How to take a full page screenshot in Chrome
You do not need an extension to capture a whole page. Chrome has a free command for it, hidden in its developer tools. An extension or an editor only earns its place if you do this often or want to mark up the result.
1. Use Chrome’s own command
- Open the page and let it finish loading.
- Press F12 or Ctrl+Shift+I on Windows or Linux, or Command+Option+I on a Mac, to open DevTools.
- Press Ctrl+Shift+P, or Command+Shift+P on a Mac, to open the Command Menu.
- Type
screenshotand choose Capture full size screenshot. Chrome saves the image, normally to your Downloads folder.
There is no editor, so crop or mark up the file elsewhere. It does not suit every page either: Zapier’s test found it works best on text-heavy pages and captured only the visible window in Google Docs.
Chrome can also save a page as a PDF. Press Ctrl+P, or Command+P on a Mac, and choose Save as PDF as the destination. You get print pages rather than one long image, so the layout can differ from what you see on screen.
2. Check what else is already free
On Windows, the Snipping Tool opens with Windows logo key+Shift+S and can crop, draw and highlight. Its Quick redact hides email addresses and phone numbers. Microsoft lists no scrolling mode, so it captures what fits on screen.
Microsoft Edge captures long pages without an extension. Press Ctrl+Shift+S, choose Capture full page, then draw on the result before you copy or save it. You would need to open the page in Edge and sign in there if the page requires it.
You do not need to buy Marginshot to capture a full page.
| Option | Useful for | Check before relying on it |
|---|---|---|
| Chrome’s command | A full page with nothing to install | No editor; some web apps capture only the visible window |
| Windows Snipping Tool | Anything on screen, with crop, pen and highlighter | No documented scrolling capture |
| Microsoft Edge | A full page with drawing on top | The page has to be open in Edge |
| GoFullPage | Unlimited full-page captures, exported as PNG, JPEG or PDF | Cropping, text, highlight and blur are in Premium, $1 a month |
| FireShot | Whole page, visible part or selection, saved as PDF, PNG or JPEG | Editing and some PDF features are listed under its paid upgrade |
| Scrnli | Full-page and area capture with text, arrows and highlights, plus screen recording and link sharing | We could not confirm its free editor and export limits |
| Marginshot | Full page, visible page or area, then crop, arrows, text, highlights and solid covers, kept on your computer | Ten new edited captures a month for free; no capture of pages that scroll inside a panel |
GoFullPage’s listing says it handles inner scrollable elements and embedded frames, which Marginshot does not. These descriptions come from each publisher’s own pages, checked on 6 November 2026. We have not run a head-to-head test, and we do not claim to beat these tools on every feature. This guide is written by Marginshot’s developer.
3. Capture the page with Marginshot
- Install Marginshot from the Chrome Web Store.
- Open an ordinary web page and let it settle. Close any cookie banner first: fixed elements stay in the first screen of the capture and are hidden after that, so a header appears once rather than repeating. If the page loads images as you scroll, scrolling to the bottom and back first can help.
- Click the Marginshot button, in Chrome’s Extensions menu if you have not pinned it, and choose Full page. Use Visible page or Choose an area for something smaller.
- Stay on the tab and do not resize or zoom. Marginshot scrolls the page and joins the pieces, taking at least half a second per screen height. Press Esc or Cancel to stop; your scroll position is put back either way. The editor opens in a new tab when it finishes.
Marginshot stops with a message rather than saving part of a page. That happens when the page changes height or navigates during capture, which is common on infinite feeds, and when it scrolls sideways or inside a panel. Very complex pages and pages beyond 80 screen heights, 30,000 pixels per side or 64 megapixels also stop it. Visible page or Choose an area usually gets you the part you need.
It cannot capture Chrome’s own pages, the Web Store, Chrome’s PDF viewer or incognito windows.
4. Mark it up and save it
Use Crop, Arrow, Text, Highlight and Cover on the left. Ctrl+Z undoes and Ctrl+Shift+Z redoes. Your work saves on your computer as you go, and you can reopen it from Saved captures.
Choose PNG, JPEG or PDF, then choose Save image or Save PDF. Files go to a Marginshot
folder in your downloads. Copy image puts a PNG on the clipboard. An export over 32 MB fails
with a suggestion to use JPEG or crop a smaller area. PDF pages are images, so their text cannot be
selected; use Chrome’s Save as PDF if you need that.
To hide something, use Cover, not Highlight. A cover is solid and is flattened into exported images and PDFs, while a highlight is translucent. The covered pixels remain in your editable project, and Save original exports the image without any edits. Check the exported file before you share it, and use Delete capture or Clear saved captures to remove projects you no longer want. Files you already exported stay where you saved them.
What is free
Original captures and exports are unlimited within your device’s storage. A capture with no crop or marks uses no allowance. Free also includes ten new edited captures per local calendar month. A capture uses one on its first successful edited copy or export; failed attempts do not spend it. After that, more edits, other formats and repeat exports of that capture stay free. Deleting a capture does not give its allowance back. Marginshot Pro removes the limit for $7.99 once.
Screenshots and editable projects stay on your computer, with no cloud upload or hosted sharing. That also means uninstalling Marginshot or losing your browser profile can remove saved projects, so keep exported copies of anything you want to retain. Marginshot’s page has the terms, refunds and privacy policy.