tabs.captureVisibleTab()

Creates a data URL encoding the image of an area of the currently active tab in the specified window. You must have the <all_urls> permission to use this method. (Alternately, Chrome allows use of this method with the activeTab permission and a qualifying user gesture).

This is an asynchronous function that returns a Promise.

Syntax

let capturing = browser.tabs.captureVisibleTab(
  windowId,               // optional integer
  options                 // optional extensionTypes.ImageDetails
)

Parameters

windowId Optional: integer. The target window. Defaults to the current window.
options Optional: extensionTypes.ImageDetails.

Return value

A Promise that will be fulfilled with a data URL which encodes the captured image. May be assigned to the 'src' property of an HTML Image element for display. If any error occurs the promise will be rejected with an error message.

Examples

Capture an image of the active tab in the current window, with default settings:

function onCaptured(imageUri) {
  console.log(imageUri);
}

function onError(error) {
  console.log(`Error: ${error}`);
}

browser.browserAction.onClicked.addListener(() => {
  let capturing = browser.tabs.captureVisibleTab();
  capturing.then(onCaptured, onError);
});

Browser compatibility

	Desktop						Mobile
	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Internet Explorer	Opera	Safari	WebView Android	Chrome Android	Firefox for Android	Opera Android	Safari on IOS	Samsung Internet
`captureVisibleTab`	5 The default file format is 'jpeg'.	15	47	?	15 The default file format is 'jpeg'.	14 ["The default file format is 'jpeg'.", "`<all_urls>` permission is optional."]	?	?	54	?	15 ["The default file format is 'jpeg'.", "`<all_urls>` permission is optional."]	?

Note: This API is based on Chromium's chrome.tabs API. This documentation is derived from tabs.json in the Chromium code.

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Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License v2.5 or later.
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Add-ons/WebExtensions/API/tabs/captureVisibleTab