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A blank Cypress screenshot does not have one universal cause. First determine whether the application was actually blank when Cypress captured it. If the page looked correct but the saved image is empty, check capture mode, tab focus, scrolling, browser rendering, and differences between local and CI runs. The sequence below isolates those possibilities without guessing at an old, version-specific bug.
Start by identifying which screenshot is blank
The investigation changes depending on how the file was produced.
Automatic failure screenshot
Cypress takes automatic failure screenshots in cypress run by default. It does not automatically create them in cypress open. A failure image is captured with the runner view, which includes the Cypress browser area and Command Log rather than only your application viewport. Confirm the file belongs to the current run and check your configured screenshots folder.
Manual screenshot
cy.screenshot() creates an image at the point where that command executes. Record the command, its options, browser, Cypress version, operating system, and whether the run was local or in CI. Those details are essential because a blank manual image and a blank failure artifact can follow different paths.
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1. Verify that the application was ready
A screenshot is a snapshot, not a wait. If the app is still mounting, navigating, loading data, running a transition, or replacing a canvas, Cypress can capture an intermediate blank state.
Assert the meaningful state, not an arbitrary delay
Wait for an application-specific condition immediately before capture:
cy.visit('/dashboard')
cy.get('[data-cy="dashboard-ready"]').should('be.visible')
cy.get('[data-cy="sales-chart"]').should('be.visible')
cy.screenshot('dashboard')Prefer a network-backed or DOM assertion over cy.wait(1000). If the page has no reliable marker, add one to the application, such as a data-cy element rendered only after hydration and required data have arrived. For images, wait for the relevant image to be visible and have nonzero dimensions; for a canvas or WebGL view, assert the component’s ready state exposed by the app.
Use video or Test Replay as the timeline
When available, compare the screenshot with the run video or Test Replay. If the page is blank in the recording at the same instant, fix navigation, data, authentication, or application rendering first. If the recording shows the expected UI while the saved image is blank, continue with capture-mode and browser checks.
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2. Make the capture mode explicit
Cypress has three different capture targets. They are not interchangeable.
| Mode | What it captures | Useful diagnostic |
|---|---|---|
viewport |
The current application viewport. | Use to test whether the visible page itself renders. |
fullPage |
The application from top to bottom, captured by scrolling and stitching. | Use only when you need the entire page; scrolling can expose timing and sticky-element artifacts. |
runner |
The browser viewport including Cypress’s runner UI and Command Log. | Automatic failure screenshots are coerced to this mode. |
For a controlled comparison, create separate files:
cy.screenshot('viewport-check', { capture: 'viewport' })
cy.screenshot('full-page-check', { capture: 'fullPage' })
cy.screenshot('runner-check', { capture: 'runner' })If viewport is correct but fullPage is blank or incomplete, investigate scrolling, lazy rendering, and page height rather than the application’s initial paint. Full-page stitching can make fixed or sticky elements appear more than once; that duplication is an artifact of the documented scroll-and-stitch process and does not by itself explain a completely empty image. For a component, capture the element directly so the diagnostic region is unambiguous.
3. Check Chromium tab focus and paused rendering
Cypress documents a Chromium-specific condition: a screenshot cannot be captured while the renderer process for the Cypress tab is paused. Opening a new tab is a common trigger, especially when an anchor uses target="_blank". Cypress attempts to activate its own tab before capture, but the timing can still matter.
How to isolate it
- Identify whether a new-tab click or window-opening script ran immediately before the screenshot.
- Reproduce without that action, or change the test so navigation occurs in the existing tab.
- Capture the state after the original tab is visibly active and the destination has finished loading.
- Compare the result in another supported browser to determine whether the symptom is Chromium-specific.
In open mode, Cypress notes that disabling its extension can force the main tab to the front and steal focus. Keep the extension enabled while diagnosing this behavior; do not treat the focus workaround as a general cure for blank application content.
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4. Synchronize scrolling, movement, and lazy rendering
Element and full-page screenshots can race with scrolling. A historical repository report (Cypress 13.6.1, Node 18.15.0, Windows 11, Chrome 120) described an element image that was one pixel high or partly gray when scrolling had not finished. The reporter used a 750 ms scroll animation and a one-second wait. That report is a case-specific observation, not proof of a current general defect.
Use a stable position first
cy.get('[data-cy="invoice"]')
.scrollIntoView({ duration: 750 })
.should('be.visible')
.then(($el) => {
expect($el[0].getBoundingClientRect().height).to.be.greaterThan(0)
})
cy.screenshot('invoice')Replace a temporary fixed delay with a condition whenever possible: wait for the element’s final class, a completed transition marker, a stable bounding box, or the disappearance of a loading overlay. Also wait for lazy-loaded images and content that appears only after the scroll event.
5. Investigate browser and graphics-specific rendering
Canvas and WebGL content can follow a different capture path from ordinary DOM. A historical issue described a blank Mapbox GL/WebGL image in Firefox 91.7.0 ESR with Cypress 9.5.2, while the map appeared in video and Electron. It does not establish that current Firefox, current Cypress, or all WebGL pages are broken.
