Puppeteer does not usually search your computer for any browser and pick one automatically. The standard puppeteer package downloads a compatible Chrome for Testing build and launches it from Puppeteer’s managed cache. To use a conventionally installed Chrome, set a supported channel; to use a browser at a known or nonstandard location, pass executablePath. With puppeteer-core, your application is responsible for supplying and managing the browser.
How the default browser is selected
A normal installation of puppeteer downloads Chrome for Testing. Puppeteer computes the executable path for that managed browser and launches it when you do not specify another browser. Its configuration reference describes executablePath as auto-computed by default; that means the managed browser’s location, not an automatic scan for every Chrome or Chromium installation on the machine.
The installation guide says Chrome for Testing downloads are cached by default under $HOME/.cache/puppeteer; this default dates from Puppeteer v19.0.0 and the cache directory can be changed through configuration. The guide also says a regular installation includes chrome-headless-shell starting with Puppeteer v21.6.0. Its approximate download sizes are 170 MB on macOS, 282 MB on Linux and 280 MB on Windows; these are guide estimates and can change. See the Puppeteer installation guide and configuration API.
Choose how Puppeteer should find Chrome
| Approach | Who manages the browser? | How Puppeteer identifies it | Best fit | Compatibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Default puppeteer |
Puppeteer downloads and caches Chrome for Testing | Computed managed-browser executable path | You want Puppeteer’s documented setup | Bundled browser is the guaranteed configuration |
channel |
You install and update regular Chrome | Known system locations for the selected Chrome release channel | Chrome is conventionally installed and you want a specific channel | Not covered by the bundled-browser guarantee |
executablePath |
Your application or deployment | The explicit executable path you provide | The browser is installed in a nonstandard location or controlled by deployment | Verify compatibility yourself |
puppeteer-core |
Your application or remote-browser provider | Your application’s browser configuration | You manage the browser or connect to a remote one | Depends on the browser and setup you select |
Use a regular Chrome release channel
Set channel in launch to ask Puppeteer to find a regular Chrome installation at known system locations for that release channel. This differs from executablePath: a channel identifies a recognized installation type, while a path names the executable directly. The exact accepted channel values depend on the installed Puppeteer version; check its LaunchOptions reference.
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import puppeteer from 'puppeteer';
const browser = await puppeteer.launch({
channel: 'chrome',
});
try {
const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.goto('https://example.com');
console.log(await page.title());
} finally {
await browser.close();
}This works when Chrome is installed in a location recognized for the requested channel. Puppeteer’s documented system lookup covers Chrome/Chromium, not arbitrary browsers. Do not assume that a locally installed Chromium build is guaranteed to work with your Puppeteer version.
Pass an explicit executable path
Use executablePath if your deployment controls the browser installation or you know its actual location. The path must identify the browser executable on the machine where this code runs; a path valid on a developer’s laptop may not exist in a container or production host.
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import puppeteer from 'puppeteer';
const browser = await puppeteer.launch({
executablePath: '/absolute/path/to/browser',
});
try {
const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.goto('https://example.com');
console.log(await page.title());
} finally {
await browser.close();
}Replace the example path with the verified executable path for the target host. Puppeteer’s LaunchOptions reference notes that the bundled browser is the only browser covered by its compatibility guarantee, so validate a custom browser yourself.
Understand environment and configuration overrides
PUPPETEER_EXECUTABLE_PATH overrides the configured executablePath. If Puppeteer launches an unexpected browser—or ignores the path you thought you supplied—check the environment as well as project configuration. The configuration reference documents this variable and other Puppeteer settings: Puppeteer configuration.
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Know what changes with puppeteer-core
puppeteer-core does not download Chrome and does not use Puppeteer configuration files or environment-variable configuration. Your application must provide and manage the browser, whether that means setting an executable path or using a remote-browser workflow. If you expect Puppeteer to install its own browser automatically, use the standard puppeteer package instead. See the installation guide and configuration guide.
Why “Could not find Chrome” appears
A missing-browser error often means Puppeteer’s download did not run. Package managers can block dependency install scripts; when that happens, the package may be present but its managed Chrome download may be absent. The official installation guide recommends explicitly installing the browser or allowing Puppeteer’s postinstall script.
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- Check the package. Confirm whether the project imports
puppeteerorpuppeteer-core. The latter does not install a browser. - Check install scripts. If you rely on Puppeteer’s downloaded browser, make sure the package manager ran the postinstall script. If it did not, use the browser-install command documented for your installed Puppeteer version, or configure the package manager to permit the script.
- Check your intended selection method. For standard installed Chrome, specify a supported
channel; for a custom install, supply its realexecutablePath. - Check overrides. Inspect
PUPPETEER_EXECUTABLE_PATHand project configuration for a value that supersedes the path you expected. - Check compatibility. Puppeteer guarantees compatibility with its bundled browser, not arbitrary system binaries.
Use the command and package-manager guidance in the official installation guide for the version in your project, since supported commands and defaults can change.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Use Puppeteer or avoid managing a local browser
If your task is to capture website screenshots rather than automate a browser session, ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server. For a Puppeteer-based project, the local-browser approach above gives you control over browser automation; a screenshot API avoids installing and resolving a browser executable yourself.
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