Google Sheets is the easiest way to batch-capture website screenshots. List your URLs in column A, run a script, and get screenshot links in column B. No servers, no installs, no dependencies.

What you'll build

A Google Apps Script that reads URLs from your spreadsheet, captures a screenshot of each one via the Allscreenshots API, and writes the screenshot URL back to the sheet. You can also display thumbnails directly in cells.

Prerequisites

An Allscreenshots account with an API key
A Google Sheet with URLs you want to capture

Step 1: Set up your spreadsheet

Create a Google Sheet with this structure:

A (URL)	B (Screenshot URL)	C (Thumbnail)
https://example.com	(auto-filled)	(auto-filled)
https://github.com	(auto-filled)	(auto-filled)

Column A is where you put your URLs. Columns B and C will be filled by the script.

Step 2: Open Apps Script

Go to Extensions → Apps Script. This opens the script editor.

Delete any existing code and paste:

function captureScreenshots() {
  const API_KEY = PropertiesService.getScriptProperties()
    .getProperty('SCREENSHOT_API_KEY');

  if (!API_KEY) {
    SpreadsheetApp.getUi().alert(
      'API key not set. Go to Project Settings > Script Properties and add SCREENSHOT_API_KEY.'
    );
    return;
  }

  const sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getActiveSheet();
  const lastRow = sheet.getLastRow();

  if (lastRow < 2) {
    SpreadsheetApp.getUi().alert('No URLs found. Add URLs starting in cell A2.');
    return;
  }

  const urls = sheet.getRange(2, 1, lastRow - 1, 1).getValues().flat();
  let captured = 0;

  for (let i = 0; i < urls.length; i++) {
    const url = urls[i];
    if (!url) continue;

    try {
      const response = UrlFetchApp.fetch(
        'https://api.allscreenshots.com/v1/screenshot',
        {
          method: 'post',
          headers: {
            'Authorization': 'Bearer ' + API_KEY,
            'Content-Type': 'application/json',
          },
          payload: JSON.stringify({
            url: url,
            fullPage: true,
            viewport: { width: 1280, height: 800 },
            blockAds: true,
          }),
        }
      );

      const result = JSON.parse(response.getContentText());
      const row = i + 2;

      // Column B: Screenshot URL
      sheet.getRange(row, 2).setValue(result.screenshotUrl);

      // Column C: Thumbnail using IMAGE formula
      sheet.getRange(row, 3).setFormula(
        '=IMAGE("' + result.screenshotUrl + '", 1)'
      );

      captured++;
    } catch (error) {
      sheet.getRange(i + 2, 2).setValue('Error: ' + error.message);
    }
  }

  SpreadsheetApp.getUi().alert(
    'Done! Captured ' + captured + ' screenshots out of ' + urls.length + ' URLs.'
  );
}

Step 3: Store your API key

In the Apps Script editor:

Click the gear icon (Project Settings) in the left sidebar
Scroll to Script Properties
Click Add script property
Property: SCREENSHOT_API_KEY
Value: your API key from the Allscreenshots dashboard

This keeps your API key out of the code.

Step 4: Run the script

Back in the script editor, click Run → select captureScreenshots. The first time, you'll need to authorize the script to access your spreadsheet and make external requests.

After authorization, the script processes each URL and fills in columns B and C.

Displaying thumbnails

The script uses the =IMAGE() formula to display thumbnails directly in cells. To make them look good:

Select column C
Right-click → Resize column → set to 300px
Select all data rows → right-click → Resize rows → set to 200px

Now you'll see visual thumbnails of every website right in your spreadsheet.

Scheduling automatic captures

To recapture screenshots on a schedule:

In Apps Script, click the clock icon (Triggers) in the left sidebar
Click Add Trigger
Function: captureScreenshots
Event source: Time-driven
Type: Day timer (or weekly, hourly, etc.)
Time: pick your preferred time

The script will now run automatically and update all screenshots.

Handling large batches

Google Apps Script has a 6-minute execution time limit. For large URL lists:

function captureScreenshotsBatch() {
  const API_KEY = PropertiesService.getScriptProperties()
    .getProperty('SCREENSHOT_API_KEY');
  const sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getActiveSheet();
  const lastRow = sheet.getLastRow();

  for (let i = 1; i < lastRow; i++) {
    const url = sheet.getRange(i + 1, 1).getValue();
    const existing = sheet.getRange(i + 1, 2).getValue();

    // Skip rows that already have screenshots
    if (!url || existing) continue;

    try {
      const response = UrlFetchApp.fetch(
        'https://api.allscreenshots.com/v1/screenshot',
        {
          method: 'post',
          headers: {
            'Authorization': 'Bearer ' + API_KEY,
            'Content-Type': 'application/json',
          },
          payload: JSON.stringify({ url, fullPage: true }),
        }
      );

      const result = JSON.parse(response.getContentText());
      sheet.getRange(i + 1, 2).setValue(result.screenshotUrl);
    } catch (error) {
      // Stop if we're running out of time
      if (error.message.includes('time')) break;
      sheet.getRange(i + 1, 2).setValue('Error');
    }
  }
}

This version skips rows that already have screenshots, so you can run it multiple times to process large lists incrementally.

