How to Capture Full-Page Screenshots with PageCrawl.io

Direct answer: PageCrawl captures full-page screenshots as part of website monitoring. To retain them, enable Screenshots in team Active Features and turn on Full Page Screenshots for the monitor. To save a screenshot from every check, including checks with no detected change, enable Record every check where available and select the relevant monitors or templates. PageCrawl documents this as a monitoring capture workflow; its extension guide does not describe a one-off screenshot download control.

If you need a replayable record of the page rather than a static image, use PageCrawl’s separate Web Archiving feature, which creates WACZ archives on eligible plans.

Set up full-page screenshot capture

Add the page as a monitor. Open the page in a supported browser, click the PageCrawl extension, choose + Track New Page, select what to track, set optional importance or notification preferences, choose a check frequency, and start monitoring. The extension is available for Chrome and Firefox; Chromium browsers such as Edge and Brave can use the Chrome version. PageCrawl recommends its bookmarklet for Safari or other browsers. See the PageCrawl browser extension guide.
Enable screenshots for the team. In team settings, open Active Features and confirm Screenshots is enabled.
Enable full-page capture for the monitor. Open the monitor’s Crawling Preferences and turn on Full Page Screenshots.
Choose when screenshots are recorded. Screenshots associated with detected changes can be reviewed in the monitor’s change history. If you need a capture from every check, including checks without a detected change, enable workspace-level Record every check where available and select the relevant monitors or templates. The per-monitor preference is called Record screenshots of every check; this capability is described as available on Ultimate.
Run a check and review its history. After the monitor checks the page, use its history to review the screenshot associated with the result. Verify that full-page capture and the intended retention setting apply to that monitor.

PageCrawl’s product page describes the feature as capturing and storing full-page screenshots for review. Its extension’s documented purpose is to add pages to monitoring and review changes, not to export a one-off image file. See the PageCrawl product page and Web Archiving with WACZ guide.

Choose between a screenshot and a web archive

Need	Use	What it retains
Quick visual reference or visual change review	Screenshot	A static image. Content below the fold is included when full-page screenshot capture is enabled.
Historical copy that can be inspected and replayed	WACZ web archive	Page HTML, CSS, scripts, images, and fonts, for interactive replay in a compatible viewer.

Web Archiving is a separate feature, listed for the Ultimate plan. Its guide says archive checks must run every six hours or less frequently. Enable Web Archiving in Active Features, then set the monitor or template to Archive, or configure workspace recording. If WACZ generation fails—for example, on a page with a complex structure—the guide says PageCrawl creates a self-contained HTML archive as a fallback. Archives can be downloaded as WACZ files and opened in compatible viewers.

Choose based on what you need to prove or inspect: a compact static visual, or a replayable copy containing page assets. Also consider whether you need a capture only when a change is detected or from every check, and whether your plan and check frequency meet the archive requirements. PageCrawl’s WACZ guide covers these distinctions.

Tracking modes are not screenshot exports

When adding a monitor, PageCrawl offers tracking choices such as Full Page Text, Specific Area, Visual, Price, Restock, Feed, and Parse AI, depending on the page. These choices define what the monitor tracks. In particular, Full Page Text tracks webpage text, while Visual tracks visual changes in a specified area. Neither mode is documented as a control for downloading a full-page screenshot. Check PageCrawl’s tracked element types guide when choosing a monitoring mode.

When you need a one-off image file

If your goal is a single full-page image rather than scheduled monitoring, use a dedicated browser capture extension as a separate tool. For example, the Chrome Web Store describes GoFullPage as a full-page screen capture extension. It is not a PageCrawl feature. See the GoFullPage listing.

Or skip the browser setup

ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server for developers. Make one GET request with the URL to capture a full-page screenshot. This cURL example saves a WebP image:

curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" \
  -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY \
  --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com \
  -o shot.webp

Python:

import requests

r = requests.get(
    "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot",
    params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"},
    timeout=90,
)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)

Node.js:

const q = new URLSearchParams({
  access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY',
  url: 'https://stripe.com',
});
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Screenshot request failed: ${res.status}`);
await Bun.write('shot.webp', new Uint8Array(await res.arrayBuffer()));

For options such as PDF output, device presets, custom waits, CSS selectors, cookies, and request blocking, see the ScreenshotNeo API documentation. Cookie banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets are removed before the shot. Bot checks, blank pages, and failed loads are never billed; response headers identify the page verdict and billing status. Its MCP server lets AI agents use take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 screenshots.

Troubleshooting

What you see	Likely cause	What to check
No screenshot is retained	The team Screenshots feature or the monitor’s Full Page Screenshots setting is off.	Check both team Active Features and that monitor’s Crawling Preferences.
A screenshot appears only when a change is detected	Recording is configured around changes rather than every check.	Where available, enable workspace Record every check and select the applicable monitors or templates. Check the plan requirement for this capability.
The captured image does not include the whole page	Full-page capture may not be enabled for that monitor, or you may be looking at a tracking mode rather than its screenshot.	Confirm Full Page Screenshots is on and review the monitor’s screenshot history.
You expected a downloadable image from the extension	The documented extension flow adds pages to monitoring; it is not described as one-off screenshot export.	Use a dedicated browser capture extension for a one-time image, or use an API such as ScreenshotNeo.
WACZ is unavailable or no archive is retained	Web Archiving may not be enabled, the plan may not include it, or the check interval may not meet the stated condition.	Enable Web Archiving, verify Ultimate eligibility, and use checks every six hours or less frequently.
WACZ generation fails	A page’s structure may be complex.	PageCrawl’s guide describes a self-contained HTML archive fallback; check whether that archive is available.

Performance, reliability, and cost considerations

Capture frequency: recording every check retains more history than saving only change-related captures. Choose the setting that matches how much history you need and confirm the feature is available for your plan.
Archive workload: WACZ preserves page assets for replay, while a screenshot is a static image. Use an archive when interactive preservation matters and account for the documented check-frequency condition.
Fallback behavior: complex pages can prevent WACZ generation; PageCrawl says it falls back to a self-contained HTML archive.
One-off versus monitoring: the extension flow is for setting up monitoring. For a single image, a dedicated capture tool or screenshot API is a better fit.
Plan checks: the research material identifies Record every check and Web Archiving as Ultimate capabilities. Confirm current plan eligibility in PageCrawl before relying on those retention modes.

FAQ

Does Full Page Text make a full-page screenshot?

No. It tracks visible webpage text. Screenshot retention is controlled by screenshot and full-page settings.

Can I use the PageCrawl extension in Safari?

The extension guide recommends PageCrawl’s bookmarklet for Safari or another browser outside Chrome and Firefox.

When should I choose WACZ over a screenshot?

Choose WACZ when you need a replayable historical page with its assets. Choose a screenshot when a static visual record is sufficient.

Is the screenshot feature for a single manual capture?

The reviewed PageCrawl materials describe screenshots as monitoring captures and do not document a manual, one-off export workflow.