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Set up a page and take your first screenshot
The screenshot methods work on a Playwright Page that has already been created. Here is a minimal JavaScript example using Playwright’s Chromium browser:
const { chromium } = require('playwright');
(async () => {
const browser = await chromium.launch();
const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.goto('https://example.com');
await page.screenshot({ path: 'screenshot.png' });
await browser.close();
})();Install the Playwright package in your project with npm install playwright. If you use the Playwright Test runner, install and use @playwright/test instead. A screenshot call does not guarantee that an application’s asynchronous content has finished rendering: navigate, then wait for a readiness signal that matches the page and test, such as a particular element becoming visible.
The basic call captures the current viewport and saves it to the path you provide. The official Playwright screenshots guide also demonstrates the basic save-to-file workflow. The guide is labeled Next; check the documentation for the Playwright version installed in your project when relying on an option that may have been added in a newer release.
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Choose what part of the page to capture
Current viewport
Use page.screenshot() without a scope option when you want the page as it appears in the current browser viewport:
await page.screenshot({ path: 'viewport.png' });This does not capture the entire document below the fold. The Page API documents fullPage as defaulting to false.
Full scrollable page
Set fullPage: true to capture the full scrollable page as one tall image, rather than only the visible viewport:
await page.screenshot({ path: 'full-page.png', fullPage: true });Playwright describes this as capturing a full scrollable page “as if you had a very tall screen and the page could fit it entirely.” See the Page API for the option and its behavior. Full-page capture is useful for an overview of a long page, but it is not the same as a paginated PDF or a screenshot of one chosen region.
One element
To capture a matched element, call screenshot() on a locator:
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await page.locator('.header').screenshot({ path: 'header.png' });Locator screenshots perform actionability checks and scroll the element into view. If the target is a scrollable container, the image shows its currently scrolled content; it does not expose portions hidden outside the visible area. Playwright recommends locators over the discouraged elementHandle.screenshot() method. Consult the Locator API for the element screenshot behavior and locator options.
Explicit rectangle
Use clip when the capture should be a specific rectangle on the page, rather than the whole document or a selected element:
await page.screenshot({
path: 'region.png',
clip: { x: 20, y: 30, width: 640, height: 360 }
});The rectangle is defined by its x and y position and its width and height. Use a locator when the target is a particular page element; use clip when you need a fixed page region. The available page screenshot options are documented in the Page API.
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Save an image or keep it in memory
Passing path writes the screenshot to a file. If you omit path, the method returns a buffer that you can process, encode, or pass to another tool:
const buffer = await page.screenshot();
console.log(buffer.toString('base64'));The base64 form can be useful when you need to transport image data as text, but it is larger than the binary buffer. The screenshots guide demonstrates both a returned buffer and base64 conversion. For file output, choose a path that makes sense for your project and test artifacts; ensure the parent directory exists if your script expects to write into a nested directory.
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Set format, quality, and pixel scale
Playwright supports PNG, JPEG, and WebP screenshots. PNG is the default; when saving to a path, the file extension can determine the output format. The quality option applies to JPEG and WebP, not PNG. JPEG defaults to quality 80, while WebP quality 100 is lossless.
await page.screenshot({
path: 'compressed.webp',
type: 'webp',
quality: 80
});The scale option controls output pixels relative to CSS pixels. scale: 'css' produces one image pixel per CSS pixel; scale: 'device' produces one pixel per device pixel and is the Page API’s documented default. On a high-DPI device, device scale can make an image twice as large or more than CSS scale. Consider CSS scale when smaller files or dimensions matching CSS layout are preferable; retain device scale when the higher-resolution output is important.
await page.screenshot({
path: 'css-pixels.png',
scale: 'css'
});Use omitBackground: true to omit the default white background for formats that support transparency. It does not apply to JPEG, which does not support transparent pixels. These format, quality, scale, and background options are described in the Page API.
Make captures repeatable and protect sensitive regions
Visual output can change between runs because of animation, personalized content, timestamps, or other dynamic regions. Playwright offers screenshot options to help control those differences, but they do not replace a page-specific readiness check.
Disable animations
Animations are allowed by default. Set animations: 'disabled' to stop CSS animations, transitions, and Web Animations for the capture. Finite animations are fast-forwarded; infinite animations are canceled for capture and resume afterward.
