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To download the image used in a link preview, find the page’s og:image metadata tag, copy its content URL, open that URL in a new browser tab, and save the image. This retrieves the source image—not a screenshot of the preview card. If several og:image tags exist, start with the first one because Open Graph gives it preference when values conflict.

What “website preview image” means

The phrase can describe two different files:

  • The share image: the image a social network or messaging app uses beside a link. It is usually declared in the page’s HTML metadata as <meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/image.jpg">.
  • A preview-card screenshot: a picture of the rendered webpage, including its layout, text and controls.

This guide focuses first on downloading the share image, also called the Open Graph image. The Open Graph protocol describes og:image as “An image URL which should represent your object within the graph.” If you need a screenshot of the page instead, use the automation option near the end.

Download the Open Graph image in a browser

1. Open the page whose image you need

Navigate to the exact article, product page or home page that is being shared. Preview images can differ between URLs, language versions, mobile pages and redirects, so copy the URL that is actually used in the share.

2. Open the HTML source or inspect the head

Use one of these browser paths:

  • Chrome or Edge: right-click the page, choose View page source, then press Ctrl+F (Windows/Linux) or Command+F (macOS).
  • Firefox: right-click, choose View Page Source, then search the source.
  • Developer Tools: choose Inspect, open the Elements panel, expand the document’s <head>, and search for og:image.

Searching the source is often simpler because it shows the metadata delivered by the server. Inspecting the live DOM is useful when a script inserts or changes tags after the page loads.

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3. Find og:image

Search for og:image, including the colon. The usual form is:

<meta property="og:image" content="https://cdn.example.com/previews/story-123.jpg">

Copy only the value inside content. Do not copy the surrounding quotes, the property name or the entire HTML tag.

4. Open the image URL directly

Paste the copied URL into a new tab and press Enter. A successful result normally displays the image by itself. If the browser displays a download prompt, accept it; otherwise use the save command.

5. Save the file

  • Right-click the image and select Save image as… (Chrome, Edge or Firefox).
  • On a phone, press and hold the image and choose the browser’s download or save-image command.
  • Keep the original extension when possible. The server may return JPEG, PNG, WebP or another format regardless of the filename.

The saved file is the asset at the metadata URL. It may not match a preview currently shown by a platform if that platform cached an older version.

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When there are several image tags

A page can contain multiple og:image tags, sometimes for different crops or resolutions. Try the first tag first: the Open Graph protocol gives the first property preference when values conflict. If that URL is unavailable or clearly the wrong crop, test the following tags in order.

Some pages also provide optional structured properties such as og:image:type (MIME type), og:image:width, og:image:height and og:image:alt. These values help you identify the file and its intended dimensions, but they do not replace opening the image URL itself.

Other metadata names

You may see twitter:image, a platform-specific image field, or a regular <link> image reference. Those can be useful clues, but og:image is the standard first place to look for a link-sharing image. If no Open Graph image exists, the sharing service may choose another image or none at all.

Check a LinkedIn preview image against LinkedIn’s requirements

LinkedIn publishes requirements for images used in its sharing module. Its help documentation lists:

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Requirement LinkedIn-published value
Maximum file size 5 MB
Minimum dimensions 1,200 × 627 pixels
Recommended aspect ratio 1.91:1

These are LinkedIn-specific requirements, not universal rules for every social network, search result or messaging application. After downloading the file, check its byte size and pixel dimensions in your operating system’s image information dialog or an image editor. A file can satisfy the dimensions and still be rejected if the server, permissions or URL prevents LinkedIn from fetching it.

Troubleshoot a missing or unusable image

No og:image tag appears

Confirm that you opened the source for the correct URL and searched the document head, not the visible page text. Some sites generate metadata only after JavaScript runs, while others simply do not define an Open Graph image. Check the live DOM with Developer Tools and look for a platform-specific image field. If neither contains one, there may be no declared preview image to download.

The copied URL returns an error

Check that you copied the entire value, including its protocol, path, query string and any case-sensitive characters. Open the URL in a private window to rule out a stale login session. A server may block direct requests, require authentication or return an HTML error page instead of an image; the available evidence does not establish one universal fix for these cases.