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- Run the same minimal test in Electron, Chromium, and Firefox versions available to your project.
- Compare the screenshot with video or Test Replay. A visible recording with an empty image points toward the capture path or graphics backend.
- Record whether the failing content is canvas, WebGL, a cross-origin iframe, or ordinary HTML.
- Retest on a current Cypress release before adopting a workaround copied from an old issue.
Do not infer a browser-wide failure from one historical graphics report. The exact Cypress and browser versions, operating system, graphics feature, and symptom must match before the report is useful evidence.
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6. Compare local, CI, viewport, and runner resources
Cypress recommends isolating environment variables instead of assuming CI is the cause. Run the smallest reproduction locally and in CI, with the same browser and a fixed viewport. Then vary one dimension at a time: browser, headed versus headless mode, viewport dimensions, and application data.
Use a fixed viewport for visual tests
cy.viewport(1280, 800)
cy.visit('/report')
cy.get('[data-cy="report-ready"]').should('be.visible')
cy.screenshot('report', { capture: 'viewport' })Responsive breakpoints, device-pixel ratios, and missing fonts can make a page appear empty or move important content outside the captured region. Keep the capture environment consistent when comparing images.
Hide runner UI as a diagnostic
The Command Log can create performance issues in some cases. To isolate runner overhead, try:
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cypress run --no-runner-uiThese options hide the runner UI; screenshots and videos will not include it. They are diagnostic switches, not a direct fix for an application canvas that never rendered.
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A repeatable blank-screenshot checklist
- Classify the artifact: manual
cy.screenshot()or automatic failure image;cypress runorcypress open. - Confirm the file path, timestamp, test name, and run so an old image is not being inspected.
- Add an assertion for the real ready state immediately before capture.
- Compare the image with video or Test Replay at the same moment.
- Capture explicit
viewport,fullPage, and, where relevant, an element to identify the failing mode. - Check for a new-tab action and paused Chromium Cypress tab.
- Wait for scrolling, transitions, lazy content, and graphics to stabilize.
- Repeat with a fixed viewport in another browser and in the other environment (local or CI).
- Reduce the case to one visit, one assertion, and one screenshot before trying a workaround.
- Only then consult an issue report whose Cypress version, browser, operating system, and symptom match yours.
Common symptoms and targeted fixes
| Symptom | Most useful next check | Likely scope |
|---|---|---|
| Image is blank and video is blank | Assert route, authentication, data, and app-ready state. | Application or test flow. |
| Video shows UI but image is blank | Compare capture mode, browser, tab focus, and graphics content. | Capture path or environment. |
| Only full-page images fail | Test viewport capture; wait for scroll and lazy content. | Scroll-and-stitch timing or page layout. |
| Only element images are tiny or gray | Wait for final position and nonzero dimensions. | Scroll synchronization; historical reports are version-specific. |
| Only Firefox/WebGL fails | Compare Electron/Chromium and current versions. | Browser or graphics backend. |
| Only CI fails | Match browser, viewport, fonts, data, and OS; reduce to a minimal test. | Environment difference, not necessarily CI itself. |
Or skip the browser setup
If your goal is a clean image of a URL rather than Cypress-specific test evidence, ScreenshotNeo provides a website screenshot API and MCP server. It accepts cookie and consent banners before capture, removes more than 60 known consent platforms plus newsletter popups and chat widgets, and lets you turn each cleanup step off. Bot checks, CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed; each response identifies the result with X-Page-Verdict and X-Billed headers.
One GET request returns PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF. The API supports full-page screenshots with lazy images loaded, CSS-selector element capture, dark mode, 12 device presets or any viewport, retina scale, PDF paper and page settings, custom CSS and JavaScript, clicks before capture, hidden selectors, waits for selectors/delay/network idle, request and resource blocking, headers, cookies, user agents, Authorization, timezone, geolocation, transparent backgrounds, resizing, configurable-TTL caching, signed image links, asynchronous jobs with signed webhooks, up to 100 URLs per bulk call, usage reporting, and an OpenAPI specification. Parameter names used by other screenshot APIs also work.
cURL
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What to include when asking for help
A useful bug report contains the exact Cypress version, browser and version, operating system, local or CI context, headed or headless mode, viewport, capture command and options, whether the page uses canvas/WebGL or a new tab, the smallest reproducible test, and a screenshot plus video or Test Replay. Without those details, “Cypress screenshots are blank” describes several unrelated failure branches.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are Cypress failure screenshots different from my manual screenshot?
Failure screenshots are taken automatically in cypress run and use the runner capture, while cy.screenshot() captures the mode and point specified by your test.
Should I always add a fixed sleep before cy.screenshot()?
No. An assertion for the application’s stable, meaningful state is more reliable. Use a short fixed delay only as a temporary diagnostic when no observable condition exists.
Can a blank screenshot prove that my application failed to render?
No. If video or Test Replay shows the UI, investigate capture mode, tab focus, scrolling, browser, and environment before changing application code.
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