Wrapping up

Google Sheets plus Allscreenshots is a simple, powerful way to batch-capture website screenshots. No servers to manage, no browser infrastructure, and the familiar spreadsheet interface your team already knows.

For more details, see the Google Sheets integration page.

Find out how easy it is to capture and share pixel-perfect screenshots at scale using Allscreenshots. Sign up for a free account and start integrating your first screenshot API call today.

Riley Thompson

Developer advocate focused on web tooling, screenshot APIs, and helping teams ship better visual experiences.

A (URL)

B (Screenshot URL)

C (Thumbnail)

https://example.com

(auto-filled)

https://github.com

(auto-filled)

Step 2: Open Apps Script

Go to Extensions → Apps Script. This opens the script editor.

Delete any existing code and paste:

function captureScreenshots() {
  const API_KEY = PropertiesService.getScriptProperties()
    .getProperty('SCREENSHOT_API_KEY');

  if (!API_KEY) {
    SpreadsheetApp.getUi().alert(
      'API key not set. Go to Project Settings > Script Properties and add SCREENSHOT_API_KEY.'
    );
    return;
  }

  const sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getActiveSheet();
  const lastRow = sheet.getLastRow();

  if (lastRow < 2) {
    SpreadsheetApp.getUi().alert('No URLs found. Add URLs starting in cell A2.');
    return;
  }

  const urls = sheet.getRange(2, 1, lastRow - 1, 1).getValues().flat();
  let captured = 0;

  for (let i = 0; i < urls.length; i++) {
    const url = urls[i];
    if (!url) continue;

    try {
      const response = UrlFetchApp.fetch(
        'https://api.allscreenshots.com/v1/screenshot',
        {
          method: 'post',
          headers: {
            'Authorization': 'Bearer ' + API_KEY,
            'Content-Type': 'application/json',
          },
          payload: JSON.stringify({
            url: url,
            fullPage: true,
            viewport: { width: 1280, height: 800 },
            blockAds: true,
          }),
        }
      );

      const result = JSON.parse(response.getContentText());
      const row = i + 2;

      // Column B: Screenshot URL
      sheet.getRange(row, 2).setValue(result.screenshotUrl);

      // Column C: Thumbnail using IMAGE formula
      sheet.getRange(row, 3).setFormula(
        '=IMAGE("' + result.screenshotUrl + '", 1)'
      );

      captured++;
    } catch (error) {
      sheet.getRange(i + 2, 2).setValue('Error: ' + error.message);
    }
  }

  SpreadsheetApp.getUi().alert(
    'Done! Captured ' + captured + ' screenshots out of ' + urls.length + ' URLs.'
  );
}

Displaying thumbnails

The script uses the =IMAGE() formula to display thumbnails directly in cells. To make them look good:

Select column C

Right-click → Resize column → set to 300px

Select all data rows → right-click → Resize rows → set to 200px

Now you'll see visual thumbnails of every website right in your spreadsheet.

Scheduling automatic captures

To recapture screenshots on a schedule:

In Apps Script, click the clock icon (Triggers) in the left sidebar

Click Add Trigger

Function: captureScreenshots

Event source: Time-driven

Type: Day timer (or weekly, hourly, etc.)

Time: pick your preferred time

The script will now run automatically and update all screenshots.

Handling large batches

Google Apps Script has a 6-minute execution time limit. For large URL lists:

function captureScreenshotsBatch() {
  const API_KEY = PropertiesService.getScriptProperties()
    .getProperty('SCREENSHOT_API_KEY');
  const sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getActiveSheet();
  const lastRow = sheet.getLastRow();

  for (let i = 1; i < lastRow; i++) {
    const url = sheet.getRange(i + 1, 1).getValue();
    const existing = sheet.getRange(i + 1, 2).getValue();

    // Skip rows that already have screenshots
    if (!url || existing) continue;

    try {
      const response = UrlFetchApp.fetch(
        'https://api.allscreenshots.com/v1/screenshot',
        {
          method: 'post',
          headers: {
            'Authorization': 'Bearer ' + API_KEY,
            'Content-Type': 'application/json',
          },
          payload: JSON.stringify({ url, fullPage: true }),
        }
      );

      const result = JSON.parse(response.getContentText());
      sheet.getRange(i + 1, 2).setValue(result.screenshotUrl);
    } catch (error) {
      // Stop if we're running out of time
      if (error.message.includes('time')) break;
      sheet.getRange(i + 1, 2).setValue('Error');
    }
  }
}

This version skips rows that already have screenshots, so you can run it multiple times to process large lists incrementally.

Automate website screenshots from Google Sheets

What you'll build

Prerequisites

Step 1: Set up your spreadsheet

Step 2: Open Apps Script

Step 3: Store your API key

Step 4: Run the script

Displaying thumbnails

Scheduling automatic captures

Handling large batches

Wrapping up

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Start capturing screenshots in minutes

What you'll build

Prerequisites

Step 1: Set up your spreadsheet

Step 2: Open Apps Script

Step 3: Store your API key

Step 4: Run the script

Displaying thumbnails

Scheduling automatic captures

Handling large batches

Wrapping up