmor profile applying to stable Chrome binaries at /opt/google/chrome/chrome. That policy can prevent Puppeteer-downloaded Chrome for Testing binaries from using user namespaces. Consult the current Puppeteer troubleshooting page and its linked Chromium security guidance before applying a workaround; the right action depends on the installed Ubuntu and browser configuration.
Or skip the browser setup
ScreenshotNeo provides a screenshot API and MCP server. Its one-call API request can return an image or PDF without configuring Puppeteer and Chrome on your machine. Before capture, it accepts the cookie or consent banner like a visitor and removes 60+ known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets; each step can be turned off. Bot checks, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and response headers identify the page verdict and billing status.
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curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://example.com -o shot.webpSee the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options. Its MCP server provides take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf tools for Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients. The Free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots. Sign up for free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use Puppeteer with Chromium instead of Google Chrome?
Yes. Pass the verified Chromium executable path with executablePath; check compatibility with your Puppeteer version rather than assuming every browser build is guaranteed.
Why does my screenshot miss content that appears later?
The navigation wait condition may not match when the page’s content is actually ready. Wait for an application-specific selector or readiness condition before calling screenshot().
Quick Recap
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