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In Node.js, use Playwright’s page.screenshot() method. Launch a browser, open a page, navigate to the target URL, then save the capture with path or keep the returned image buffer in memory. Set fullPage: true for the full scrollable document, or use a locator’s screenshot() method to capture an element.
Set up a Node.js screenshot script
Install Playwright in your project and install the browser you plan to use. For example, from the project directory:
npm install playwright
npx playwright install chromiumSave the following as screenshot.js. It launches Chromium, visits a page, writes a PNG in the current working directory, and closes the browser even if navigation or capture fails.
const { chromium } = require('playwright');
(async () => {
const browser = await chromium.launch();
try {
const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.goto('https://example.com');
await page.screenshot({ path: 'screenshot.png' });
} finally {
await browser.close();
}
})();Run it with node screenshot.js. The output path is relative to the process’s current working directory, not necessarily the directory containing the script. Use an absolute path if another working directory might run the script. Playwright’s screenshot type is inferred from the filename extension when saving to a path.
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Choose a browser
The example uses Chromium. Playwright also supports Firefox and WebKit; use the browser that matches the behavior you want to capture. The screenshot API’s core sequence is otherwise the same: navigate a page and call page.screenshot().
Be explicit about navigation readiness
page.goto() waits according to its navigation policy, but a site can render or update content after navigation. If a screenshot is missing content that appears later, wait for the relevant element before capturing rather than adding an arbitrary long delay. For example:
await page.goto('https://example.com');
await page.locator('main').waitFor();
await page.screenshot({ path: 'screenshot.png' });Choose a selector that actually identifies the content your capture needs. If the target is created only after an interaction or API response, perform that action or wait for the resulting state before taking the image.
Choose what to capture
| Need | Playwright call | What it captures |
|---|---|---|
| Visible page viewport | page.screenshot({ path: 'shot.png' }) |
The current viewport; fullPage defaults to false. |
| Full scrollable page | page.screenshot({ path: 'shot.png', fullPage: true }) |
The page as if it fit on a very tall screen. |
| One element | page.locator('selector').screenshot({ path: 'element.png' }) |
The element’s bounds after Playwright brings it into view. |
| Image in memory | const buffer = await page.screenshot() |
A Buffer, with no file written unless your code saves it. |
Capture the full page
Set fullPage: true when the target is the entire scrollable document rather than just what is currently visible:
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Capture an element
Locator screenshots are the recommended locator-based method:
await page.locator('.product-card').screenshot({ path: 'card.png' });The locator screenshot waits for actionability checks and scrolls the element into view. The capture is limited to the element’s bounds. It does not reveal content covered by an overlay; for a scrollable container, only the content currently scrolled into view is captured. If the locator becomes detached from the DOM while Playwright is preparing the capture, the call throws. Prefer a locator over an ElementHandle for this workflow.
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Capture to a Buffer instead of a file
Omit path to receive the screenshot bytes as a Node.js Buffer:
const buffer = await page.screenshot();
// Pass buffer to an image-processing or comparison library.This is useful when the next step is in-memory processing, upload, or comparison. The Buffer contains image data; your application decides where to send or store it. If you also need a disk copy, write the buffer using Node’s filesystem APIs.
Set image format, size, and appearance
PNG, JPEG, or WebP
PNG is the default. Use type to request JPEG or WebP; when saving to a path, the extension can determine the type.
await page.screenshot({ path: 'shot.webp', type: 'webp', quality: 85 });quality ranges from 0 to 100 and applies to JPEG and WebP, not PNG. JPEG defaults to quality 80. WebP defaults to 100, which is lossless; lower WebP quality is lossy. Choose a format based on the consumer of the image: PNG is the default, while JPEG or lossy WebP can reduce output size at the cost of image fidelity. Transparency is not supported for JPEG.
CSS pixels or device pixels
Screenshot scale controls the relationship between CSS pixels and output pixels. The default, 'device', uses device resolution and can produce images twice as large or larger on high-density displays. Use 'css' for one output pixel per CSS pixel when compact, consistent dimensions matter:
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await page.screenshot({ path: 'css-scale.png', scale: 'css' });For visual comparisons, keep viewport and scale settings consistent between runs; otherwise, the output dimensions or pixel density can differ even when the page layout has not meaningfully changed.
