Run this command: chrome-headless-shell --screenshot https://example.com/. Chrome’s standalone Headless Shell writes the capture to screenshot.png in the command’s current working directory. Add --window-size=WIDTH,HEIGHT for a deliberate viewport and a timing flag when the page needs more time to render.
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Chrome Headless Shell is a standalone executable intended for unattended browser work. The minimum screenshot command is:
chrome-headless-shell --screenshot https://example.com/When it finishes, look for screenshot.png in the directory from which you ran the command. The exact path to the executable depends on how you obtained Chrome for Testing, so replace chrome-headless-shell with its full path if it is not on your PATH.
This captures the page at the shell’s default virtual viewport. For repeatable output in a script or CI job, set the viewport and page-wait behavior explicitly rather than relying on defaults.
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Set the viewport you actually need
Use --window-size=WIDTH,HEIGHT to define the virtual browser window:
chrome-headless-shell --screenshot --window-size=412,892 https://example.com/The dimensions are CSS pixels. Pick them to match the layout you are checking, such as a desktop regression viewport or a mobile design width. This is a viewport screenshot, not automatically a full-page capture. The documented shell workflow does not establish a custom output-path option or a one-flag full-page mode; pages taller than the viewport require a different capture workflow.
Why explicit dimensions matter
- Responsive breakpoints can render different navigation, columns and typography at different widths.
- Fixed-height viewports make screenshots comparable between runs.
- A tall height does not prove that content below the viewport was captured; it only enlarges the visible viewport.
Control when the capture happens
Headless Shell takes the screenshot after its configured wait behavior. A page that loads data, images or animations asynchronously may still be changing when the image is written. Use timing flags as controls, not as a guarantee that every application is visually settled.
Maximum wait with --timeout
--timeout is measured in milliseconds and sets the maximum wait before capture, even if the page is still loading:
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chrome-headless-shell --screenshot --timeout=5000 https://example.com/A larger value gives slow resources more opportunity to finish, but it also makes every successful run wait longer when a site is unavailable. It does not make a broken request succeed.
Fast-forward page time with --virtual-time-budget
For pages whose scripts depend on timers or scheduled animation, Chrome documents --virtual-time-budget to fast-forward virtual time. For example:
chrome-headless-shell --screenshot --virtual-time-budget=5000 https://example.com/Virtual time and wall-clock timeout solve different problems. Virtual time advances time-dependent page code; --timeout limits how long the command waits in real execution. Neither flag is a universal “network idle” or “all images complete” test.
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Combine viewport and timing settings
chrome-headless-shell
--screenshot
--window-size=1440,900
--timeout=10000
https://example.com/Keep the URL last, quote it when it contains shell metacharacters, and record the chosen flags alongside your test so later runs use the same conditions.
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Capture a chrome:// page
Chrome’s command-line reference requires --allow-chrome-scheme-url for internal chrome:// targets:
chrome-headless-shell --allow-chrome-scheme-url --screenshot chrome://gpu/The documentation identifies this flag as available from Chrome 123. Because that threshold is version-sensitive, check the command-line reference for the Chrome build you deploy before depending on it in automation. Ordinary web URLs do not need this flag.
Where Headless Shell fits among Chrome’s headless modes
“Headless Shell” is not merely a spelling variant of Chrome’s current --headless option. It is the old Headless implementation distributed as the separate chrome-headless-shell binary. Chrome describes it as a lightweight wrapper around Chromium’s //content module with substantially fewer dependencies.
| Choice | What it is | When it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Headless Shell | Standalone, lightweight shell around Chromium’s //content module |
Command-line screenshots, scraping and jobs where a smaller dependency footprint is useful |
| Unified Headless Chrome | The Chrome browser running without visible UI, sharing Chrome’s browser code | High-fidelity end-to-end web-app tests or browser-extension tests that need broader Chrome behavior |
Chrome’s documentation presents unified Headless as the more authentic, feature-rich browser environment for those testing scenarios. That distinction does not establish a screenshot-quality benchmark, so choose based on the behavior your job needs rather than assuming one mode always produces a sharper image.