The tab shows text or a blank page

Inspect the response’s actual content rather than trusting the file extension. The URL may point to an access-denied page, a redirect loop or an expired signed link. Try the first alternative og:image tag, then save the image only after the browser displays an image.

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The downloaded file has the wrong format or extension

Use the file’s detected MIME type or open it in an image editor to identify the real format. Rename the extension only after confirming the format; changing “.jpg” to “.png” does not convert the file.

The image looks different from the social preview

Platforms can cache previews, resize them or select another metadata value. Compare the platform’s fetch time with the page’s current source and inspect every og:image tag. Updating the page does not guarantee that an existing preview cache changes immediately.

The image is too large for LinkedIn

Verify the downloaded file is at or below 5 MB and at least 1,200 × 627 pixels, with 1.91:1 as LinkedIn’s recommendation. These thresholds apply to LinkedIn’s sharing module only; do not treat them as requirements for other services.

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Image URL versus a screenshot of the preview

Downloading og:image gives you the site owner’s designated image file. It does not capture the title, description, domain label or layout that a social network adds around that image. If your deliverable is a visual record of the rendered webpage, capture the page itself instead. A browser screenshot can include cookie banners, newsletter forms, chat widgets, bot checks or a blank error state, so inspect the result before using it.

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Or skip the browser setup

If you need an automated screenshot of a rendered URL rather than the original og:image asset, ScreenshotNeo returns a PNG, JPEG, WebP or PDF from one request. Its cleaning step accepts cookie or consent banners like a visitor and removes 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.

Use the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for authentication and all options. The following calls use the supplied API format:

cURL

curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webp

Python

import requests
r = requests.get("https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot", params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"}, timeout=90)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)

Node.js

const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://stripe.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);

Replace the example URL with the page you want to render. ScreenshotNeo supports full-page capture with lazy images loaded, CSS-selector element capture, dark mode, 12 device presets or a custom viewport, retina scale, PDF paper size/margins/landscape/page ranges, HTML/CSS-to-image, custom JavaScript and CSS, pre-capture clicks, hidden selectors, waits for a selector, delay or network idle, ad/tracker/request/resource blocking, custom headers, cookies, user agents and Authorization, timezone and geolocation, transparent backgrounds, image resizing, user-selected cache TTLs, signed links for public <img> tags, asynchronous jobs with signed webhooks, bulk capture of up to 100 URLs per call, a usage API and an OpenAPI specification. Parameter names used by other screenshot APIs also work, which can simplify a migration.

An MCP server provides take_screenshot, get_page_info and capture_pdf tools for Claude, Cursor and other MCP clients. This is useful when an AI agent must inspect or capture a page, but it is still a rendered capture—not a guarantee that the site’s original og:image file has been downloaded.

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Plans and cost

Plan Included shots Price
Free 1,000 per month No card required
Starter 3,000 $5
Growth 15,000 $15
Pro 60,000 $39
Scale 250,000 $99
Business 1,000,000 $249

Yearly billing provides two months free, and every feature is available on every plan. Start with 1,000 free screenshots a month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots.

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Before you reuse a downloaded image

Finding and saving a file does not establish that you may republish it. The Open Graph protocol and LinkedIn’s technical guidance describe metadata and delivery requirements, not copyright ownership or reuse permission. Ask the site owner or verify the applicable license before using the image in marketing, publishing or another website.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I download a preview image from a page that requires a login?

Only if you are authorized to access it. The image URL may also require the same authenticated session, so do not bypass access controls.

Will changing an og:image tag immediately update an existing social preview?

Not necessarily. Sharing services may retain a cached preview; the page source can show the new URL while an older card remains visible.

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Is an Open Graph image automatically licensed for my project?

No. Metadata identifies an image URL, not permission to reproduce it. Confirm the owner’s license or obtain permission before reuse.

The Bottom Line

For the original link-preview asset, copy the first usable og:image content URL from the page source and save that URL as an image. Use ScreenshotNeo when the requirement is an automated, cleaned screenshot or PDF of the rendered page.

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