How-To

How to Screenshot a Whole Page in Google Chrome

By Adam Davidson

Updated April 15, 2024

When you’re screenshotting a web page, you might need content that’s off the screen. Here’s how to screenshot a whole page in Google Chrome.

Taking a screenshot is a useful way to quickly capture information from your computer. If you’re shopping on a website, for example, you can screenshot your order confirmation, so that you have evidence of your purchase if anything goes wrong.

There’s one issue with taking screenshots of web pages, however. Most web pages usually include more content than is visible on your screen at any one moment. You may need to scroll and scroll to get to the bottom of the page. Unfortunately, a screenshot will only capture the content that’s currently visible.

Luckily, there are a few ways to take a screenshot that includes not only the visible content but also all of the rest of the web page content that’s hidden off the bottom of the screen. Here’s how to screenshot a whole page in Google Chrome.

How to Screenshot a Whole Page in Google Chrome using Developer Tools

Although there’s no simple way to screenshot a whole page in Google Chrome, it is possible to do so using the Developer tools. These are tools intended to help web developers build sites that work well in Chrome and can provide a lot of features that aren’t available with the usual Chrome tools. If you want to be a true Chrome power user, it’s worth getting to know these tools. The Developer tools can seem a little overwhelming, but you can follow the steps below to use them to screenshot the contents of an entire page in Chrome.

1. Open the page you want to screenshot in Chrome.
2. Click the Three Dots icon in the top right of the screen.
   
3. Hover over More Tools and select Developer Tools.
   
4. Alternatively, press Ctrl+Shift+I on Windows or Cmd+Option+I on Mac.
5. In the panel that opens, click the Three Dots icon.
   
6. Select Run Command.
   
7. Type capture.
   
8. From the results beneath, click Capture Full Size Screenshot.
   
9. A screenshot of the entire web page will be saved to your downloads folder.
10. If you only want to capture a specific section of the web page that extends beyond the current view, repeat steps 1-7 but select Capture Area Screenshot from the results.
    
11. Drag out the area you want to capture; you’ll need to scroll down before releasing the mouse button to capture content off the bottom of the visible screen.

How to Save a Whole Page in Google Chrome to a PDF

Another method of saving a snapshot of an entire web page in Chrome is to save the page as a PDF through the print settings. Saving the page as a PDF will capture the entire web page, not just the part that’s visible on the screen. This trick isn’t exclusive to Chrome; you can use it with other browsers, too. Note that this method may not capture all the content on the screen in every case. You should check the print preview to ensure that the information you want is being saved.

1. Open Chrome and navigate to the page you want to save.
2. Click the Three Dots icon.
   
3. Select Print.
   
4. Select Save as PDF as the destination and click Save.
   
5. Choose a location and give the file a different name if you wish.
6. Click Save and the PDF will save to your chosen location.

Other Ways to Screenshot a Whole Page in Google Chrome

There are also several third-party Chrome extensions that you can use to take screenshots in Chrome. Many of these allow you to take a screenshot of the entire web page rather than just the visible portion. You can choose from a selection of extensions in the Chrome app store that will do the job.

1. Open Chrome and click the Three Dots icon.
   
2. Hover over Extensions and select Visit Chrome Store.
   
3. Type screenshot into the search field and press Enter.
   
4. Install one of the available screenshot extensions and follow the instructions to capture a whole-page screenshot in Chrome.

Capturing Screenshots in Chrome

Learning how to screenshot a whole page in Google Chrome ensures that you can capture all the content on a web page, and not just the content that’s visible on the screen. It’s important to remember that many sites can have pages that scroll a long way, meaning that your screenshot will be very long. If there is a specific portion of the screen that you want to capture, you might be better off using the Capture Area Screenshot command as described in the first section of this article.