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Use Puppeteer’s Page.screenshot() method after navigating to the URL, and set type: 'jpeg'. Provide a .jpg path to save the image. The example below captures the full page; remove fullPage: true to capture only the viewport.
Convert a URL to JPEG with Puppeteer
Install Puppeteer in your project, then run this ES module. Puppeteer’s screenshot guide demonstrates this browser, navigation, and capture workflow: Puppeteer Screenshots guide.
import puppeteer from 'puppeteer';
const browser = await puppeteer.launch();
try {
const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.goto('https://example.com', { waitUntil: 'networkidle2' });
await page.screenshot({
path: 'page.jpg',
type: 'jpeg',
quality: 85,
fullPage: true,
});
} finally {
await browser.close();
}Replace https://example.com with the URL you want to capture. The script writes page.jpg in the current working directory. The quality value of 85 is an example setting, not a universal recommendation.
Choose the screenshot size and quality
Viewport or full page
Puppeteer captures the visible viewport by default. Set fullPage: true to capture the full page instead. You can also use a clip to capture a defined region; captureBeyondViewport controls capture beyond the viewport. See the ScreenshotOptions API for the available options.
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JPEG quality
The quality option accepts values from 0 to 100. It applies to JPEG, not PNG. A higher value generally retains more image detail at the cost of a larger file; choose a value appropriate to your use case rather than treating 85 as a benchmark.
Save to a file or use the image data
When you pass path, Puppeteer saves the image to that location. Without a path, page.screenshot() returns a Uint8Array by default, which you can pass to another function or write using your runtime’s file APIs. It can also return a base64 string when base64 encoding is requested. Details are in the Page.screenshot() API.
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Wait for the page content you need
The example uses waitUntil: 'networkidle2', a navigation condition shown in Puppeteer’s guide. It does not guarantee that every site’s application content is ready. A page may load additional content after navigation, such as data-driven sections or images activated by scrolling. For those pages, wait for the relevant selector or use an appropriate page-specific wait before taking the screenshot.
For example, if a page renders the main content only after a particular element appears, wait for that selector after navigation:
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await page.goto('https://example.com', { waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded' });
await page.waitForSelector('main article');
await page.screenshot({ path: 'article.jpg', type: 'jpeg', quality: 85 });Choose a selector that actually represents readiness for the page you are capturing; a selector appearing does not necessarily mean every image or asynchronous component has finished loading.
Capture one element instead of the whole page
If you only need a chart, card, or other element, locate it and call its screenshot() method. Puppeteer scrolls the element into view if needed. See ElementHandle.screenshot().
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const element = await page.waitForSelector('.report-card');
if (!element) throw new Error('Report card was not found');
await element.screenshot({ path: 'report-card.jpg', type: 'jpeg', quality: 85 });Common problems and fixes
- The output is PNG instead of JPEG: Set
type: 'jpeg'. When saving with a path, Puppeteer can infer the format from a.jpgor.jpegextension if you omittype, but setting it explicitly avoids ambiguity. The supported image formats include PNG, JPEG, and WebP; see the ImageFormat type. - The screenshot is cut off at the viewport: Add
fullPage: truefor the full page, or define a clip if you need a specific region. - The capture is blank or missing dynamic content: Navigation completion and application readiness are not the same. Wait for a page-specific selector or content condition before capturing.
- The script exits before the browser closes: Keep
browser.close()in afinallyblock so the browser is closed even if navigation or capture throws an error. - You need bytes rather than a file: Omit
pathand use the returned screenshot data; by default it is aUint8Array.
Or skip the browser setup
ScreenshotNeo converts a URL to an image or PDF with a GET request. It removes cookie banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture; bot checks, blank pages, and failed loads are never billed. Its MCP server lets AI agents take screenshots, and the free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots. See the ScreenshotNeo documentation.
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://example.com -o shot.jpgSign up for ScreenshotNeo’s free plan to get 1,000 screenshots a month with no card.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Puppeteer save a screenshot as a .jpg file?
Yes. Set type: 'jpeg' and use a .jpg or .jpeg path.
What is the default screenshot format in Puppeteer?
When saving to a path, Puppeteer can infer the image format from the extension. Set type explicitly when you want to specify JPEG directly.
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