Use Playwright’s Python page.screenshot() method after navigating to a page. Save the result to a file with path="screenshot.png"; use full_page=True for the full scrollable page, or call screenshot() on a locator to capture one element. Playwright supports synchronous and asynchronous Python APIs, and screenshots can be saved as PNG, JPEG, or WebP.
Take a basic screenshot with synchronous Playwright
This example launches Chromium, opens a page, navigates to a URL, saves the current viewport as a PNG, and closes the browser:
from playwright.sync_api import sync_playwright
with sync_playwright() as p:
browser = p.chromium.launch()
page = browser.new_page()
page.goto("https://example.com")
page.screenshot(path="screenshot.png")
browser.close()The path tells Playwright where to write the image. Here, the .png extension selects PNG output. The screenshot is of the page’s current viewport, not automatically the entire document.
Use a reliable navigation point
The example uses page.goto() before capture, so the screenshot happens after navigation returns. If the page’s meaningful content appears later—for example, after client-side rendering—make sure the page has reached the state you intend to capture before calling screenshot(). Otherwise, a technically successful capture may show a loading state or incomplete content. Avoid assuming that one screenshot call itself waits for every site-specific operation to finish.
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Use the asynchronous Python API
In an async program, use Playwright’s async API and await browser, page, navigation, screenshot, and close operations:
import asyncio
from playwright.async_api import async_playwright
async def main():
async with async_playwright() as p:
browser = await p.chromium.launch()
page = await browser.new_page()
await page.goto("https://example.com")
await page.screenshot(path="screenshot.png")
await browser.close()
asyncio.run(main())Choose the sync or async form to fit the surrounding application. The screenshot options described below apply to the same basic capture operation; with the async API, await the screenshot call.
Capture the full page instead of the viewport
Set full_page=True to capture the full scrollable page rather than only the visible viewport:
page.screenshot(path="full-page.png", full_page=True)In async code, write await page.screenshot(path="full-page.png", full_page=True). This is useful for long articles, landing pages, and page-level visual records where below-the-fold content matters. A full-page image can be substantially taller than a viewport capture; use it when the full document is the intended artifact, not as a substitute for a viewport screenshot when you need to test a specific screen size.
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Capture a single element
Call screenshot() on a locator to save the matching element rather than the whole page:
page.locator(".header").screenshot(path="header.png")
page.get_by_role("link", name="Documentation").screenshot(path="documentation-link.png")The Locator API performs actionability checks and scrolls the element into view. This is often more robust than calculating a crop by hand when the target is a real page element.
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What locator screenshots include
- If another element covers part of the target, the covered portion is not actually visible in the screenshot.
- For a scrollable container, the screenshot captures only the content currently scrolled into view; it does not automatically reveal all content inside that container.
- Use a locator that identifies the intended element unambiguously. If the page has multiple matches, choose a more specific locator or role/name combination.
Choose PNG, JPEG, or WebP
When you provide a path, Playwright infers the image type from the file extension. The documented formats are PNG, JPEG, and WebP. If you omit both an explicit type and a path, PNG is the default format for the returned screenshot bytes.
| Format | How to request it | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| PNG | path="shot.png", or omit the type when capturing to bytes |
Default when no other type is specified. |
| JPEG | path="shot.jpeg" or set the screenshot type to "jpeg" |
JPEG quality is from 0 to 100; the default is 80. |
| WebP | path="shot.webp" or set the screenshot type to "webp" |
At quality 100, WebP is lossless; lower quality values are lossy. WebP screenshot support is documented in Playwright Python 1.62. |
Pick the format based on the artifact’s use: file extension selects the output when using a path, while an explicit type is useful when you want the format independent of the filename. For JPEG or WebP, set quality when you need a particular compression setting. Do not apply a JPEG-style quality assumption to PNG.
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Omit path to have page.screenshot() return image bytes. This is useful when you want to pass the capture directly to another component rather than save a local file:
image_bytes = page.screenshot()
# For example, write the bytes later:
with open("screenshot.png", "wb") as image_file:
image_file.write(image_bytes)For async code, use image_bytes = await page.screenshot(). The returned bytes can also be encoded as base64 or passed to an image-processing tool. If you do write those bytes to disk, choose a filename extension that matches the output format.
