If Selenium screenshots time out with Timed out receiving message from renderer on Windows when Chrome 73 is launched by Jenkins or another service, the documented cause was a Chrome 73 issue—not a ChromeDriver 73 defect. For reproducing that legacy setup, the reported workaround was to use Chrome 72 with ChromeDriver 2.46 or 72.0.3626.69. For a current test stack, use a Selenium-supported Chrome version and a ChromeDriver with the matching major version instead.
What the Chrome 73 screenshot failure was
The documented incident involved a Selenium screenshot request that stalled while Chrome was running on Windows under a service-like launch context, such as Jenkins or Task Scheduler. The error was Timed out receiving message from renderer. In the example log, ChromeDriver retried the screenshot operation before Selenium raised a timeout.
The reported environment used Chrome 73.0.3683.86, ChromeDriver 73.0.3683.68, Selenium 3.11.0, and Windows 10. That is one reported configuration, not evidence that every Chrome 73 screenshot failed. The answer on Stack Overflow attributes the cause to Chrome 73 rather than ChromeDriver, quoting the ChromeDriver owner and pointing to Chromium issue 942023. Because that attribution is reproduced secondhand there, treat it as the reported diagnosis rather than as a direct statement verified on the Chromium issue page.
This distinction matters when choosing a fix: changing ChromeDriver alone is not the workaround identified for this particular incident. ChromeDriver 73.0.3683.68 was listed as supporting Chrome 73, but its published release notes do not identify this screenshot problem as a fix.
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First confirm that your failure matches the report
Before changing versions, collect the exact browser, driver, Selenium, operating-system, and launch-context details from the failing run. A version label in a build configuration may not reflect the executable that Jenkins actually launched.
- Record the browser version. Check the Chrome version from the same Windows account and execution context used by the failing job. Also record the full version string from the run log if available.
- Record the driver version. Run
chromedriver --versionusing the executable that the job invokes, or log the resolved driver path and version during the test. - Record Selenium and OS versions. Include the Selenium binding and version, Windows edition/version, and any relevant job or service wrapper details in the same incident note.
- Identify how Chrome starts. Establish whether the process is launched by Jenkins, a Windows service, Task Scheduler, or an interactive test session. The cited report specifically concerned service-style launching on Windows.
- Identify the failing operation. Check whether the stack trace stops at screenshot capture, such as Selenium’s
getScreenshotAs, or whether navigation, element lookup, or another test step failed first.
If your failure is not a screenshot-time renderer timeout, or the job does not resemble the Windows service context, do not assume that the Chrome 73 incident explains it. Preserve the error text and investigate the failure indicated by your own stack trace.
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Choose the right version path
| Goal | Version approach | What to keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Reproduce or unblock the specific legacy incident | Test Chrome 72 with ChromeDriver 2.46 or ChromeDriver 72.0.3626.69. | This is the historical workaround reported for the Chrome 73 service-launch issue; it is not a general recommendation for present-day use. |
| Maintain a current Selenium test stack | Use Selenium 4 with a Chrome version supported by Selenium and a ChromeDriver whose major version matches Chrome. | Selenium’s current Chrome guidance states that Chrome 75 and later are supported by default and that browser and driver major versions should match. Check the current documentation for the versions you intend to deploy. |
When reproducing the legacy issue
Use an isolated test machine, VM, or other controlled environment to compare the reported Chrome 73 setup with the Chrome 72 workaround. Keep each browser paired with the corresponding driver version rather than changing both versions without recording which combination produced the result. Run the same test, on the same Windows launch path, and capture the full version strings and outcome.
The workaround is useful when the immediate goal is to confirm whether the reported regression matches your setup or to keep an old test dependency running temporarily. The source does not establish Chrome 72’s current security or support status, so do not treat it as a suitable general-purpose browser version for internet-facing use.
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When moving to a supported stack
Plan the browser, driver, and Selenium upgrade together. Selenium’s guidance says Chrome 75+ is supported by default in Selenium 4 and calls for matching Chrome and ChromeDriver major versions. The incident used Selenium 3.11.0, so changing Selenium may also affect old test code or dependencies; validate the suite in a controlled branch before replacing the environment used by scheduled builds.
Do not infer from the 2019-era incident that current Chrome releases share the same behavior. The reported workaround addresses one old version and launch context, while current compatibility should be decided from the Selenium guidance for the versions you actually run.
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Isolate screenshot capture from the rest of the test
Selenium provides screenshot capture as an API that saves the current browser window as a PNG. Since the reported stack pointed to screenshot capture in a listener, run a minimal check that opens the relevant page and invokes only the screenshot operation. This helps distinguish a renderer-timeout symptom from a test that failed earlier and only surfaced an error during reporting.
// In an existing Selenium test, after the driver has opened the page:
boolean saved = driver.getScreenshotAs(org.openqa.selenium.OutputType.FILE)
.renameTo(new java.io.File("capture.png"));
if (!saved) {
throw new java.io.IOException("Could not save screenshot to capture.png");
}This Java fragment assumes an already-created Selenium WebDriver named driver and an existing session; it is a capture check, not a version fix or a standalone test program. Keep the original exception and timestamp in the job log. If the same renderer timeout appears in this isolated step under the matching service-launched Chrome 73 setup, the historical version workaround is relevant to test. If it does not, compare the surrounding test and launch conditions before changing browser versions.
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Common mistakes when troubleshooting
- Changing only ChromeDriver 73. The reported diagnosis assigns the issue to Chrome 73, and the workaround changes the browser to Chrome 72 with a corresponding driver. The driver release listing does not claim to fix this screenshot issue.
- Comparing versions from different machines or accounts. A local interactive Chrome installation may not be the executable used by a Jenkins service. Record versions from the failing job’s actual context.
- Calling every screenshot failure the same bug. The report concerns a renderer timeout on Windows under a service-style launch. Other error messages, operating systems, or launch modes require their own diagnosis.
- Keeping an old browser as a permanent fix without review. Chrome 72 is a historical workaround in this report; the cited material does not establish its current security or support suitability.
- Assuming a retry proves recovery. The example log says ChromeDriver retried before Selenium raised a timeout. Record whether your own capture succeeded, failed again, or stalled; do not treat the retry alone as a fix.
Performance, reliability, and cost considerations
For Selenium, the practical trade-off is between preserving an old environment long enough to reproduce a historical failure and moving to a currently supported browser/driver pairing. A version rollback can help isolate the cause, but it leaves the test stack on legacy components; a migration can address compatibility more broadly, but should be validated against the application’s existing Selenium tests. The available incident report provides no general performance benchmark or reliability rate for either path.
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A concise decision checklist
- Does the error say
Timed out receiving message from rendererduring screenshot capture? - Is the failing job on Windows, launched as a service or similar process, and using Chrome 73?
- Have you recorded the actual browser, driver, Selenium, OS, and launch details from that job?
- Are you reproducing the historical incident, or maintaining a current test stack? Use the Chrome 72 workaround only for the former; for the latter, follow current Selenium compatibility guidance.
- Does the task truly require Selenium interaction, or is the required output simply a website screenshot?
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