Use MSS to capture a whole display or a selected screen region in Python. Install the package, open an MSS instance, call grab(), then save the returned pixels as a PNG or convert them for image processing. This guide covers monitor selection, region coordinates, Pillow and OpenCV, repeated captures, platform considerations, and common errors.
Install MSS and take your first screenshot
MSS (“Multiple ScreenShots”) is a Python package for capturing pixels from monitors and screen regions. The project lists Python 3.9 or later as a requirement. Install the latest package with pip from a terminal: Python MSS on PyPI.
python -m pip install -U --user mssIf you use Conda, the project documentation also describes a Conda installation route. Choose the environment in which your script will run, install MSS there, and use that same environment to launch the script. A common beginner mistake is installing into one Python environment and running another.
This example captures the display MSS identifies as primary and saves it as a PNG:
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from mss import MSS
with MSS() as sct:
filename = sct.shot()
print(f"Saved screenshot to {filename}")MSS() creates the capture object, and the with block ensures it is closed when capture is complete. The shot() helper saves the first monitor as PNG by default. For a capture you want to inspect or process as well as save, use grab(); it returns a ScreenShot containing the captured pixel data.
Use the current from mss import MSS spelling. The older mss.mss() entry point remains for compatibility but is deprecated in the current docs, with deprecation dating from version 10.2. The latest docs also describe additions in version 11.0, so check the API documentation if you are working against a particular installed release: MSS usage documentation.
Choose a monitor or capture a region
MSS exposes monitor information through sct.monitors. Index 0 represents the combined virtual desktop across all monitors; indices starting at 1 refer to individual displays. To capture one display explicitly, pass its monitor entry to grab():
from mss import MSS
import mss.tools
with MSS() as sct:
monitor = sct.monitors[1]
image = sct.grab(monitor)
mss.tools.to_png(image.rgb, image.size, output="monitor-1.png")Use sct.monitors[0] when the desired result is the full desktop spanning multiple displays. Choose a positive index when you need a single display. You can inspect the monitor definitions before choosing:
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with MSS() as sct:
for index, monitor in enumerate(sct.monitors):
print(index, monitor)If you want the display MSS identifies as primary, use sct.primary_monitor. If no primary display is marked, or the platform cannot report one, the API says MSS falls back to the first individual monitor. That can make primary_monitor more expressive than assuming a particular numbered display.
For a rectangular part of the screen, define a Region with its upper-left position and dimensions. Coordinates are in screen pixels:
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from mss import MSS
from mss.models import Region
import mss.tools
with MSS() as sct:
area = Region(left=100, top=80, width=640, height=480)
image = sct.grab(area)
mss.tools.to_png(image.rgb, image.size, output="region.png")This requests a rectangle beginning 100 pixels from the left and 80 pixels from the top, 640 pixels wide and 480 pixels high. Keep the requested bounds within the target display geometry. A region can also be supplied as a dictionary with top, left, width, and height, or as a PIL-style (left, top, right, bottom) tuple. The explicit Region form makes the meaning of each coordinate clear in new code.
Save one capture or process the pixels
Use grab() when you need the pixels from the capture you just made. The following saves that same capture as a PNG using MSS’s tools:
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import mss.tools
from mss import MSS
with MSS() as sct:
image = sct.grab(sct.primary_monitor)
mss.tools.to_png(image.rgb, image.size, output="screenshot.png")This distinction matters: calling sct.grab(...) and then sct.shot() takes two captures. If the screen changes between calls, the saved image may not match the pixels you first inspected. Saving the grab() result avoids that extra capture.
Save with Pillow
For workflows using Pillow, convert the screen capture to an RGB image and save it with Pillow’s image API:
from mss import MSS
with MSS() as sct:
image = sct.grab(sct.primary_monitor)
pil_image = image.to_pil("RGB")
pil_image.save("screenshot.png")The explicit RGB conversion is useful when you want a conventional three-channel image for later operations. MSS also documents Pillow conversion among its examples: MSS examples.