In Puppeteer, the documented selections are headless: 'shell' for Headless Shell and headless: true for current unified Headless. Since Chrome 132.0.6793.0, the old Headless mode has been available only as the standalone shell binary.
Run it reliably in scripts and CI
Make the working directory intentional
Because the documented default file is screenshot.png in the current working directory, start your job in a known directory and move or rename the file afterward in your own script. The available documentation does not establish a supported shell flag for choosing a different output filename.
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Check the process result and file
A robust job should treat both the command result and the output file as signals:
- Run Headless Shell with an explicit viewport and an appropriate timeout.
- Check that the process completed successfully.
- Verify that
screenshot.pngexists and is non-empty. - Rename or upload that file using your automation system.
- Retain the command-line options with the artifact so a visual difference can be reproduced.
Allow for page-specific readiness
One timeout value cannot suit every site. A mostly static page may need little waiting; a dashboard that fetches data after load may need more. If the result is intermittently incomplete, first inspect the page’s own loading behavior and then adjust timing or use a page-specific workflow. Do not infer that a longer timeout proves the page was fully settled.
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Headless mode supplies a configurable virtual screen independent of attached physical displays. A server, container or CI runner therefore does not need a monitor connected. Chrome also documents configuration and inspection of virtual-screen information; use those facilities when a test needs more than the basic viewport dimensions.
Common failures and fixes
“command not found” or an executable error
Cause: the standalone binary is not on PATH, or the downloaded file is not executable for the runner’s platform.
Fix: locate the Chrome for Testing Headless Shell binary, invoke it with its full path, and verify that the runner can execute that file. Installation commands vary by operating system, and the cited documentation does not provide one universal installer command.
No screenshot appears where expected
Cause: the command ran from a different working directory than you expected.
Fix: print or set the job’s working directory before launching the command, then look there for the documented default screenshot.png. Do not assume the file is beside the binary.
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The image shows a loading shell or missing content
Cause: the page was still loading when the capture occurred, or a request failed.
Fix: increase --timeout, consider --virtual-time-budget for timer-driven content, and inspect the target page independently. These flags only change capture timing; they cannot repair failed network requests or guarantee completion of arbitrary asynchronous work.
The layout is different from a normal browser
Cause: the selected viewport triggers a different responsive breakpoint, or the shell does not provide the full browser behavior your application expects.
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A chrome:// URL fails
Cause: the internal-scheme permission flag is missing, or the deployed Chrome version does not support it.
Fix: add --allow-chrome-scheme-url and verify the Chrome version. The documented availability threshold is Chrome 123.
A very tall page is cut off
Cause: --window-size changes the viewport but is not a documented full-page capture switch for this shell workflow.
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Fix: use a capture method that explicitly supports full-page stitching or scrolling, rather than treating a tall viewport as a full-page screenshot.
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Headless Shell’s main operational advantage is its lighter dependency footprint. That can simplify a small container or command-line worker. Unified Headless has the broader browser code and is the better fit when fidelity to Chrome’s complete behavior matters more than a lightweight process.
Capture time is dominated by the target page and your wait settings. A short timeout lowers latency but increases the chance of capturing an unfinished page; a long timeout improves the opportunity for slow content to arrive but keeps failed jobs around longer. There is no published speed or accuracy statistic in the cited Chrome material, so benchmark your own pages if those metrics determine an architecture decision.
The binary itself is the central requirement: the documented workflow does not add a per-screenshot service charge. Your practical costs are the compute, storage and network resources used by the runner, plus the engineering time needed to handle page-specific readiness and failures.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can Headless Shell run without an attached display?
Yes. Chrome documents a configurable virtual headless screen that is independent of physical displays, so a server or CI runner does not need a monitor.
Does --timeout wait for every network request to finish?
No. It is a maximum wait before capture. A page can still have unfinished asynchronous work when the timeout expires, so readiness must be evaluated for the specific site.
Which Puppeteer setting selects the standalone shell?
Puppeteer documents headless: 'shell' for Headless Shell; headless: true selects current unified Headless Chrome.
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