# Screenshot a website in dark mode

> Screenshot any website in its dark theme. One option asks the page for dark mode before the screenshot is taken. Works with full pages, devices and PDF.

To screenshot a website in dark mode, add dark_mode=true to a CurlShot request. The browser then tells the page that the visitor prefers a dark theme, exactly as a phone or computer set to dark does, and the screenshot shows the dark version. It works on every site that has a dark theme; a site without one looks the same as before.

Page for people: https://curlshot.com/tools/dark-mode-screenshot

## Steps

1. Create a free account and copy your access key.
2. Add dark_mode=true to the request, next to the address of the page.
3. Fetch it and save the image. Leave the option out to get the light version.

## What people use it for

- Light and dark screenshots of your product, side by side
- Store listings, docs and landing pages that show both themes
- Check that a change did not break the dark theme
- Previews that match the theme of the app they appear in

## The same thing with the API

```bash
curl "https://curlshot.com/api/v1/screenshot?access_key=YOUR_ACCESS_KEY&url=https://example.com&dark_mode=true" \
  --output dark.png
```

An access key is free: https://curlshot.com/register. Read more:

- [Dark mode and emulation](https://curlshot.com/docs/dark-mode-and-emulation.md)
- [Options reference](https://curlshot.com/docs/options.md)

## Questions

### How do I take a screenshot of a website in dark mode?

Send a CurlShot request with dark_mode=true. The page is asked for its dark theme before the screenshot is taken.

### Does it work on every website?

It works on every site that follows the visitor's system setting, which is how most dark themes work. A site with no dark theme, or one that only changes with its own switch, stays light.

### Can I also turn animations off?

Yes. reduced_motion=true asks the page to stop its animations, which gives the same screenshot every time.

### Can I combine it with a phone view or a full page?

Yes. dark_mode works together with every other option: device presets, full_page, element captures and PDF.

## Related

- [Full-page screenshot](https://curlshot.com/tools/full-page-screenshot.md): Take a screenshot of a whole web page, from the top to the very bottom, as one image. Paste the address, nothing to install. Also available as an API.
- [Mobile screenshot](https://curlshot.com/tools/mobile-screenshot.md): See and screenshot any website as it looks on an iPhone, an Android phone or a tablet, without picking one up. Paste the address. Free to try, also an API.
- [Screenshot API](https://curlshot.com/tools/screenshot-api.md): A screenshot API for developers. One HTTP request turns a URL, HTML or Markdown into a PNG, JPEG, WebP or PDF. Full page, devices, blocking, cache, MCP.