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In Playwright, “snapshot” can mean three different things: a screenshot image of rendered pixels, an ARIA snapshot of accessible structure, or DOM snapshots recorded in a trace around an action. For a visual image, use page.screenshot(); for an accessibility structure assertion, use aria_snapshot() with to_match_aria_snapshot(); for diagnosing what happened during interactions, record and open a trace. This guide shows the Python workflows and how to make their output useful and repeatable.
Choose the snapshot type for the job
| Goal | Playwright artifact | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Capture rendered pixels | PNG, JPEG, or WebP image | Visual review, screenshots for documentation, or image-based comparison. |
| Check accessible structure | ARIA snapshot represented as YAML | Assertions about roles, accessible names, and relevant attributes. |
| Understand an interaction | Trace with action-level DOM snapshots and screenshots | Debugging the state before, during, and after an action. |
These artifacts answer different questions. A screenshot does not tell you whether a control has the right accessible role, an ARIA snapshot is not a picture, and a trace is a debugging record rather than a single screenshot baseline.
How do I take a screenshot with Playwright Python?
Install Playwright for Python, install a browser, then navigate to a page and call page.screenshot(). The basic synchronous script below writes a viewport screenshot to screenshot.png. See the Playwright Python getting started guide for setup details.
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from pathlib import Path
from playwright.sync_api import sync_playwright
with sync_playwright() as p:
browser = p.chromium.launch()
page = browser.new_page()
page.goto("https://example.com")
page.screenshot(path="screenshot.png")
browser.close()
print(Path("screenshot.png").resolve())The call can save to a path and also returns image bytes. The options control the captured area, format, scale, quality where supported, and treatment of unstable content. Refer to the Page screenshot API for the supported options in your installed Playwright version.
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Capture the full scrollable page
Pass full_page=True to capture beyond the current viewport:
page.screenshot(path="full-page.png", full_page=True)This captures the page’s full scrollable height, not just what is currently visible. A very tall page can produce a large image; if your purpose is a particular section, capture a locator instead.
Choose an image format and size
Playwright supports PNG, JPEG, and WebP screenshot output. The format can be specified with type; use quality for lossy formats where supported. scale controls whether output dimensions follow CSS pixels or device scale. For example:
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Capture one element
Use a locator screenshot when the intended artifact is a component rather than the entire page. Locator screenshots scroll the element into view and perform actionability checks:
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card = page.get_by_role("article").first
card.screenshot(path="article-card.png")Prefer locator screenshots over the discouraged ElementHandle screenshot approach. A locator capture of a scrollable element includes only the content currently scrolled into view; it is not a request to export every item inside that element. If an overlay covers the target or the target never becomes actionable, the capture may fail or not show the intended content. See the Locator API.
Make visual screenshots repeatable
A screenshot records a rendered moment, so identical code can produce different images if the page state changes. Wait for the state that matters rather than assuming that navigation means every image, animation, or network request has settled.
Wait for a meaningful page condition
Wait for a selector that marks the content you need, then capture:
page.goto("https://example.com")
page.locator("main h1").wait_for(state="visible")
page.screenshot(path="ready.png", full_page=True)If a site loads data after navigation, this ties the capture to visible content. For complex applications, use the application’s actual ready state or a specific locator instead of an arbitrary delay.
Disable motion and mask volatile regions
Animations and changing content can make screenshots unstable. The screenshot API supports animations="disabled", masks for elements that should not influence the visual result, and a style option for applying CSS to hide or stabilize page content. These are useful for visual tests where timestamps, rotating banners, or personalized regions are outside the assertion’s purpose.
page.screenshot(
path="stable.png",
full_page=True,
animations="disabled",
mask=[page.locator(".live-clock"), page.locator(".user-avatar")],
style=".rotating-banner { visibility: hidden !important; }"
)Mask or hide only content that is intentionally irrelevant to the test. Otherwise, stabilization can conceal a real regression. Check the screenshot API reference for option details and compatibility.
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How do I assert an ARIA snapshot in Playwright Python?
An ARIA snapshot describes the accessible structure of a page or locator, including roles, accessible names, and attributes, as YAML. It is not a pixel capture. The Playwright Python documentation describes the feature this way: “With Playwright’s Snapshot testing you can assert the accessibility tree of a page against a predefined snapshot template.” See the Snapshot testing guide.
