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Cypress screenshots are useful debugging artifacts, but they are not a continuous record of a test. What appears in the image depends on the capture mode, when the asynchronous capture finishes, and whether the test ran in cypress open or cypress run. For a missing page section, a screenshot without the expected failure, or an unexpected artifact, start by checking those three things.
What Cypress screenshot modes capture
Cypress provides three capture modes. The documented Screenshot API default is fullPage, but you can choose a mode for a manual screenshot. Element screenshots are an exception: they ignore the capture setting.
| Mode | What appears | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|
viewport |
The application’s current browser viewport. | Content outside the visible viewport is not included. |
fullPage |
Cypress scrolls through the application and stitches images into a full-page capture. | This is a sequence of captures, not one untouched frame. Fixed and sticky elements can affect the result. |
runner |
The application viewport together with the Cypress Command Log. | blackout selectors do not apply to runner captures. |
When Test Replay is enabled and the Runner UI is hidden, Cypress documents an exception: a runner capture shows the application in its current viewport without the Runner UI. Automatic failure screenshots are also forced to runner mode, regardless of the requested capture type. See the Cypress screenshot command documentation and configuration reference for the options supported by your Cypress version.
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Why a full-page image may not look like one complete page
Because Cypress scrolls down the page and stitches images together, elements that stay fixed or become sticky deserve special attention. A header may appear in multiple stitched sections or interact unexpectedly with the capture. Check the page in your own app rather than assuming the result represents a single instant.
Also check for app-specific behavior during scrolling: lazy-loaded images may not yet have appeared, or page content may change while Cypress moves through it. These are practical things to investigate, not evidence on their own of a Cypress defect. If exact visual fidelity matters, compare the image with the page at each scroll position.
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Why a failure screenshot can miss the failure
Screenshot capture is asynchronous. Cypress documents that taking a screenshot takes around 100 ms, and the application can change before capture completes. A failure image can therefore show a state different from the moment the failing command was issued. The Command Log may also still be rendering, so the image might not include the error text you expected.
cy.screenshot() is not a retrying visual assertion: Cypress runs chained assertions once rather than retrying them. If a still image does not explain a timing-sensitive failure, use video or other run-debugging evidence to understand the sequence instead of expecting the screenshot to preserve it.
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Manual and automatic screenshots depend on how you run Cypress
You can call cy.screenshot() in both cypress open and cypress run. Automatic screenshots on test failure are taken during cypress run; Cypress does not automatically take them during cypress open.
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// Manual capture; works in cypress open and cypress run
cy.screenshot('checkout-state', { capture: 'viewport' })Automatic failure capture is enabled by default for runs. To turn it off, set screenshotOnRunFailure to false in your Cypress configuration:
const { defineConfig } = require('cypress')
module.exports = defineConfig({
screenshotOnRunFailure: false
})By default, screenshots are written under cypress/screenshots. Cypress clears that folder, including nested folders and files, at the start of a run. If you need artifacts from earlier runs to remain there, set trashAssetsBeforeRuns: false in the configuration:
const { defineConfig } = require('cypress')
module.exports = defineConfig({
trashAssetsBeforeRuns: false
})Consult the Cypress configuration reference for current option names and configuration details for your installed version.
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Retries, video, and CI artifacts
Inspect the right retry attempt
When test retries are enabled, Cypress can capture screenshots for failed attempts. Later attempt screenshots have an (attempt n) suffix. Check the artifact for the attempt that failed: an image from a later retry may show a different state than the original failure.
Use video when sequence matters
Video is a separate artifact and is disabled by default. When enabled, Cypress records each spec in cypress run, not in cypress open. Videos are written to cypress/videos by default when recording is enabled. This sequence can help explain timing that a still image cannot.
Recording and uploading are separate choices. With the --record flag, Cypress processes and uploads videos to Cypress Cloud after each spec. Cypress documents configuration that can remove videos for specs without retries or failures. Check the video settings for the Cypress version and run workflow you use.
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Know where to look for CI output
Cypress can make CI screenshots available in Cypress Cloud. Exporting artifacts into the CI provider’s own interface depends on that provider’s configuration; do not assume a local screenshot folder will automatically appear there.
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Configuration options and their boundaries
- Capture type: the documented default is
fullPage. The setting does not control element screenshots, and automatic failure screenshots are forced torunner. - Scaling: the documented default for
scaleisfalse. - Timers and animations: the documented default for
disableTimersAndAnimationsistrue. This setting does not guarantee every app has finished rendering or reached a stable state. - Blackout: selectors for obscuring content apply only to viewport captures, not runner captures.
- Command Log synchronization: the Screenshot API includes configuration for synchronization with the Command Log, but capture remains asynchronous; inspect the docs for the exact behavior supported by your version.
Defaults describe configuration behavior, not a guarantee that application rendering is stable. For current option details, see the Screenshot API documentation.
Troubleshoot a screenshot that looks wrong or is missing
| Symptom | Likely explanation | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| The screenshot cuts off content. | The capture used viewport, or full-page scrolling and stitching did not represent the page as expected. |
Check the capture mode; for full-page images, inspect fixed or sticky elements and content that changes or loads during scrolling. |
| A failure image does not show the error. | Capture is asynchronous; the app or Command Log may have changed or still been rendering. | Use video or other run-debugging evidence when timing and sequence matter. |
| No automatic failure screenshot appears in the interactive runner. | Automatic failure screenshots are a cypress run behavior. |
Call cy.screenshot() manually in cypress open, or reproduce the failure with cypress run. |
| Older screenshots disappeared. | Cypress clears the screenshots folder before a run by default. | Set trashAssetsBeforeRuns: false if prior files need to persist. |
| The image shows the wrong retry state. | Retries can produce attempt-specific screenshots. | Inspect the filename and its (attempt n) suffix. |
| A blackout selector did not hide content. | Blackout applies to viewport captures, not runner captures. | Choose a viewport capture if that is appropriate, or use another way to protect the content. |
When a visual review service is useful
Built-in screenshots and optional video are usually the first evidence to inspect for an individual test failure. If you need baseline comparisons or a review-and-approval workflow across browsers or viewport widths, a visual testing service may be a better fit. Cypress’s visual testing guide distinguishes local open-source image-comparison plugins from hosted review services; it names Argos for CI and pull-request integration and SmartBear VisualTest for Cypress commands covering full-page, element, and multi-device captures plus a review dashboard. Treat those as examples described by Cypress, and verify current capabilities and commercial terms with each provider.
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