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await page.screenshot({
path: 'stable.png',
animations: 'disabled'
});Mask changing or private regions
Mask locators when their pixels are unpredictable or should not appear in the output. The mask covers each matched locator’s bounding box, and you can choose its color:
await page.screenshot({
path: 'masked.png',
mask: [page.locator('.account-number')],
maskColor: '#000000'
});A mask covers the selected area in the image; it does not remove the underlying content from the page or from the browser context. Treat screenshot files as sensitive if the page contains private data, and do not rely on masking as a substitute for access controls. For other changing elements, a stylesheet can hide or adjust them before capture. Screenshot styles, animation handling, and masks are documented in the Page API and Locator API.
Capture screenshots automatically in Playwright Test
Manual page.screenshot() calls are separate from Playwright Test’s automatic screenshot artifacts. To configure automatic capture, set the Test runner’s screenshot option. Its documented modes are off, on, only-on-failure, and on-first-failure; the default is off.
import { defineConfig } from '@playwright/test';
export default defineConfig({
use: {
screenshot: 'only-on-failure',
},
});Use on when the configured automatic screenshots should be captured for every test, or choose a failure mode when artifacts are primarily for investigating failed runs. See the TestOptions reference for the runner setting and behavior.
For visual regression assertions, use expect(page).toHaveScreenshot() or expect(locator).toHaveScreenshot() with Playwright Test. The assertions wait until two consecutive screenshots are the same and compare the result with the expectation. They are test-runner features, not replacements for calling page.screenshot() in a standalone script. The relevant APIs are documented in PageAssertions and LocatorAssertions.
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Common screenshot problems and fixes
- The image only shows the top of the page. The default captures the viewport. Set
fullPage: truewhen the full scrollable document is intended. - The target element is missing or not where expected. Confirm the locator matches the intended element and that the page has reached the required state before capture. Locator screenshots scroll the element into view, but they cannot reveal content obscured by an overlay or outside a scrollable container’s currently visible area.
- The screenshot is blank or missing content that loads later. A screenshot call does not establish that asynchronous application work has completed. Wait for an application-specific signal before calling it, rather than assuming navigation alone means the page is visually ready.
- Images differ across runs. Disable animations, mask changing regions, or use a stylesheet to stabilize content. If content appears late, wait for the relevant page condition first; animation controls do not make asynchronous data deterministic.
- The output is larger than expected. Device-pixel scale can produce more pixels on a high-DPI device. Try
scale: 'css', or use JPEG/WebP quality where lossy output is acceptable. PNG ignores the quality option. - A transparent image has a white background. Use
omitBackground: truewith a transparency-supporting format. This option does not apply to JPEG. - Automatic test screenshots are not appearing. Check the Playwright Test configuration: its automatic screenshot mode defaults to
off. Set an appropriate mode such asonly-on-failureif that is the desired artifact behavior. - A newer option is unavailable. Screenshot options can be version-dependent. Check the API documentation corresponding to the installed Playwright release rather than assuming a feature on the Next guide exists in an older project version.
Or skip the browser setup
If you need an image from a URL without launching and managing a Playwright browser in your own script, ScreenshotNeo provides a screenshot API and MCP server. A single GET request returns a PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF; for example, this cURL command saves a WebP capture:
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpSee the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options and response details. Cookie banners and consent notices, newsletter popups, and chat widgets are removed before capture; each cleanup step can be turned off. Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and the response indicates the page verdict and billing status. Its MCP server offers take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf for AI agents and MCP clients. The Free plan includes 1,000 shots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots. Sign up for ScreenshotNeo’s free plan to try it.
Java option
Playwright’s screenshot API is also documented for Java. If your automation project uses Java rather than JavaScript, use the Java-specific Playwright screenshots guide and match its examples to the Java version and setup in your project.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use Playwright screenshots for visual regression tests?
Yes. Playwright Test provides page and locator screenshot assertions that wait for consecutive screenshots to stabilize and compare them with expectations. They require the Playwright Test runner.
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Does a full-page screenshot capture every part of a page?
It captures the full scrollable page as a tall image. It is distinct from capturing only the viewport, a clipped rectangle, or a particular element.
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