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A 403 from ScreenshotAPI.net can mean your monthly screenshot quota is exhausted, your trial has expired, or the target website refused the connection. Check the exact error identifier in the response before changing credentials: ScreenshotAPI.net documents a missing token as a 401, not a 403. The steps below distinguish a provider error from a forbidden page returned by the website you are capturing.

Why am I getting a 403 from ScreenshotAPI.net?

ScreenshotAPI.net documents three different conditions that can produce a 403: screenshots_limit_reached, trial_expired, and ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED. Each points to a different fix, so start with the response body and record the exact code or message. See the official error reference.

Error identifier Likely cause First check
screenshots_limit_reached Monthly screenshot quota reached Usage and plan quota
trial_expired Trial period ended Account or subscription status
ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED The target server or network refused the connection Target availability and network or firewall policy

Do not assume that every 403 is an API-key problem. The provider’s error reference lists a missing token as 401; it does not identify invalid credentials as one of these three 403 causes.

What does screenshots_limit_reached mean?

This code indicates that your account has reached its available monthly screenshot quota. Check your usage and plan in the ScreenshotAPI dashboard. The provider’s help page says to increase the available quota by upgrading if you need more captures. Read ScreenshotAPI’s quota guidance.

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Distinguish this monthly quota error from a requests-per-minute limit: ScreenshotAPI.net documents the latter as a 429 response, not this 403. Diagnose the code actually returned rather than treating all limits as interchangeable.

What should I check if the trial expired?

For trial_expired, check whether the trial or account status has changed and whether an eligible paid plan is active. ScreenshotAPI.net advises upgrading. If the dashboard status appears inconsistent with the response, contact the provider’s support team to confirm the account state.

What should I check when the target connection is refused?

ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED refers to the connection to the target site, rather than necessarily to your ScreenshotAPI account. Check the destination independently and work through these possibilities:

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  • Confirm the URL is correct, including the scheme and hostname.
  • Check whether the destination site is available from an ordinary browser or another network.
  • Ask the target site owner or administrator whether a firewall or network policy blocks the capture service.
  • If your environment uses a proxy, treat it as a diagnostic possibility for network problems—not a guaranteed remedy.

If the destination is down or refusing connections, changing your ScreenshotAPI token will not make it reachable. The provider’s error reference identifies connectivity, target availability, and firewall conditions as relevant checks.

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Is this a ScreenshotAPI error or the website’s own 403 page?

First determine whether the API request itself returned an error, or whether the returned capture contains a 403 page from the destination. Inspect the API response body and headers, then look at the captured page and any visible branding. A website can deny access even when the screenshot service accepted your API request.

Cloudflare explains that an unbranded 403 is generally returned directly by the origin server, while a Cloudflare-branded 403 may come from its security controls, such as WAF rules or other edge protections. The target’s response details and branding can help identify which layer denied access. See Cloudflare’s explanation of HTTP 403. If the page belongs to the target site, contact its owner or administrator; changing your ScreenshotAPI plan or key is not a fix for the target’s access policy.

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How do I check the token and request?

ScreenshotAPI.net documents this v3 request format:

GET https://shot.screenshotapi.net/v3/screenshot?token=TOKEN&url=URL&[OPTIONS]

Confirm that your integration sends the token and target URL as request parameters, and that the token is the current one shown in your dashboard. The provider’s rendering instructions explain the request parameters and key management. If you rotate the token, the new key replaces the old one and the old key is revoked; update every integration that uses it.

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For a missing token, follow the 401 error rather than interpreting it as one of the documented 403 branches. A correctly supplied token also does not grant access to a target page that requires its own login.

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How do I capture a page that requires login?

Provider authentication and target-site authentication are separate. A valid ScreenshotAPI token authorizes use of the API; it does not sign you in to a protected destination. ScreenshotAPI’s help documents supplying custom cookies for cookie-authenticated pages. Use only accounts and access you are authorized to use, and avoid exposing session cookies in logs or shared code. See ScreenshotAPI’s help page.

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Or skip the browser setup

If your aim is simply to obtain a clean capture rather than troubleshoot this provider’s 403, ScreenshotNeo is an alternative website screenshot API. It removes cookie and consent banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture; bot checks, blank pages, failed loads, timeouts, and cache hits are not billed. Its response identifies the page verdict and billing status in headers, and its MCP server lets AI agents take screenshots.

One GET request can return a screenshot or PDF. For example, this cURL request saves a WebP capture of Stripe; replace the URL with the page you are authorized to capture:

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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

See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for authentication, response details, and options. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000. Sign up for ScreenshotNeo’s free plan.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does ScreenshotAPI.net use 403 for a missing token?

No. Its error reference documents a missing token as 401.

Can a proxy fix ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED?

It may be relevant to some network conditions, but ScreenshotAPI.net does not promise that a proxy will resolve every refusal.

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