If you have ever tried to capture a long web page and ended up stitching four screenshots together in an image editor, this guide is for you. Here is how to take a scrolling screenshot on any device — in Chrome, on Windows, on Mac, on iPhone, and on Android — plus what to do when the capture comes out broken.
What is a scrolling screenshot?
A scrolling screenshot — also called a full-page screenshot or a long screenshot — captures everything on a page, not just the part visible on your screen. Instead of grabbing the single viewport in front of you, the tool scrolls the page automatically, captures each section, and stitches them into one continuous image.
It is the difference between a screenshot of what you can see and a screenshot of the whole thing: an entire article, a full pricing table, a long dashboard, a complete checkout flow. Anyone documenting bugs, building help articles, archiving research, or sending a design review has hit the limits of a normal screenshot within about five minutes.
How to take a scrolling screenshot in Chrome
Chrome is where most people need this, and it is also where you have the most options. The fastest and most reliable method is a dedicated extension, because it handles the two things that break most captures: lazy-loaded images and sticky headers.
Using CapFu (recommended)
Install and open the extension
Add CapFu to Chrome, then open the page you want to capture. Let it finish loading — this matters more than people expect.
Choose full-page capture
Click the CapFu icon and pick Full Page, or press Alt + Shift + F. CapFu auto-scrolls the entire document, captures each section, and stitches it into one clean image — no manual scrolling, no visible seams.
Annotate and export
The editor opens straight away with the finished capture. Crop it, circle the important part, or add arrows and text with the built-in annotation tools, then export as PNG, JPG, or PDF — or copy it to your clipboard and paste it directly into Slack, Notion, Jira, or Figma.
Why an extension beats the built-in option: CapFu handles fixed headers so they do not repeat down the image, and it waits for lazy-loaded content so you do not end up with a column of grey placeholder boxes. It also captures pages behind a login, which most online screenshot tools cannot reach.
That is the short version. If you take screenshots every day, the full capture-to-share workflow — with a keyboard shortcut for every step — will save you more time than the capture itself.
Using Chrome DevTools (no extension)
Chrome has a built-in full-page capture buried in developer tools. It works, but it is clunky and it struggles with lazy-loaded pages.
- Press F12 (or Cmd + Option + I on Mac) to open DevTools.
- Press Ctrl + Shift + P (Cmd + Shift + P on Mac) to open the command menu.
- Type screenshot and choose Capture full size screenshot.
The image saves straight to your downloads folder. There is no editor, no annotation, and no way to adjust the result — so it is best for a quick one-off rather than anything you plan to share.
How to take a scrolling screenshot on Windows
Windows has no native scrolling screenshot. The Snipping Tool and PrtScn both capture only what is on screen, and Windows has never shipped a built-in full-page option.
So on Windows your options are:
- For web pages: use a browser extension like CapFu. This covers the overwhelming majority of cases, since most long content lives in a browser anyway.
- For desktop apps: you will need third-party software with scroll capture, since no browser tool can reach outside the browser.
How to take a scrolling screenshot on Mac
Like Windows, macOS has no system-wide scrolling screenshot. Cmd + Shift + 4 and Cmd + Shift + 5 capture regions and windows, but neither scrolls.
For web pages, a Chrome extension is again the cleanest route — and it works identically across Chrome, Edge, Brave, and Arc, so you are not relearning anything if you switch browsers. Safari users can use File → Export as PDF, which captures the full page but gives you a PDF rather than an image, with no control over the framing.
How to take a scrolling screenshot on iPhone
iPhone has this built in, but only inside Safari and a handful of Apple apps:
- Take a normal screenshot (Side button + Volume Up, or Home + Side on older models).
- Tap the thumbnail that appears in the bottom-left corner.
- Tap Full Page at the top of the screen.
- Tap Done and choose Save PDF to Files.
The catch: it saves as a PDF, not an image, and the Full Page tab only appears in Safari and select Apple apps. In Chrome for iOS or most third-party apps, you will not see the option at all.
How to take a scrolling screenshot on Android
Most modern Android phones support this natively, though the wording varies by manufacturer:
- Take a normal screenshot (Power + Volume Down).
- When the preview appears, tap Capture more, Scroll, or Scrollshot depending on your phone.
- Drag the crop handles to set how much of the page to include, then save.
Samsung calls it Scroll capture, Google Pixel calls it Capture more, and OnePlus calls it Expanded screenshot — same feature, different label.
Why scrolling screenshots break (and how to fix them)
If your capture came out wrong, it is almost always one of these four causes:
| What you see | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The header repeats down the image | A fixed or sticky navigation bar is re-captured in every section | Use a tool that detects fixed elements, or hide the header before capturing |
| Grey boxes or blank gaps | Lazy-loaded images had not loaded when the section was captured | Scroll the full page once first so everything loads, then capture |
| Visible seams or duplicated rows | The page shifted between captures, usually from animations | Wait for animations to settle, or capture in region sections instead |
| The capture stops partway | Infinite scroll — the page has no real end | Scroll to the point you want, then use region select for that span |
The one habit that fixes most problems: scroll to the bottom of the page once before you capture. It forces lazy-loaded images to render, and it solves the single most common cause of a broken scrolling screenshot.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a scrolling screenshot and a full-page screenshot?
Nothing — they are two names for the same thing. Scrolling screenshot, long screenshot, and full-page screenshot all describe capturing an entire page rather than just the visible area. Phone makers tend to say scrolling; browser tools tend to say full page.
Can I take a scrolling screenshot of a page behind a login?
Yes, if you use a browser extension. Because it captures whatever your browser can already see, it works on authenticated pages, dashboards, and internal web apps. Online screenshot services that fetch a URL from their own servers cannot do this, since they are not logged in as you.
Does Windows have a built-in scrolling screenshot?
No. Neither the Snipping Tool nor PrtScn scrolls. You need a browser extension for web pages or third-party software for desktop applications.
Why does my scrolling screenshot have repeated headers?
The page uses a fixed or sticky header that stays put while the rest scrolls, so it gets captured in every section. Tools that detect fixed positioning handle this automatically; otherwise, hide the header with DevTools before capturing.
Can I take a scrolling screenshot as an image instead of a PDF?
On iPhone, the built-in Full Page option only saves as PDF. To get a PNG or JPG, use a browser extension that exports images directly — that way you can paste it straight into Slack or a ticket without a conversion step.
Still wondering about capture modes, privacy, or how the on-device OCR works? The full CapFu FAQ covers it in more detail.
Capture the whole page in one click
CapFu takes scrolling screenshots in Chrome without the stitching, the seams, or the repeated headers. Free to install, no account needed.
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