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When you call Puppeteer’s launch() without setting userDataDir, Puppeteer creates a temporary browser profile beneath the operating system’s temporary directory. There is no single documented path that applies to every operating system. To use a controlled or persistent profile, provide your own writable directory.
What happens when userDataDir is omitted?
Puppeteer’s troubleshooting documentation says that if the launch caller does not specify userDataDir, Puppeteer creates a temporary profile under the operating system’s temporary directory. The documentation does not specify one universal literal path, so avoid relying on a hard-coded location across platforms.
This default is a temporary profile, not a promise that the same browser state will be reused on a later launch. If your task depends on a particular profile location or retained state, set userDataDir explicitly.
Set an explicit profile directory
userDataDir is an optional string path in Puppeteer’s launch options. The directory must be writable by the account running Chrome. For example:
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const browser = await puppeteer.launch({
userDataDir: '/path/to/your/profile',
});Choose a location that exists or can be created by your process, and make sure the browser process has permission to write to it. A path that your application can read but Chrome cannot write to may prevent the browser from starting or using the profile correctly.
How this differs from resolveDefaultUserDataDir()
The similarly named resolveDefaultUserDataDir(browser, platform, channel) function belongs to the @puppeteer/browsers package. It returns the expected user data directory for the specified browser, platform, and Chrome release channel. The function explicitly does not check whether that directory exists.
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| Behavior | What it does | Inputs and implications |
|---|---|---|
launch() with no userDataDir |
Creates a temporary profile under the operating system’s temporary directory. | No universal literal path is documented. |
launch() with userDataDir |
Uses the path supplied by the caller as the profile directory. | The browser-running account needs write access. |
resolveDefaultUserDataDir() |
Computes an expected directory for a browser, platform, and channel. | It does not verify that the returned directory exists. |
The resolver’s result should not be treated as the ordinary launch() fallback. The documentation describes different purposes: a temporary profile for an unspecified launch path, versus a channel-specific expected directory returned by a helper.
Do not confuse the profile path with browser selection
userDataDir controls profile storage. The channel and executablePath settings concern which browser installation is selected or located. Puppeteer’s launch API identifies Chrome as the default browser; changing the profile directory does not, by itself, select a different browser binary.
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Puppeteer says it works best with the Chrome for Testing version it downloads by default and does not guarantee operation with arbitrary Chrome versions. A profile path alone does not establish compatibility with an unrelated browser binary.
Channel-based connection is a separate behavior
The connect() channel option is documented as looking for an open WebSocket at the well-known user data directory for that channel. This is a lookup for connecting to a browser, not the temporary-profile creation used by a normal launch without userDataDir.
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- The channel-based
connect()option is marked experimental. - The documentation limits it to Chrome and Node.js.
- The channel lookup should not be used as evidence that a regular launch selects the resolver’s channel-specific path.
Troubleshooting profile-directory problems
Chrome cannot write to the directory
Check the filesystem permissions and ownership for the account running the browser. Set userDataDir to a directory that account can write to.
You expected state to persist between launches
When you omit userDataDir, Puppeteer uses a temporary profile. Supply an explicit path if you need a controlled profile location or expect to reuse profile state.
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This is consistent with the resolver’s documented behavior: it computes an expected directory and does not check whether it exists. Check the browser, platform, and channel arguments, then separately verify or create the directory as appropriate for your use.
A channel connection does not find a browser
Remember that channel-based connection looks for an open WebSocket at the well-known channel profile directory and is documented as experimental, Chrome-only, and Node.js-only. It is not the same as launching a fresh browser with a temporary profile.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Documentation version scope
The stable Puppeteer LaunchOptions, ConnectOptions, and PuppeteerNode.launch references identify version 25.12.0. The resolveDefaultUserDataDir() reference is labeled “Next.” These labels describe the cited documentation versions; they do not establish that every installed release has identical behavior. The resolver reference does not enumerate platform-and-channel mappings or explain its implementation algorithm.
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