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In Python, navigate with Chrome WebDriver and call driver.save_screenshot('screenshot.png'). The method saves the current browser window as a PNG and returns a Boolean you can check for a file-write failure.
Capture a Chrome screenshot in Python
The smallest working Selenium flow is: create a Chrome WebDriver, open the URL, save the current window, and always quit the browser.
from selenium import webdriver
driver = webdriver.Chrome()
try:
driver.get('https://example.com')
saved = driver.save_screenshot('screenshot.png')
if not saved:
raise OSError('Could not save screenshot')
finally:
driver.quit()save_screenshot() writes the current window to a PNG file. Selenium documents a full path and a .png extension for the filename; it returns True when the save succeeds and False for an IOError. See the Chromium WebDriver Python API.
Replace the example URL and output path with your own values. Use an absolute path when a scheduled job, test runner, or container could have a different working directory:
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from pathlib import Path
from selenium import webdriver
output = Path('/tmp/selenium-captures/home.png')
output.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
driver = webdriver.Chrome()
try:
driver.get('https://example.com')
if not driver.save_screenshot(str(output)):
raise OSError(f'Chrome could not write {output}')
finally:
driver.quit()What Selenium’s screenshot call captures
The driver method captures the current browsing context (the browser window Selenium is controlling) at the moment the call runs. It is not an instruction to capture an arbitrary DOM node, and the documented API does not establish a Chrome-specific full-page image mode.
Current-window PNG file
Use driver.save_screenshot(path) when the next step is a file upload, visual-regression artifact, or human review. Check the returned Boolean if a failed write must fail the test rather than silently producing no artifact.
PNG bytes in memory
driver.get_screenshot_as_png() returns PNG data as bytes. This avoids a temporary file when you want to send the image to another library, object store, or test report.
from selenium import webdriver
with webdriver.Chrome() as driver:
driver.get('https://example.com')
png_bytes = driver.get_screenshot_as_png()
# Pass png_bytes directly to code that accepts PNG bytes.Base64-encoded image text
driver.get_screenshot_as_base64() returns Base64-encoded image text, useful when an HTML report or another interface expects an encoded string.
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from selenium import webdriver
with webdriver.Chrome() as driver:
driver.get('https://example.com')
encoded = driver.get_screenshot_as_base64()
html_image = f"<img src='data:image/png;base64,{encoded}' alt='Capture'>"Alternative file method
driver.get_screenshot_as_file(path) also writes the current window as PNG and reports success with a Boolean. Choose it when that name better matches an existing codebase; its capture scope is the same as the driver screenshot.
Capture one element instead of the whole window
When the artifact should contain only a card, chart, form, or other element, locate that element and call its screenshot method. This keeps the capture scope at the selected element rather than the current browser window.
from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.common.exceptions import NoSuchElementException
with webdriver.Chrome() as driver:
driver.get('https://example.com')
try:
panel = driver.find_element('css selector', '.pricing-panel')
except NoSuchElementException:
raise RuntimeError('The .pricing-panel element was not found')
if not panel.screenshot('pricing-panel.png'):
raise OSError('Could not save the element screenshot')Use a selector that identifies the intended element on the page. If the selector matches nothing, Selenium cannot produce the element image; if it matches the wrong node, the file can be valid while still being the wrong artifact.
Make the capture repeatable
Navigate before capturing
Call driver.get() before the screenshot and place the capture after whatever application-specific condition means that the page is ready. For a static page, the sequence in the first example is sufficient. For a page that renders data after navigation, synchronize with your application’s own readiness signal before calling the screenshot method.
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Use deterministic output names
Include a run identifier, route, or timestamp in the destination when several captures are produced. Create the parent directory first and avoid relying on the process’s current working directory.
Close every browser session
Put driver.quit() in a finally block or use a context manager. This prevents an exception during navigation or saving from leaving a Chrome process behind and affecting later captures.
