Guide

How to take a screenshot of a website

Capture any web page by hand on your device, or capture it straight from a URL automatically with an API. Here is both.

The quick way: your device shortcut

For a one-off, every platform has a built-in capture tool.

Windows

Press Windows + Shift + S to open the Snipping Tool, then drag to select an area. Press PrtScn to copy the whole screen. Captures are copied to the clipboard and saved to Screenshots.

Mac

Press Cmd + Shift + 4 to select an area, or Cmd + Shift + 5 for the capture toolbar with window and recording options. Files save to the desktop by default.

Chrome

Open DevTools, open the Command Menu, type "screenshot", and pick a capture mode. "Capture full size screenshot" saves the entire page, not just the visible part.

iPhone

Press the side button and volume up together. For a web page, tap the preview and switch to the "Full Page" tab to save the whole scrollable page as a PDF.

The repeatable way: screenshot a website from its URL

Device shortcuts are manual and capture your screen. To screenshot a page from its URL, on a schedule, or across hundreds of pages, use a screenshot API. Send the URL and get a hosted image back. Nothing to install, no browser to open.

cURL
curl https://grabbit.live/api/v1/grabs \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_live_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{ "url": "https://example.com" }'

Add full_page for the whole document, a format of PNG, JPEG, or WebP, a delay_ms wait for content that loads with JavaScript, or a selector to capture one element. See the screenshot API for every option, or the full-page screenshot guide for whole-page capture.

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Screenshot a website FAQ

How do I take a screenshot of a webpage?
Use your device shortcut for a quick capture: Windows + Shift + S on Windows, Cmd + Shift + 4 on Mac, or the side button plus volume up on iPhone. To capture a page from its URL automatically, call a screenshot API with the URL.
How do I take a screenshot of a website from its URL?
Send the URL to a screenshot API. With Grabbit, POST the url to /api/v1/grabs and you get back a hosted image_url. This is the repeatable, automatable way to screenshot a website without opening a browser.
How do I screenshot an entire web page, not just the visible part?
Use a full-page capture. In Chrome, use the DevTools "Capture full size screenshot" command. With the Grabbit API, set full_page: true. See our full-page screenshot guide for details.
How do I take a screenshot of a website that does not allow it?
Server-side capture sidesteps client-side blockers because it loads the public page in a fresh browser rather than copying your screen. A screenshot API renders the public URL directly. Only capture content you have the right to use.
Can a website tell if you screenshot it?
A normal device screenshot is local, so a standard website cannot detect it. A server-side screenshot API loads the page like any visitor, so the site sees a normal page request, not a screenshot event.
How do I capture a screenshot in Chrome?
Open DevTools, open the Command Menu, type "screenshot", and choose a mode: full size, a selected area, or a specific node. For automated captures across many pages, use an API instead.

Need to capture pages automatically? See automated screenshots.