Clip to a rectangle or use transparency
Use clip to capture a specified rectangle instead of the whole viewport or full page:
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await page.screenshot({
path: 'region.png',
clip: { x: 20, y: 30, width: 500, height: 300 }
});The rectangle uses page coordinates. Use fullPage when the intended target is the whole scrollable document; use clip when you know the exact rectangular region. Set omitBackground: true to hide the default white background and preserve transparency where supported. It does not apply to JPEG.
Make captures repeatable
Dynamic pages can produce visibly different screenshots across runs. Playwright provides capture options for several common sources of variation:
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These options are also available for locator screenshots. Apply only the adjustments that fit the purpose of the capture: hiding a changing timestamp may help a regression image, but it would be wrong if the timestamp itself is what you are checking.
Use screenshots in Playwright Test
For test failure evidence, Playwright Test can capture screenshots automatically. Configure the screenshot setting in the test configuration’s use options:
import { defineConfig } from '@playwright/test';
export default defineConfig({
use: {
screenshot: 'only-on-failure'
}
});Supported modes are 'off', 'on', 'only-on-failure', and 'on-first-failure'. Set fullPage in the screenshot configuration when failure artifacts should cover the full page. This is different from calling page.screenshot() in application code: automatic mode is for test artifacts, while an explicit call gives your script control over the capture point and access to the Buffer.
Timeouts, performance, and output size
The screenshot call’s timeout defaults to zero. You can change the default using browserContext.setDefaultTimeout() or page.setDefaultTimeout(), or provide a timeout on the screenshot call. A screenshot that waits indefinitely is not necessarily a hung browser: it may be a consequence of the timeout setting. Check the installed Playwright version before depending on newer API options; the Page API documents AbortSignal support as added in v1.62, while the documentation under /next describes forward-looking material.
Capture time and file size depend on the page, image dimensions, scale, and format. Full-page images can be much larger than viewport images, and device scale can multiply the pixel count. For batch jobs, keep browser cleanup in a finally block, avoid capturing more page area than needed, and use an appropriate format and scale. If you process captures in memory, account for the Buffer size and release references when no longer needed.
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Troubleshooting common screenshot problems
The image is blank or missing content
Make sure navigation completed and wait for a selector that marks the content you need. If content appears after scrolling, interaction, or client-side updates, reproduce that state before the capture. A screenshot records the rendered state at its capture point; it cannot include content that has not appeared yet.
The screenshot is only the visible portion
That is the default. Add fullPage: true to capture the full scrollable page. If you are using a locator screenshot, it captures the element bounds rather than automatically expanding a scrollable container to include all of its off-screen content.
An element is missing or partly covered
Confirm the locator matches the intended element and that it remains attached through the capture. Locator screenshots scroll the target into view, but overlays can still cover content. Dismiss or hide the overlay if that matches the intended test, or capture a different target.
The output file is somewhere unexpected
A relative screenshot path resolves from the current working directory. Print or inspect process.cwd(), or pass an absolute path to remove ambiguity. Check that the process has permission to write to the destination directory.
The file type or quality is unexpected
Check the path extension and the explicit type. PNG is the default, and the quality option does not affect PNG. For transparent output, do not use JPEG; use a format that supports transparency and set omitBackground: true.
The call times out or never finishes
Check whether a screenshot timeout was set explicitly or inherited from the page or browser context. Wait for a specific page condition before capture rather than relying on a vague delay, and check that the browser can launch in the environment where the script runs. A timeout of zero on the screenshot call means the call has no timeout by default, so choose an explicit limit if your application needs a bounded operation.
Or skip the browser setup
For a hosted screenshot request, ScreenshotNeo takes a URL through one GET request and returns an image or PDF. For example, this Node.js call saves the response body:
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const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://stripe.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Screenshot request failed: ${res.status}`);
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