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How to Take Website Screenshots with Selenium in JavaScript

Use Selenium WebDriver’s JavaScript API to capture a website and save its base64-encoded screenshot as a PNG, with notes on element shots, PDFs, and setup.

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Use Selenium WebDriver’s JavaScript takeScreenshot() method: navigate to a page, await the screenshot, then write its base64-encoded PNG to a file. The example below uses Chrome and closes the browser even if capture fails. Selenium describes page capture as best effort, so verify the output dimensions if you require a full-page image.

Install Selenium and prepare a browser

Selenium’s JavaScript binding is the selenium-webdriver npm package. Its current API documentation says Node.js 22 or newer is required; check the official JavaScript API page for current runtime support before installing, since supported versions can change.

  1. Install a supported Node.js version and make sure Chrome is available in the environment where the script will run.
  2. Create a project if needed with npm init -y.
  3. Install Selenium with npm install selenium-webdriver.
  4. Save the script below as screenshot.js, then run node screenshot.js.

Selenium Manager handles browser-driver installation in supported setups. If you use a remote Selenium server instead of a local browser, configure the Builder with that server URL; the official API documents this option and the SELENIUM_REMOTE_URL environment variable.

Capture a website as a PNG

This complete example saves screenshot.png in the current working directory:

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const { Builder, Browser } = require('selenium-webdriver')
const fs = require('node:fs')

async function capture() {
  const driver = await new Builder().forBrowser(Browser.CHROME).build()
  try {
    await driver.get('https://example.com')
    const encodedPng = await driver.takeScreenshot()
    fs.writeFileSync('./screenshot.png', encodedPng, 'base64')
  } finally {
    await driver.quit()
  }
}

capture().catch((error) => {
  console.error(error)
  process.exitCode = 1
})

takeScreenshot() returns a promise resolving to a base64-encoded PNG. Passing 'base64' as the third argument to writeFileSync decodes that string into the binary image file. The finally block ensures the browser is shut down after the attempt; the error handler makes a failure visible in the terminal and gives the process a nonzero exit code.

Know what Selenium captures

The WebDriver API specifies a best-effort preference order: the entire page, the current window, the visible portion of the current frame, and then the entire display containing the browser. That is not a guarantee that every browser, driver, or execution environment will produce a full-page image. Check the resulting PNG’s dimensions and content when full-page coverage matters. See the WebDriver JavaScript API.

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Capture one element

To capture an element rather than the page, locate it and call its takeScreenshot() method. This captures the visible region within the element’s bounding rectangle and returns a base64-encoded PNG:

const element = await driver.findElement({ css: 'main article' })
const encodedPng = await element.takeScreenshot()
fs.writeFileSync('./article.png', encodedPng, 'base64')

Replace main article with a selector that matches the element you want. This method does not mean “capture every part of a tall element” when some of it is outside the visible region. Refer to the WebElement JavaScript API for the documented scope.

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Produce a PDF instead

If you need a PDF representation of the page, use WebDriver’s printPage(options) method rather than treating a screenshot as a PDF. Selenium documents it as a best-effort PDF operation. The available method is described in the WebDriver JavaScript API.

Run Selenium locally or remotely

The screenshot calls are the same whether the browser session is local or created through a remote Selenium server; the difference is where that browser runs and how the session is configured. Selenium’s JavaScript API documents configuring a server URL in the Builder or setting SELENIUM_REMOTE_URL. It does not establish pricing or performance for any particular hosted service.

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For a local run, the example’s forBrowser(Browser.CHROME) selects Chrome. Selenium Manager can manage the driver setup. For remote execution, follow the configuration documented in the JavaScript API and ensure the remote environment has the requested browser installed.

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Troubleshoot common capture failures

  • Node reports an unsupported runtime: use Node.js 22 or newer as specified by the current JavaScript API documentation, then reinstall dependencies if necessary.
  • The browser session cannot start: confirm Chrome is installed and usable in the execution environment. For remote sessions, check the configured server URL and that the remote browser supports the requested browser name.
  • The file is missing or empty: verify the script reached writeFileSync, that the process can write to the selected directory, and that the value is written with the base64 encoding.
  • The image shows only a viewport or frame: Selenium’s page screenshot scope is best effort, not a cross-environment full-page guarantee. Inspect the image dimensions and content; use an element screenshot only when that element’s visible bounding rectangle is the intended output.
  • The browser remains open after an error: keep driver.quit() in a finally block so the session is closed after navigation or capture errors.

Or skip the browser setup

ScreenshotNeo takes a website screenshot with one GET request, without setting up Selenium and a browser session. Its clean-shot process accepts cookie or consent banners as a visitor and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture; each of those steps can be turned off. Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits cost nothing, and each response indicates the page verdict and billing status in headers. It also offers an MCP server with take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf tools for AI agents.

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Here is the cURL call; replace the target URL as needed. See the ScreenshotNeo documentation for request options.

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curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webp

The free plan includes 1,000 shots a month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots. Sign up for ScreenshotNeo’s free plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

What format does Selenium’s JavaScript screenshot method return?

takeScreenshot() returns a base64-encoded PNG.

Can Selenium save a screenshot of one page element?

Yes. Find the element and call its takeScreenshot() method to capture the visible region within its bounding rectangle.

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