Use Puppeteer’s page.screenshot() to capture the current Chromium page. Set path to save the image, fullPage: true for the whole document, or clip for a rectangle. To capture one element, use ElementHandle.screenshot(). The examples below use Puppeteer’s general API; if your browser is running through WebDriver BiDi, check its smaller supported option set before relying on other screenshot settings.
How do I take a screenshot with Puppeteer?
Install Puppeteer in your project, then launch a browser, open a page, navigate to the URL, and pass a file path to page.screenshot(). This ES module example saves a PNG in the process working directory:
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import puppeteer from 'puppeteer';
const browser = await puppeteer.launch();
try {
const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.goto('https://example.com');
await page.screenshot({ path: 'screenshot.png' });
} finally {
await browser.close();
}The Puppeteer screenshots guide demonstrates this basic flow. The finally block closes Chromium even if navigation or capture throws an error.
Wait for the page you actually need
page.goto() waits for its selected navigation lifecycle event, but a completed navigation does not guarantee that every image, font, animation, or application-rendered component is visually ready. Choose a readiness condition that matches the site. Puppeteer’s guide demonstrates networkidle2, but it is not a universal guarantee that all visual assets are ready. For an application-specific landmark, wait for it explicitly:
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await page.goto('https://example.com');
await page.waitForSelector('main article');
await page.screenshot({ path: 'article.png' });Use a selector that reliably represents the content you want; if a site renders it conditionally or replaces it during navigation, account for that in your own readiness logic.
How do I take a full-page screenshot?
Set fullPage: true to capture the full document rather than just the visible viewport:
await page.screenshot({ path: 'full-page.png', fullPage: true });Without an area option, fullPage is false and Puppeteer captures the viewport. The screenshot options reference documents captureBeyondViewport as false by default when no clip is supplied and true when a clip is supplied; set it explicitly if capture beyond the viewport matters to your chosen rectangle. See ScreenshotOptions for the option details.
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How do I screenshot a specific element?
Find the element, check that the selector matched, then call screenshot() on its handle:
const element = await page.waitForSelector('main article');
if (!element) throw new Error('Article not found');
await element.screenshot({ path: 'article.png' });ElementHandle.screenshot() scrolls the element into view if needed. It throws if the handle has become detached from the DOM, so wait for the element at the right point in the page lifecycle and reacquire it if the application replaces it. See the ElementHandle screenshot API.
How do I capture a rectangle?
Pass a clip rectangle with the desired position and size. For example, this captures a 600-by-400-pixel region starting at coordinates x: 100, y: 150:
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await page.screenshot({
path: 'region.png',
clip: { x: 100, y: 150, width: 600, height: 400 }
});Use coordinates and dimensions appropriate for the page and viewport you configured. The screenshot options reference documents clip and the related captureBeyondViewport setting.
How do I save the screenshot to a file or use the returned data?
With path, Puppeteer writes the image to that location; a relative path is resolved from the process working directory. Without path, the call returns image data as a Uint8Array by default. Set encoding: 'base64' if you need a base64 string instead. These behaviors are documented in Page.screenshot().
const bytes = await page.screenshot();
// bytes is a Uint8Array by default
const base64 = await page.screenshot({ encoding: 'base64' });Choose one output route for a given capture: write directly to a file with path, or receive data and handle storage or transmission in your application.
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Which screenshot output options should I choose?
| Need | Setting | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| PNG output | type: 'png' |
PNG is the documented default. When a path is provided, Puppeteer can infer the type from the file extension. |
| JPEG or another supported format | type and optionally quality |
quality ranges from 0 to 100 and applies only to formats that support it; it does not apply to PNG. |
| Transparent background | omitBackground: true |
Hides the default white background. The default is false. |
| Image data instead of file output | Omit path, optionally set encoding: 'base64' |
Returns a Uint8Array by default or a base64 string when requested. |
| Rectangular crop | clip |
Limits the capture to the specified rectangle. |
| Speed-related option | optimizeForSpeed |
Documented with a default of false; the cited reference does not establish a performance gain or when it is beneficial. |
Refer to the ScreenshotOptions API when choosing settings. Avoid treating a JPEG quality value as a universal best setting; the right value depends on your output requirements.
What changes when Puppeteer uses WebDriver BiDi?
Puppeteer’s WebDriver BiDi support page lists clip, encoding, and fullPage as supported screenshot parameters. That is a narrower set than the general screenshot options reference. If your setup uses WebDriver BiDi, verify support for options such as omitBackground, quality, and captureBeyondViewport rather than assuming they work. Consult the WebDriver BiDi support page for the documented subset.
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Troubleshooting Puppeteer screenshots
- The image is blank or missing expected content: Navigation may have completed before the page rendered the content you need. Wait for an application-specific selector or other appropriate readiness condition before capturing.
- The element cannot be found: Check the selector and timing. Use
waitForSelector()before capture and handle the case where it returns no element. - An element capture fails after the page updates: The original handle may have become detached because the application replaced the node. Wait for the updated content and obtain a fresh handle.
- The output is only the visible screen: Set
fullPage: truefor the entire document; the default is a viewport screenshot. - The captured area is wrong: Recheck the
clipcoordinates and dimensions against the page and viewport. If a rectangle extends beyond the viewport, check the documentedcaptureBeyondViewportbehavior and protocol support. - Transparency or quality settings do not work: PNG does not use the
qualityoption; transparency requiresomitBackground: true. If using WebDriver BiDi, verify that the option is supported there. - The file appears in an unexpected directory: A relative
pathis resolved against the process working directory. Use an absolute path if you need a fixed location.
Version and performance considerations
The current Puppeteer API documentation consulted here displays version 25.12.0; this identifies the documentation version, not the version installed in your project. Check the documentation corresponding to your installed package before depending on version-specific behavior. The options reference describes optimizeForSpeed but does not establish a general speed improvement, so do not assume it will reduce capture time without measuring it in your own setup.
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What does Puppeteer use to take a screenshot?
Use page.screenshot() for a page capture and ElementHandle.screenshot() for one DOM element.
Does Puppeteer screenshot PNG by default?
Yes. The general screenshot options documentation lists PNG as the default image type.
Which screenshot options are listed for Puppeteer WebDriver BiDi?
The WebDriver BiDi support page lists clip, encoding, and fullPage.
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