How to Save a Webpage as a PDF Without Headers and Footers

Quick answer: Open the webpage’s print preview, choose a PDF destination, turn off the browser’s Headers and footers option in print settings, check the preview, and save. Firefox labels its control Print headers and footers; Edge places Headers and footers under More settings. These controls remove browser-added print details such as the date, URL, or page number. They do not remove content that is part of the website itself.

What the headers and footers setting removes

Browsers can add print metadata around a page, such as its URL, the current date, a page number, or a title. Switch off the print preview’s headers-and-footers option to omit that browser-generated material from the PDF.

A website’s own masthead, navigation, ad, cookie banner, or footer is page content. Turning off browser headers and footers does not remove it. If the content makes the document hard to read, use a browser’s simplified or reader view when available, or adjust the page separately before printing.

Background graphics are controlled separately. Turning off headers and footers does not necessarily turn off colors or images printed behind the page content.

Save a webpage as a PDF without headers and footers in Firefox

1. Open the webpage you want to save.
2. Open print preview with Ctrl+P on Windows or Linux, or Command+P on macOS.
3. In the destination menu, select Save to PDF.
4. Expand More settings and clear Print headers and footers.
5. Review the preview, then save the PDF.

Firefox also offers print settings such as paper size, scale, pages per sheet, margins, format, two-sided printing, and print backgrounds. When Simplified format is available, it can reduce page clutter; Mozilla notes that print backgrounds cannot be selected with Simplified format. Not every webpage offers the simplified format, and printing can rearrange a page compared with its on-screen appearance, so inspect the preview before saving. Mozilla’s Firefox printing instructions describe these options.

Save a webpage as a PDF without headers and footers in Microsoft Edge

1. Open the webpage in Edge.
2. Choose Settings and more > Print, or use Ctrl+P on Windows or Command+P on macOS.
3. Choose a PDF destination shown in the print dialog.
4. Open More settings and clear Headers and footers.
5. Review the preview and save the PDF.

Edge describes this option as adding the current date in the header and a page number in the footer when selected. The available PDF destination and exact labels can vary with the operating system and print setup. Edge also has a separate Background graphics setting. For clutter within the webpage, Immersive Reader may help when the site supports it; Microsoft describes it as a workaround for clutter-free printing. See Microsoft’s Edge print instructions.

Choose settings for a readable PDF

Setting	What it affects	When to change it
Headers and footers	Browser-added print metadata	Disable it to omit details such as date, URL, or page number.
Margins	Space between the page content and paper edge	Adjust if text is clipped or too far from the edge.
Scale	Printed content size	Reduce it if content is cut off; check that text remains readable.
Paper size and orientation	Page dimensions and layout direction	Choose a size or orientation that fits the content.
Background graphics	Page background colors and images	Enable if the design depends on them; disable if you want a lighter document.
Simplified or reader format	How webpage content is reformatted for printing	Try it when navigation or other page content distracts, if available.

These settings solve different problems. If the preview still shows a site banner after you disable headers and footers, that banner is part of the webpage or its print layout.

When the option is missing or does not work

• The checkbox is missing: Check the browser’s own print preview and expand More settings. A system print dialog can expose different controls. Try returning to the browser preview to find the browser-specific setting.
• The checkbox is disabled or keeps changing back: A work or school administrator may manage the setting. Chrome policies can control whether users choose the setting, and Edge’s PrintHeaderFooter policy can force headers and footers on or prevent them. Ask the administrator to check the browser policy. See Google’s Chrome policy guidance and Microsoft’s Edge policy reference.
• The PDF still contains a website header or footer: Those are page elements, not browser print metadata. Try Firefox Simplified format or Edge Immersive Reader if available, or edit the webpage content before printing.
• The saved page looks different from the screen: Web layouts can change for paper. Preview the PDF and adjust format, margins, scale, paper size, or orientation. Mozilla specifically cautions that webpages may arrange themselves differently in print.
• Colors or images disappeared: Check the separate print-background or background-graphics setting. In Firefox, Simplified format prevents selecting print backgrounds.
• Only some pages are wrong: Check the page range and scale in print settings, then review the selected pages in preview before saving.

Or skip the browser setup

If you need a PDF capture in code, ScreenshotNeo provides a website screenshot API and MCP server. Its PDF options include paper size, margins, landscape orientation, and page ranges. This API call captures a URL as a PDF:

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

See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for the request options. ScreenshotNeo accepts cookie or consent banners like a visitor and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture; each step can be turned off. Bot checks, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits cost nothing, and response headers say the page verdict and whether it was billed. Its MCP server provides take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf for AI agents. The free plan includes 1,000 shots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots.

Sign up for 1,000 free screenshots a month, with no card required.

Performance, reliability, and cost

For an occasional document, browser print-to-PDF is direct and has no additional service cost. For repeatable or automated captures, an API avoids setting up browser printing in your own code. Check the preview for manual saves; for automation, handle timeouts and failed page loads explicitly, and inspect the response’s verdict and billing headers. ScreenshotNeo says failed loads and cache hits are not billed. Its plans range from 1,000 free shots monthly to paid tiers of 3,000 for $5, 15,000 for $15, 60,000 for $39, 250,000 for $99, and 1,000,000 for $249; yearly billing gives two months free. All features are available on every plan.

Frequently asked questions

Does turning off headers and footers remove the website’s own footer?

No. It removes browser-added print metadata. A footer designed into the webpage remains unless a simplified view or editing removes it.

Will this setting change the webpage itself?

No. It changes the printed or saved output, not the live webpage.

Why does my organization’s browser always print page numbers?

A managed browser policy may force headers and footers on. Ask your administrator to review the relevant browser policy.

Can I save only selected pages?

Yes, where the browser’s print dialog provides a page range. Review the selected pages in preview before saving.

Sources

• Mozilla Support: How to print web pages in Firefox
• Microsoft Support: Print in Microsoft Edge
• Microsoft Learn: PrintHeaderFooter policy
• Google Chrome Enterprise: Set Chrome policies for users or browsers