Make captures more repeatable
Dynamic content can make otherwise identical captures differ. Playwright’s screenshot options let you control several common sources of variation.
Disable animations
Set animations="disabled" to suppress CSS animations and transitions for the capture. Finite animations are fast-forwarded and infinite animations are canceled for the screenshot. This helps when a visual test should compare a stable state rather than a moving effect.
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page.screenshot(path="stable.png", animations="disabled")Mask changing or sensitive regions
Pass locators in mask to cover regions that vary between runs or should not appear in the artifact. The default mask overlay is pink (#FF00FF); set mask_color to choose another color.
page.screenshot(
path="masked.png",
mask=[page.locator(".timestamp"), page.locator(".user-avatar")],
mask_color="#222222",
)Use a mask deliberately: it hides the selected areas in the screenshot, so it is appropriate for intentionally excluded content, not for concealing a failed or incorrect page state.
Capture a rectangle with clip
Use clip for a rectangular area defined by its position and dimensions:
page.screenshot(
path="region.png",
clip={"x": 20, "y": 40, "width": 640, "height": 360},
)This is useful when the area of interest is a fixed region rather than a semantic element. Coordinates and dimensions are part of the capture definition, so revisit them if the layout changes.
Control pixel scale
The default scale="device" uses device scale and can produce larger images on high-DPI displays. Set scale="css" when you want one output pixel per CSS pixel:
page.screenshot(path="css-scale.png", scale="css")Use the scale that matches the comparison you need. A device-scale image and a CSS-scale image can have different pixel dimensions even when they represent the same page layout.
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Apply screenshot-only CSS
The style option injects CSS for the screenshot. The API reference describes that stylesheet as piercing Shadow DOM and applying to inner frames as well. This can be useful to hide or normalize elements only for the capture without changing the page’s normal stylesheet:
page.screenshot(
path="normalized.png",
style=".timestamp { visibility: hidden !important; }",
)Common problems and fixes
The screenshot is blank or shows a loading state
The capture may have happened before the page’s useful content appeared. Check that navigation succeeded and that any site-specific rendering or content-loading step has completed before taking the screenshot. Capture again after the state you need is present; do not treat a returned image file as proof that the page rendered correctly.
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The screenshot contains only the visible portion of a long page
A default page screenshot captures the viewport. Set full_page=True if the goal is the entire scrollable page. If you are capturing a locator inside a scrollable container, remember that only the currently scrolled content is captured.
The target element is missing or partly hidden
Confirm that the locator matches the element you want. Locator screenshots scroll the target into view and perform actionability checks, but a different page element covering it still hides the covered portion in the image. If the target lives in a scrollable container, scroll that container to the content you need before capturing.
The image type is unexpected
Check the filename extension when using path; Playwright infers the output format from it. If you are capturing bytes and need a particular format, specify the screenshot type instead of relying on a filename.
The output is larger than expected
On high-DPI displays, the default device scale can create larger images. Try scale="css" if one output pixel per CSS pixel is the intended result. For JPEG or WebP, a lower quality setting can reduce image size at the cost of lossy compression; WebP quality 100 is lossless.
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Cost, output, and workflow considerations
For a local Playwright workflow, the screenshot call writes to a path or returns bytes, so your script controls where the artifact goes and what happens next. Select full-page or viewport scope intentionally, use a locator for element-level captures, and choose an output format that fits downstream use. If visual comparisons need consistency, specify animation, masking, scale, clipping, and styling options rather than relying on whatever state happens to be visible.
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Which Playwright screenshot method should you use?
- Use
page.screenshot(path=...)for the current viewport saved to a file. - Add
full_page=Truewhen the entire scrollable page is required. - Use
locator.screenshot(path=...)when only one element is needed. - Omit
pathwhen you need the image bytes in Python rather than an immediate file. - Set format, quality, animation, masking, clipping, scale, or injected style when those properties matter to the output.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does full_page=True apply to a locator screenshot?
It is the page screenshot option for capturing the full scrollable page. A locator screenshot targets the matching element and does not reveal all content inside a scrollable container.
Can I get a screenshot without saving it to a file?
Yes. Omit path; the screenshot call returns image bytes.
Which Playwright Python version documents WebP screenshot support?
Playwright Python 1.62 documents WebP screenshot support.
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