What runs where
Everything happens locally in Chrome
Screenshots tend to include things you would rather keep to yourself: dashboards, invoices, internal tools, messages, medical or banking pages. A screenshot extension sees all of it, so it matters where the pixels go.
PageStitch captures a web page you select and converts it into a PNG image. All capture processing happens locally in Google Chrome on your device:
- Capturing. PageStitch scrolls through the page and captures each view inside your browser.
- Stitching. The views are joined into a PNG (or numbered PNG parts for very large pages) on a canvas in a hidden extension page, not on a server.
- Previewing. The finished capture opens in a local result tab, where you choose whether to download it, copy it, or close it.
PageStitch does not transmit page content, screenshots, URLs, or usage information to the developer or any third party. It has no account system, analytics, advertising, tracking, cloud storage, or remote service. It packages all executable code in the extension and does not download or execute remote code. PageStitch does not sell or share user data.
Permissions
Three permissions, and why each is needed
Chrome shows every extension's permissions before you install it. PageStitch asks for three, and these are the reasons given on its Chrome Web Store listing:
activeTabProvides temporary access to the tab only after you click the PageStitch toolbar button or press its keyboard shortcut. PageStitch uses that access to validate, measure, scroll, and capture the selected page.
scriptingInjects the packaged capture helper into the selected tab. The helper measures the page, controls scrolling during capture, and restores the original page state afterward.
offscreenCreates a hidden extension document containing a local canvas that stitches captured viewport images into a PNG (or numbered PNG parts for very large pages).
PageStitch does not request the clipboardWrite permission. The local result page calls Chrome's Clipboard API only after you select Copy image, and Chrome or operating-system policy can still refuse the request. If that happens, use Download PNG instead.
PageStitch runs only after you click its toolbar button or press its keyboard shortcut, Alt+Shift+S by default (Option+Shift+S on macOS).
Storage and deletion
What is stored on your device, and when it is deleted
To capture a page, PageStitch temporarily handles the selected page's visual content, layout measurements, URL, and title. The URL is used to confirm that the page is supported and remains the active source during capture.
- The finished capture. The completed PNG is temporarily stored in extension-owned IndexedDB so the local result page can display it. A single-image capture is deleted as soon as the result page has rendered it; if that render fails, the record is left in place for the 24-hour expiry described below. A capture split into several PNG parts is kept while its result tab is open, so every part stays reachable, and is deleted when you select Close or Capture another. Closing that result tab from the tab strip does not delete it; it expires like any other leftover record. If the result tab cannot be opened, the capture is deleted immediately. Records left by a closed result tab, a failed render, or a browser or extension crash are deleted once they are 24 hours old, when PageStitch next starts or saves a capture.
- The site name and page title. These are kept with the local capture only to name the downloaded file and to title a PDF you save.
- Link addresses. To make links in a saved PDF clickable, PageStitch keeps the addresses of links on the page with the capture on your device. A link back to the same page, such as "back to top", carries the page's own full address. They are deleted with the capture, never transmitted, and written only into a PDF you save with Clickable links on.
- A capture count. PageStitch keeps a small count of successful captures in extension-owned local storage to decide when to show one optional review-or-support message. The count never leaves your device and is deleted when PageStitch is removed.
- Editor preferences. The image editor remembers your last editor settings (color, sizes, fill, blur strength, emoji, watermark text, position, and opacity, padding, and date format) and your PDF export settings (page size, clickable links, and page numbers) in the extension's local storage on this device so they are ready next time. They are never transmitted and are deleted when PageStitch is removed.
Once you download or copy a capture, the PNG is an ordinary file or clipboard image, and it goes wherever you put it. You can also choose not to copy or download a result, close the result page, disable the extension, or uninstall it through Chrome.
The full wording is in the PageStitch privacy policy.
What you won't need
No account, no analytics, no uploads, no remote code
No accountThere is nothing to sign up for or sign in to. Install the extension and start a capture.
No analyticsPageStitch has no analytics, advertising, or tracking, and it does not transmit usage information.
No uploadsPage content and screenshots are not transmitted to the developer or any third party, and there is no cloud storage.
No remote codeAll executable code is packaged in the extension. PageStitch does not download or execute remote code.
Still a full-page tool
What you get from a capture
PageStitch is still a full-page capture tool. It captures full-height pages, pages wider than the window, and large scrollable panels inside web apps. From the result tab you can Download PNG with a filename built from the site, the page title, and the local date and time, Copy image, or crop a single-image capture before you save it. Very large pages are split into lossless, numbered PNG parts instead of being scaled down. The interface is available in English, Spanish, French, Brazilian Portuguese, German, Arabic, and Japanese.
The full-page screenshot guide walks through a capture step by step.
Good to know
Privacy questions
Can PageStitch see the other pages I have open?
The activeTab permission gives PageStitch temporary access only to the page on which you start a capture, and only after you click the toolbar button or press the shortcut.
Does PageStitch keep my screenshots?
Only briefly, so the result tab can show them. A single-image capture is deleted from extension-owned storage as soon as the result page has rendered it. A capture split into several PNG parts is kept while its result tab is open and deleted when you select Close or Capture another. Leftover records, such as those from a result tab closed from the tab strip, a failed render, or a crash, are deleted once they are 24 hours old, when PageStitch next starts or saves a capture.
Is the page's full address saved?
Only on your device, and only as a link address. The site name and page title name the downloaded file and title a PDF you save. To make PDF links clickable, PageStitch also keeps the addresses of links on the page with the capture, and a link back to the same page carries the page's full address. They are deleted with the capture and never transmitted.
Which pages can't it capture?
Chrome system pages, the Chrome Web Store, other extension pages, and non-HTTP(S) URLs cannot be captured. The support page covers these limits and what to do about them.
Keep reading