HTTP Error 400 when attempting to take a VM screenshot in vCenter 8

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

In vSphere 7 or below, a VM screenshot could be obtained the vSphere Client using the following URI format:

https://<fqdn_of_vcenter>/screen?id=vm-###&h=HHH&w=WWW
(where ### is the VM ID in vCenter, HHH is the height in pixels and WWW is the width in pixels of the screenshot)

 

When using the same URI format in vSphere 8, the following error is displayed even after authenticating with an account with the appropriate permissions:

This page isn’t working
If the problem continues, contact the site owner.
HTTP ERROR 400

A similar error may be present in the /var/log/vmware/vpxd/vpxd.log:

2025-07-22T16:20:14Z warning vpxd [83920] [Originator@4342 sub=HTTP server opID=WorkQueue-42321afa] UnimplementedRequestHandler: HTTP method POST not supported for URI /screen?id=vm-###&h=600&w=800

Environment

vSphere 8.0

Cause

The HTTP POST method is no longer implemented in vSphere 8.

Resolution

The official method in vSphere 8 is via API POST:

Virtual Machine Create Screenshot Task

There are also several alternate methods to obtain a screenshot:

1. Screenshot via the MOB (it would be saved in the VM's directory and would need to be retrieved) using the following (where ### is VC's VM ID):
   
   https://<fqdn_of_vcenter8>/mob/?moid=vm-###&method=createScreenshot
   
   
2. Screenshot from ESXi host UI (where ### is the ESXi VM ID, which is different than vCenter's):
   
   https://<fqdn_of_esxi8host>/ui/#/host/vms/###

Additional Information

For more information, including a PowerCLI example, please see the following sites:

Capturing Virtual Machine Screenshots in vSphere

Automating Virtual Machine screenshots in vSphere