Python Selenium gives you multiple ways to capture the entire page, specific HTML elements, or even raw screenshot data.
Let's start!
1. Visible Viewport Screenshot
The simplest approach is capturing what’s currently visible in the browser window.
from selenium import webdriver
driver = webdriver.Chrome()
driver.get("https://www.selenium.dev")
driver.save_screenshot("viewport.png") # user-friendly alias
# or
driver.get_screenshot_as_file("viewport_file.png") # same thing
driver.quit()
It captures only the visible viewport, not the full scrollable page.
Take into consideration that save_screenshot() is just a wrapper around get_screenshot_as_file(). Both return True on success, False on I/O errors.
2. Full-Page Screenshot
Capturing the entire page depends on the browser.
Firefox (native support):
from selenium import webdriver
driver = webdriver.Firefox()
driver.get("https://www.selenium.dev")
driver.get_full_page_screenshot_as_file("fullpage.png")
Chrome (using CDP):
import base64
from selenium import webdriver
driver = webdriver.Chrome()
driver.get("https://www.selenium.dev")
# Ask Chrome for layout metrics (get full content size)
metrics = driver.execute_cdp_cmd("Page.getLayoutMetrics", {})
width = int(metrics["contentSize"]["width"])
height = int(metrics["contentSize"]["height"])
# Override device metrics so Chrome renders the ENTIRE page
# in a single "virtual" viewport (width x height).
driver.execute_cdp_cmd(
"Emulation.setDeviceMetricsOverride",
{
"mobile": False, # emulate desktop, not mobile
"width": width, # full content width
"height": height, # full content height
"deviceScaleFactor": 1, # 1 = normal DPI (increase for HiDPI/retina)
},
)
# Capture screenshot of this expanded surface
fullpage_screenshot = driver.execute_cdp_cmd(
"Page.captureScreenshot", {"fromSurface": True}
)
# Clear the override to restore normal browser behavior
driver.execute_cdp_cmd("Emulation.clearDeviceMetricsOverride", {})
# Save full page image to file
with open("screenshoot_fullpage_chrome.png", "wb") as f:
f.write(base64.b64decode(fullpage_screenshot["data"]))
driver.quit()
As of the time of writing, Chrome does not natively support full-page screenshots, so the CDP method is necessary. This will change once the WebDriver BiDi protocol is completely implemented.
After setting a custom viewport with Emulation.setDeviceMetricsOverride, it’s a good practice to call Emulation.clearDeviceMetricsOverride once the screenshot is taken.
Technically, this step isn’t required if your script ends right after capturing the screenshot, since the browser session will close anyway. However, leaving the override active can affect later interactions: the page may render as if it were displayed on an abnormally large monitor, causing layout issues or unexpected JavaScript behavior.
Clearing the override restores Chrome to its normal viewport, ensuring consistent behavior if you plan to keep browsing, testing, or taking additional screenshots in the same session.
3. Screenshot of a Specific HTML Element
Sometimes you don’t need the whole page, just a particular element. Selenium makes this easy with WebElement.screenshot().
from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By
driver = webdriver.Chrome()
driver.get("https://www.python.org/")
element = driver.find_element(By.ID, "documentation")
# element.screenshot
element.screenshot(f"screenshot_webelement.png")
driver.quit()
Alternative: Get as PNG bytes
from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By
driver = webdriver.Chrome()
driver.get("https://www.python.org/")
element = driver.find_element(By.ID, "documentation")
# Gets the screenshot of the current element as a binary data.
png_bytes = element.screenshot_as_png
with open("screenshot_webelement_bytes.png", "wb") as f:
f.write(png_bytes)
driver.quit()
Ok, we have reached the end of this article. I hope it helps 💪
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