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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Use UrlFetchApp.fetch() to send an HTTP request from Google Apps Script to a screenshot provider’s documented endpoint. The provider determines the authentication method, request body, and whether the response is image bytes, JSON, or an asynchronous job. For a JSON POST, keep the API key in Script Properties, serialize the body with JSON.stringify(), and check the HTTP status before handling the result.
What you need before making the request
- A screenshot API endpoint and its current request documentation. Confirm the HTTP method, authentication format, required fields, response type, and any account or permission requirements.
- An API credential if the provider requires one. Apps Script authorization and the provider’s credential are separate: granting permission to fetch external URLs does not authenticate you with the screenshot service.
- An Apps Script project authorized for external requests. If you explicitly declare OAuth scopes in the manifest, include
https://www.googleapis.com/auth/script.external_request. Google explains the external-request permission in its External APIs guide and UrlFetchApp reference.
Google’s URL Fetch service sends HTTP and HTTPS requests using Google’s network infrastructure and returns an HTTPResponse. The provider, not Apps Script, decides what a successful screenshot response looks like. See Google’s Url Fetch service reference.
Send a JSON POST request
This reusable pattern is appropriate only when the provider documents a JSON POST, an API key in a header, and a response that can be read as text. Replace the endpoint, authentication header, and request fields with the provider’s actual specifications. The example does not assume a screenshot API’s response is JSON.
function requestScreenshot() {
const apiKey = PropertiesService.getScriptProperties()
.getProperty('SCREENSHOT_API_KEY');
if (!apiKey) {
throw new Error('Set SCREENSHOT_API_KEY in Script Properties.');
}
const endpoint = 'https://YOUR_PROVIDER.example/v1/screenshot';
const requestData = {
url: 'https://example.com'
// Add only parameters documented by your provider.
};
const response = UrlFetchApp.fetch(endpoint, {
method: 'post',
contentType: 'application/json',
headers: { 'X-API-KEY': apiKey },
payload: JSON.stringify(requestData),
muteHttpExceptions: true
});
const status = response.getResponseCode();
const body = response.getContentText();
if (status < 200 || status >= 300) {
throw new Error(`Screenshot API returned ${status}: ${body}`);
}
// Parse only if the provider documents a JSON response.
return body;
}- In the Apps Script editor, open Project Settings and add a Script Property named
SCREENSHOT_API_KEYwith your provider credential. Avoid placing credentials in source code or logging their values. - Replace
endpoint,X-API-KEY, andrequestDatawith the values required by the service. An API may instead use a bearer token, a query parameter, OAuth, or another documented method. - Run
requestScreenshot()from the editor and approve the external-request authorization prompt when asked. If the project declares scopes explicitly, make sure the external-request scope is included. - Inspect the returned status and body. Once the request succeeds, handle its documented response type rather than assuming it contains JSON or image data.
For a JSON API, contentType: 'application/json' and payload: JSON.stringify(requestData) send a serialized JSON body. When the provider documents JSON output, parse response text with JSON.parse(response.getContentText()); otherwise use the method suitable for its result, such as getBlob() for binary content. Google documents these fetch options and response methods in the UrlFetchApp reference and shows JSON request and response handling in its External APIs guide.
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Handle the provider’s actual response
Do not assume every screenshot API returns a finished image in the initial response. Depending on its contract, the service may return image bytes, a URL, JSON metadata, or a job identifier that must be collected later. Use getContentText() for textual responses and getBlob() when the provider returns binary image data. Check the status code before parsing or saving anything.
Save a directly returned image to Google Drive
If the provider documents that a successful response body is the image itself, a blob can be saved to Drive:
function saveScreenshotBlob(response) {
const blob = response.getBlob().setName('screenshot.png');
const file = DriveApp.createFile(blob);
return file.getUrl();
}Call this only after checking for a successful status and confirming the provider returns image bytes. Set a filename and MIME type appropriate to the actual output. If the provider returns JSON containing a download URL or job ID, follow that provider’s documented retrieval flow instead.
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Handle asynchronous screenshot jobs
For an asynchronous API, the first response may confirm submission and provide a job ID rather than an image. Poll only at the interval and endpoint the provider documents, or use a webhook if it supports one. Avoid sleeping and polling for long periods inside one Apps Script execution: executions have a runtime limit. A later scheduled run or a provider webhook may be a better fit, subject to the provider’s design and the Apps Script deployment you choose.
Provider-specific example: ScreenshotCenter
ScreenshotCenter’s provider-hosted automation document describes a POST to https://api.screenshotcenter.com/v1/screenshot with an X-API-KEY header, JSON content type, and a JSON body containing a target url. It also describes optional steps for actions such as click, type, wait, and screenshot, plus hide_popups, hide_ads, and video options. The document says to submit the job and poll or use a webhook to collect the result. These are details of that provider’s example, not a general screenshot API contract; confirm the current API reference, response schema, account access, and terms before adapting it. ScreenshotCenter automation document.