Pass pixels to OpenCV
OpenCV commonly expects BGR channel order. MSS documents a direct NumPy conversion with that ordering:
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from mss import MSS
with MSS() as sct:
image = sct.grab(sct.primary_monitor)
frame = image.to_numpy(channels="BGR")
print(frame.shape)Use the default RGB ordering instead when handing pixels to scikit-image and many other image-processing libraries. Check the receiving library’s expected channel order rather than assuming every library uses the same convention. The API notes that alpha values may not represent useful transparency on every capture backend, so do not rely on alpha to describe the display’s real transparency: MSS API reference.
Save multiple monitor captures
For convenience when saving monitor images in bulk, MSS examples include sct.save(). The compact sct.shot() helper is for the first monitor. When you need custom selection, a particular region, or the exact pixel buffer for processing, use grab() and save the returned image as shown above.
Capture repeatedly without reopening MSS
For a sequence of screenshots, keep one MSS instance open and reuse it. The usage documentation presents this as more memory-efficient than creating a new instance for every capture.
from mss import MSS
import mss.tools
with MSS() as sct:
monitor = sct.primary_monitor
for frame_number in range(10):
image = sct.grab(monitor)
mss.tools.to_png(
image.rgb,
image.size,
output=f"frame-{frame_number:03d}.png",
)This example saves ten sequential PNG files; it does not claim a particular capture rate. MSS documents thread-safety, but calls to grab() on the same shared instance are automatically serialized. A shared object therefore does not make simultaneous captures run in parallel. The direct-buffer optimization described in the docs is limited to GNU/Linux with Python 3.12 or later.
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Platform behavior and display access
MSS documents backends for GNU/Linux, macOS, and Windows. A working Python installation alone does not guarantee that the process can capture a display: the desktop session and display permissions must also be available to it.
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On GNU/Linux, the default display is obtained from DISPLAY. The default xshmgetimage backend can fall back to xgetimage when MIT-SHM is unavailable, including some remote SSH display setups. This is documented fallback behavior, not a guarantee that every headless machine or remote desktop has a capturable display configured. The MSS command-line interface also supports monitor selection, coordinates, cursor inclusion, and backend selection; consult the usage page for the exact options supported by your installed version.
Troubleshoot common capture problems
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'mss'
The Python interpreter running the script cannot see MSS. Install it through that interpreter with python -m pip install -U --user mss, then run the script with the same Python environment. If you use a virtual environment or Conda, activate it before both installation and execution.
The screenshot is from the wrong monitor
Print sct.monitors and inspect the entries. Remember that entry 0 describes the combined virtual desktop, while positive indices identify individual displays. Use sct.primary_monitor if the intended target is the display MSS considers primary.
The image is cropped, shifted, or the region is empty
Check the target’s left, top, width, and height against the monitor geometry printed by MSS. A region is a screen-coordinate rectangle, not a window-relative rectangle. For an individual monitor, confirm that the coordinates fall within the selected display’s bounds; for multi-monitor desktops, examine the reported geometry rather than presuming every display begins at coordinate zero.
Capture fails in SSH, a container, or a headless session
Confirm that a display session is actually available to the process. On GNU/Linux, check whether the expected DISPLAY environment is present and whether the session permits access. The documented fallback from MIT-SHM may help when that extension is unavailable, but it cannot supply a display where no usable graphical session exists.
Saved pixels have unexpected colors or transparency
Match the channel order to the destination library: RGB is the documented default suitable for many image libraries, while OpenCV usage should request channels="BGR". Do not assume alpha is meaningful on every platform/backend. For a normal opaque output, explicitly convert to RGB before saving or processing if that suits the workflow.
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The output file differs from the pixels in memory
Make sure the file is written from the same object returned by grab(). Calling shot() after a separate grab() captures again. Use mss.tools.to_png() or Pillow to save the original captured object when matching memory and file output matters.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does MSS capture a browser tab or a website without opening it on my desktop?
No. MSS captures pixels from an available desktop display or a region of it. Capturing a webpage without using a local desktop capture workflow calls for a website screenshot service or browser automation instead.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsCan MSS capture the mouse cursor?
The MSS command-line interface documents a cursor-inclusion option. For the exact CLI flag and behavior in your installation, check the usage documentation for the version you installed.
What does MSS stand for?
The project documentation expands MSS as “Multiple ScreenShots.”
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