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Why Chrome Headless Screenshots Only the Visible Viewport—and How to Capture a Full Page

Chrome Headless’s command-line screenshot captures specified dimensions rather than automatically sizing to the whole document. Use Puppeteer’s fullPage option or configure a DevTools Protocol capture beyond the viewport.

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Chrome Headless’s command-line --screenshot captures the requested screenshot dimensions; it does not automatically measure and capture the whole document. --window-size=WIDTH,HEIGHT sets those dimensions, not a full-page mode. For a full-page image, use browser automation such as Puppeteer’s fullPage: true, or configure a DevTools Protocol capture beyond the viewport.

Why the command-line screenshot shows only the viewport

Chrome’s documented command-line reference describes --screenshot as saving a screenshot of the target page. It also documents --window-size, which sets the dimensions used for the capture. The reference does not document a full-document capture switch. Chromium’s command handler passes the parsed width and height to screenshot parameters, consistent with a fixed-size capture rather than automatic page-height detection. Chrome Headless command-line reference · Chromium command handler

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That means a taller --window-size can request a taller screenshot, but it does not guarantee that Chrome will determine the page’s full height or include every below-the-fold element. Capture timing is a separate concern: even a correctly sized capture can miss content that has not loaded or appeared yet.

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Choose the right method for the result you need

Method Use it for Important limitation
CLI --screenshot with --window-size A simple screenshot at specified dimensions The documented CLI options do not provide full-document capture.
Puppeteer fullPage: true A full-page image through browser automation Delayed, lazy-loaded or scroll-triggered content may need page-specific handling.
DevTools Protocol Page.captureScreenshot Low-level screenshot control beyond the viewport Set appropriate capture bounds and check compatibility with the Chrome version in use.
CLI --print-to-pdf A printable document rather than an image The output is a PDF, not a screenshot image.

Capture a full page with Puppeteer

Puppeteer’s documented fullPage screenshot option requests an image of the full page and defaults to false. The following runnable example uses Puppeteer 25.12.0’s API. Install Puppeteer in your project with npm install puppeteer, then save this as capture.js and run node capture.js https://example.com.

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const puppeteer = require('puppeteer');

(async () => {
  const url = process.argv[2];
  if (!url) {
    throw new Error('Usage: node capture.js https://example.com');
  }

  const browser = await puppeteer.launch({ headless: true });
  try {
    const page = await browser.newPage();
    await page.goto(url, { waitUntil: 'networkidle2' });
    await page.screenshot({ path: 'page.png', fullPage: true });
    console.log('Saved full-page screenshot to page.png');
  } finally {
    await browser.close();
  }
})().catch((error) => {
  console.error(error);
  process.exitCode = 1;
});

networkidle2 waits for a period with no more than two network connections, but it is not proof that an application has finished all asynchronous work. If the page renders content after an API call, waits for user interaction, or loads images only as they approach the viewport, wait for the relevant selector or trigger the page behavior before capturing. Puppeteer’s ScreenshotOptions interface documents fullPage and the related capture options.

When to use DevTools Protocol directly

The DevTools Protocol’s Page.captureScreenshot supports captureBeyondViewport, whose documented default is false. A protocol client needs to enable beyond-viewport capture and provide suitable page bounds; setting the flag alone is not a substitute for defining the intended capture region. This is a lower-level route than Puppeteer and requires attention to the protocol supported by the particular Chrome build.

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The DevTools Protocol documentation is tip-of-tree and can change without a backwards-compatibility guarantee. Consult the Page.captureScreenshot reference alongside the protocol version used by your browser.

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Make sure the intended page state exists before capture

Full-page capture concerns the capture bounds, not whether the page has completed rendering. Chrome’s CLI provides --timeout and --virtual-time-budget to control when a capture occurs. These timing controls do not guarantee that every site’s asynchronous work, animation, or user-triggered content is complete. For automation, prefer waiting for a meaningful selector or application-specific ready state when possible.

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  • Lazy images: A page may load images only as they approach the viewport. A full-page screenshot request does not guarantee every lazy image has been populated.
  • Scroll-triggered sections: Some pages create or reveal content only after scrolling. Trigger that behavior before capture if the content must appear.
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Chrome Headless version and packaging

Check which browser binary your script or command actually launches before adapting an older tutorial. The Chromium project states that precompiled headless_shell binaries became available through Chrome for Testing in M118. From M132, the old Headless implementation is no longer part of the Chrome binary, and --headless=old has no effect; users relying on old Headless should migrate to the separately distributed chrome-headless-shell. These are Chromium project version milestones, not measures of how frequently users encounter viewport-only screenshots. See the Headless Chromium README.

Troubleshoot a clipped or incomplete screenshot

  • Only the initial viewport appears: If using the CLI, that is consistent with its documented fixed-dimension screenshot behavior. Use Puppeteer fullPage: true or configure a DevTools Protocol capture region beyond the viewport.
  • The image is taller but still cuts off the page: --window-size changes requested dimensions; it does not automatically calculate the document’s full height. Use a full-page-capable automation method.
  • Lower sections are present but images or content are missing: Wait for the relevant content and trigger lazy or scroll-based loading before capture. A full-page option does not guarantee application-level readiness.
  • The screenshot is unexpectedly small or clipped despite the intended dimensions: Verify the exact command, the Chrome binary and version, page readiness, and any framework wrapper or viewport emulation. The documented behavior alone cannot diagnose a specific local setup.
  • An old Headless command behaves differently on a newer installation: Check whether the tutorial expects the old implementation. Chromium’s M132 change means --headless=old no longer selects it in the Chrome binary; use the supported Headless implementation or the separately distributed shell as appropriate.

Or skip the browser setup

ScreenshotNeo offers a one-request screenshot API, with PNG, JPEG, WebP or PDF output. For example, this cURL request saves a WebP screenshot; see the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for parameters such as full-page capture and output format.

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

ScreenshotNeo accepts cookie or consent banners before capture and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups and chat widgets; each of those steps can be turned off. Bot checks, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads and cache hits are not billed, and response headers report the page verdict and billing status. An MCP server exposes screenshot tools for AI agents, including Claude, Cursor and other MCP clients. The free plan includes 1,000 shots a month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots.

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Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Does increasing --window-size take a full-page screenshot?

No. It changes the requested screenshot dimensions; it does not automatically measure the document height.

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Does Puppeteer’s fullPage: true load every lazy image?

Not necessarily. It requests full-page capture, but lazy or scroll-triggered content may need to be loaded before the screenshot.

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