Capture or inspect the accessible structure
Use page.aria_snapshot() for a page-level representation, or scope the output to a locator when you only need a particular region:
from playwright.sync_api import sync_playwright
with sync_playwright() as p:
browser = p.chromium.launch()
page = browser.new_page()
page.goto("https://example.com")
print(page.aria_snapshot())
print(page.get_by_role("main").aria_snapshot())
browser.close()Compare against a focused template
For an assertion in a Playwright test, use expect(page).to_match_aria_snapshot(). A focused example:
from playwright.sync_api import expect
def test_main_heading(page):
page.goto("https://example.com")
expect(page.get_by_role("main")).to_match_aria_snapshot("""
- heading "Example Domain" [level=1]
""")Keep the template limited to structure your test actually depends on. A huge page-wide snapshot can be cumbersome to interpret and maintain, and dynamic content is a poor candidate for exact snapshot comparison. Combine a focused structure check with precise assertions for critical behavior, such as whether a button is enabled or a link has the expected destination. The Locator API documents locator-level ARIA snapshots.
Use trace snapshots to debug actions
When the question is “what did the page look like when this action ran?”, record a trace and inspect it in Trace Viewer. A trace can contain before, action, and after DOM snapshots for actions; its documented setup enables screenshots in traces by default. This gives the DOM context and visual context around an interaction instead of reducing the diagnosis to a standalone screenshot. Follow the Trace Viewer guide for recording and opening traces.
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In a Python test, tracing can be started and stopped on the browser context:
def test_checkout(page):
context = page.context
context.tracing.start(screenshots=True, snapshots=True, sources=True)
try:
page.goto("https://example.com")
page.get_by_role("button", name="Continue").click()
# Add the assertions for the behavior being investigated.
finally:
context.tracing.stop(path="trace.zip")Open the resulting archive with the Trace Viewer using the procedure supported by your Playwright installation. Inspect the action timeline and its snapshots to see whether the expected control was present, covered, or changed state. Trace options and features evolve; consult current documentation and release notes rather than assuming an option from another version applies.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Run screenshot capture asynchronously
Playwright offers synchronous and asynchronous Python APIs. In an asyncio application, use the async API rather than blocking the event loop with the synchronous version:
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import asyncio
from playwright.async_api import async_playwright
async def main():
async with async_playwright() as p:
browser = await p.chromium.launch()
page = await browser.new_page()
await page.goto("https://example.com")
await page.screenshot(path="screenshot.png", full_page=True)
await browser.close()
asyncio.run(main())The browser must be closed even if capture or navigation raises an exception. In a larger application, use context managers or try/finally cleanup so failures do not leave browser processes running.
Or skip the browser setup
If you need a website screenshot rather than an in-process Playwright test, ScreenshotNeo takes a screenshot with one GET request. Its API can return PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF; the request below saves a WebP capture of Stripe:
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Troubleshooting common snapshot problems
- The screenshot is blank or incomplete: confirm navigation succeeded and wait for a meaningful content locator to become visible before capture. For lazy-loaded content, scroll or otherwise trigger the content before expecting it to render.
- The image differs between runs: identify animation, timestamps, rotating content, or personalized elements; disable animations or mask/hide only the unstable regions that are not part of the test.
- A locator screenshot times out: check that the locator matches the intended element and that it can become visible and actionable. An overlay or off-state UI can prevent the expected capture.
- A component capture omits content: if the target is scrollable, locator screenshots capture the currently scrolled content rather than exporting all of its internal scroll area. Capture the page or prepare the element’s scroll position to match your requirement.
- An ARIA snapshot assertion is brittle: narrow the snapshot to the relevant locator, remove irrelevant dynamic structure from the expectation, and assert individual behaviors separately.
- The trace lacks useful context: ensure tracing is started before the action under investigation and stopped to a file after it. Include snapshots and screenshots in the trace configuration, then open the generated archive in Trace Viewer.
- Browser launch or import fails: install the Playwright Python package and its browser binaries using the setup instructions for your environment; a package installation alone may not install the browser executable.
Which approach should you use?
Use page.screenshot() when the deliverable is an image, locator screenshots for a component, ARIA snapshots when the test concerns accessible structure, and traces when you need to diagnose action history. For repeatability, make the relevant page state explicit and neutralize only variation that does not matter to the test. Version-specific features change over time; the Python release notes are the authority for what a particular Playwright release supports: Playwright Python release notes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a Playwright ARIA snapshot an image?
No. It is a YAML representation of accessible structure; use page.screenshot() for an image.
Can I take a screenshot of only one element?
Yes. Call screenshot() on a locator, such as page.get_by_role("main").screenshot(path="main.png").
Should I use screenshots or ARIA snapshots for accessibility tests?
ARIA snapshots check accessible structure. Screenshots can show visual presentation, but they do not replace structural accessibility assertions.
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