How to Take a Full Page Screenshot in Chrome

Taking a screenshot of the visible part of a website is easy. But what happens when you need to capture a long article, a billing receipt, or a design mockup that requires scrolling?

Standard operating system tools won’t cut it. Here are the two best ways to take full-page screenshots in Google Chrome.

Method 1: Use a Dedicated Extension (Easiest)

The fastest way to capture a scrolling page is using a privacy-focused extension like StackShot.

Install StackShot from the Chrome Web Store.
Pin the icon to your toolbar for easy access.
Navigate to the page you want to save.
Click the icon and select “Capture Page”.

The extension will automatically scroll down the page, stitching images together pixel-perfectly, and present you with a preview. You can then download it as a PNG, JPEG, or even a PDF document.

Why choose an extension?

One-click process: No complex shortcuts to remember.
Intelligent Stitching: Handles floating headers and sticky elements better than native tools.
PDF Support: Native Chrome tools usually only export to PNG.

Method 2: Chrome Developer Tools (Advanced)

If you don’t want to install an extension, Chrome has a built-in hidden feature.

Right-click anywhere on the page and select Inspect.
Press Cmd+Shift+P (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows) to open the Command Menu.
Type “screenshot”.
Select “Capture full size screenshot”.

Chrome will download a PNG of the entire page to your Downloads folder.

Limitations:

Complex to access: Requires navigating developer menus.
Lazy Loading Issues: Often breaks if the page has “lazy loading” images that only load on scroll.
No Multi-page PDF: Limited to static image formats.
Visual Artifacts: Cannot exclude sticky headers, which may repeat throughout the final image.

Conclusion

For one-off captures, Developer Tools are a great fallback. However, for daily productivity, reporting, or design work, a dedicated tool like StackShot saves time and ensures the output looks professional.

Ready to capture better? > Install StackShot for Chrome — It’s free, private, and works in one click.