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CurlShot

Turn any URL into an image

To turn a URL into an image, paste the address into CurlShot and press the button. CurlShot loads the page in a real browser and returns a screenshot of it as an image file. On this page you download a JPEG; with the API you choose PNG, JPEG or WebP.

No address handy? Try

How much of the page?
As seen on a…
Save it as…
Example: wikipedia.org as seen on a computer, top of the page

This is an example: wikipedia.org on a computer, top of the page, a screenshot made with CurlShot. Paste an address above to make your own.

Ads and cookie pop-ups hidden. This page has none, so the screenshot is the same either way.

No account needed to try it. A free account gives you 100 screenshots a month, no card needed.

Create a free account

How to turn a URL into an image in three steps

  1. 1

    Paste the URL into the box.

  2. 2

    Choose the whole page or just the top, and the screen size.

  3. 3

    Press "Take the screenshot", then download the image.

PNG, JPEG or WebP: which format to ask for

The page is drawn the same way whichever format you choose. Only the file is different: how large it is, whether it can be see-through, and how exact the pixels are.

Show the table (3 rows)
formatTransparent backgroundQuality settingBest for
png (default)Yes, with omit_background=trueNo: every pixel is keptText, interfaces, flat colour, logos
jpegNoimage_quality from 1 to 100, default 80Photos and long pages, attachments
webpYes, with omit_background=trueimage_quality from 1 to 100, default 80Images shown on your own website
  • image_width and image_height resize the result, up to 8,000 px a side. Give one and the other follows the shape of the page; give both and the image is cropped to fill that box, keeping the top of the page.
  • response_type=json returns a short JSON answer with a link to the file instead of the file itself.
  • The same request with format=pdf returns a document instead of an image.
The top of the Wikipedia article about the Eiffel Tower, as an image
A URL turned into an image: the first screen of a Wikipedia article at 1280 × 800.

What people use it for

  • Put a screenshot of a website into a document or a slide
  • Show a page in a chat or a ticket without sending a link
  • Make an image of a page for a blog post or a newsletter
  • Generate images of pages automatically from your own code

For developers: one request

The same thing from your own code. It is a plain HTTP request, so it works from any language. Create a free account to get an access key.

Request
curl "https://curlshot.com/api/v1/screenshot?access_key=YOUR_ACCESS_KEY&url=https://example.com&format=webp&image_quality=80" \
  --output page.webp

Questions people ask

How do I convert a URL to a PNG or JPG?

Paste the URL into CurlShot and download the screenshot. With the API, add format=png, format=jpeg or format=webp to the request.

Which image format should I pick?

PNG is exact and best for pages with text and flat colour. JPEG and WebP make much smaller files and are the better choice for long pages and photos.

Can I get a smaller image, such as a thumbnail?

Yes. With the API, image_width and image_height resize the result, so you can ask for a 400 pixel wide thumbnail directly.

Is it free?

You can try it on this page without an account. A free account adds a monthly allowance of screenshots and keeps them in one place.

Guides that go deeper

Related tools

Take as many screenshots as you need

A free account gives you 100 screenshots every month and keeps them in one place. No card needed.

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