Quotas, size limits, and reliability
Google’s quotas page, last updated September 3, 2026, lists URL Fetch limits of 20,000 calls per day for consumer accounts and 100,000 per day for Google Workspace accounts, with a six-minute maximum script runtime per execution for both. It also lists a 50 MB maximum per URL Fetch response and per POST, up to 100 headers, an 8 KB total header limit, and a 2 KB URL length limit. Google says quotas may change without notice; check the current quotas page before deployment. Quotas are per user and reset 24 hours after the first request.
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- Budget for both Apps Script limits and the screenshot provider’s own rate limits, pricing, and response-size restrictions.
- Large full-page images can exceed response-size limits. Consider whether the provider supports a smaller viewport, image format, or other output controls.
- For batches, account for every API call, any polling requests, and the six-minute execution ceiling. Process work in bounded chunks instead of a single long-running loop.
- If the provider restricts access by source IP, Apps Script requests come from a pool of Google IP ranges; consult Google’s published IP range information via the UrlFetchApp reference.
- Before sending private or authenticated target pages to a third-party screenshot service, check the provider’s data handling and terms as well as whether you are permitted to capture that page.
Troubleshooting common failures
Authorization or scope error
Run the function interactively to trigger authorization. If OAuth scopes are explicitly listed in the manifest, add https://www.googleapis.com/auth/script.external_request. This is Google permission for outbound fetching, not an API key for the screenshot service.
401 or 403 response
Check that the provider credential exists in Script Properties, is current, and is sent exactly as documented. Confirm the endpoint and account permissions. Do not assume an X-API-KEY header is correct for another provider.
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Compare the method, content type, JSON field names, and field types against the provider’s current API docs. Ensure the request body is serialized with JSON.stringify() when JSON is required. Check the response body with muteHttpExceptions: true enabled.
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Apps Script throws before the response is available
Network, DNS, or connection failures may prevent an HTTP response from being returned, so there may be no status code or response body to inspect. Verify the endpoint is reachable, correctly spelled, and HTTPS-capable, then try a simple documented request.
Success status but no image appears
The success response may be JSON, a download link, or an asynchronous job acknowledgement rather than image bytes. Inspect the provider’s response schema and retrieve the result using its documented flow before calling getBlob() or saving a file.
Timeout, oversized response, or execution limit
Reduce batch size, avoid excessive polling, and check both Google’s current quotas and the provider’s time and size limits. A large screenshot may hit the 50 MB URL Fetch response cap listed by Google; an asynchronous job or smaller capture may be more suitable.
Best Value
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Provider requires OAuth rather than an API key
Do not substitute an API-key header. Implement the provider’s documented OAuth flow; Google’s External APIs guide points to OAuth libraries and notes service-account authentication as an option for some use cases.
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ScreenshotNeo offers a screenshot API that can be called from Apps Script with UrlFetchApp.fetch(). Cookie banners are accepted and removed before capture, along with known newsletter popups and chat widgets; each cleanup step can be turned off. Bot checks, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and response headers say the page verdict and billing status. ScreenshotNeo also has an MCP server for AI agents, and its free plan includes 1,000 screenshots a month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 screenshots. See the ScreenshotNeo documentation for current request options.
function screenshotWithScreenshotNeo() {
const apiKey = PropertiesService.getScriptProperties()
.getProperty('SCREENSHOTNEO_API_KEY');
if (!apiKey) {
throw new Error('Set SCREENSHOTNEO_API_KEY in Script Properties.');
}
const response = UrlFetchApp.fetch(
'https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?access_key=' +
encodeURIComponent(apiKey) +
'&url=' + encodeURIComponent('https://example.com'),
{ muteHttpExceptions: true }
);
const status = response.getResponseCode();
if (status < 200 || status >= 300) {
throw new Error(`ScreenshotNeo returned ${status}: ${response.getContentText()}`);
}
const file = DriveApp.createFile(
response.getBlob().setName('screenshot.webp')
);
return file.getUrl();
}Add SCREENSHOTNEO_API_KEY as a Script Property, replacing the example target URL with the page you want to capture. The response is saved as a WebP file; see the ScreenshotNeo docs for API options and response details. Sign up for 1,000 free screenshots a month with no card.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Google Apps Script call a screenshot API that returns a PNG or JPEG?
Yes. Use the response handling documented by the provider and Apps Script, such as reading the response as a blob for binary image data; verify the returned format and MIME type before saving it.
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Can I use a screenshot API that authenticates with OAuth?
Yes, if you implement the provider’s required OAuth flow. Apps Script’s external-request authorization does not replace provider authentication.
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