Current-window, element, and output choices
| Method | Scope | Result | Use it when |
|---|---|---|---|
driver.save_screenshot(path) |
Current window | PNG file plus Boolean success | You need a file artifact and want to detect an I/O failure. |
driver.get_screenshot_as_file(path) |
Current window | PNG file plus Boolean success | You prefer the explicit “as file” method name. |
driver.get_screenshot_as_png() |
Current window | PNG bytes | The next operation processes the image in memory. |
driver.get_screenshot_as_base64() |
Current window | Base64 text | An HTML report or API field requires encoded image data. |
element.screenshot(path) |
Selected element | Element image file plus success result | You need one component rather than the entire current window. |
These documented paths establish PNG output, current-window capture, and element capture. They do not by themselves establish a Chrome-specific full-page method, a guaranteed viewport size, or equivalent behavior in every headless configuration, so do not treat save_screenshot() as proof that an entire long page was captured.
Common failures and fixes
Chrome WebDriver will not start
Symptom: WebDriver raises an exception before get() runs. Cause: Chrome, the WebDriver component, or the environment is unavailable or incompatible. Fix: Verify that Chrome can launch in the same account or container as the script, that the WebDriver setup used by your Selenium installation is available, and that the process has permission to execute it. The screenshot call cannot run until the browser session is created.
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The method returns False
Symptom: Chrome navigates successfully, but save_screenshot() reports failure. Cause: The destination cannot be written, commonly because the directory does not exist or the process lacks permission. Fix: Create the directory, pass an absolute path, check permissions, and fail the job on a false return instead of assuming a file exists.
NoSuchElementException for an element capture
Symptom: The element lookup fails. Cause: The selector does not match the current DOM at capture time. Fix: Confirm the selector against the page you opened and synchronize with the application’s render condition before looking up the element.
The image is blank or shows an intermediate state
Symptom: The file is valid but contains a loading shell, cookie prompt, or incomplete content. Cause: The screenshot was taken before the page reached the state you intended. Fix: Put the call after your page-specific readiness condition, and inspect the URL and DOM state immediately before capture.
The screenshot is the wrong scope
Symptom: You expected one component or a full document but received the current window. Cause: Driver screenshots and element screenshots are different APIs, and the documented driver method is current-window capture. Fix: Use the element method for a single node; for long-page output, choose a tool that explicitly documents full-page capture rather than assuming Selenium’s basic call provides it.
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Performance, reliability, and cost considerations
A Selenium capture includes browser startup, navigation, page rendering, and image encoding. Reuse one WebDriver session for a sequence of pages when isolation requirements allow it, and always close it at the end. Saving PNG bytes directly can remove a temporary-file step; saving to an absolute path is easier to audit in CI.
The Selenium APIs described here do not specify a per-screenshot service charge. Your practical costs are the machine or container running Chrome and the time required for each browser session. Capture size, page complexity, and your synchronization logic affect runtime, but the cited API documentation does not provide a universal benchmark.
For reliable artifacts, record the destination path, check Boolean results, retain the browser log or test context when a capture fails, and keep the URL and selector alongside the image so another run can reproduce the request.
Or skip the browser setup
ScreenshotNeo provides a website screenshot API and MCP server when you want one HTTP request instead of managing Chrome WebDriver. It accepts a URL and returns PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF. Before capture it can accept cookie or consent banners and remove more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets; each cleanup step can be disabled.
Only clean shots are billed. Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits cost nothing, and the response identifies the result with X-Page-Verdict and X-Billed headers. Its MCP server exposes take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf to Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients.
One-call cURL request
See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options and authentication details.
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://example.com -o shot.webpPython request
import requests
r = requests.get("https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot", params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://example.com"}, timeout=90)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)Node.js request
const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://example.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);Options relevant to automated captures
- Full-page capture with lazy images loaded, or one element selected by CSS selector.
- Dark mode, 12 device presets, arbitrary viewports, and retina scale.
- Wait for a selector, a delay, or network idle; click an element before capture; inject custom CSS or JavaScript; and hide selectors.
- Block ads, trackers, requests, or resource types; provide custom headers, cookies, a user agent, or Authorization; and set timezone or geolocation.
- Resize images, choose a transparent background, cache with a TTL you choose, create signed links for public
<img>tags, submit asynchronous jobs with signed webhooks, capture up to 100 URLs per bulk call, and query usage through the usage API. - Generate PDFs with paper size, margins, landscape orientation, and page ranges. An OpenAPI specification is available, and parameter names used by other screenshot APIs also work to ease migration.
Plans
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Every feature is on every plan, and yearly billing provides two months free. If you want to try the API rather than install and maintain a browser session, sign up for 1,000 free screenshots a month with no card. Paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots.
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