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For Chromium-based Opera on desktop, start OperaDriver as a service and connect Selenium with RemoteWebDriver. Set ChromeOptions.binary_location to Opera’s executable if automatic detection does not find the browser. Most importantly, choose an OperaDriver release whose notes name your Opera Stable version: the driver’s own version number is not the Opera version it supports.
What OperaDriver does—and which Opera it supports
OperaChromiumDriver is Opera’s ChromeDriver-derived WebDriver implementation for automating Chromium-based Opera. With Selenium, it can drive browser interactions such as opening pages, clicking links, entering text, and submitting forms. The project describes support for desktop and Android; this guide covers the desktop Python setup.
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The project README says no extra setup is needed for Chromium-based Opera starting with version 26. That statement does not guarantee that every current Opera and OperaDriver build work together. For older Presto-based Opera, the project points to the separate OperaPrestoDriver rather than OperaChromiumDriver. See the OperaChromiumDriver project.
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Before installing or changing capabilities, find your installed Opera version and check the target stated in the official OperaChromiumDriver releases. The release page showed OperaDriver 152.0.7977.120 for Opera Stable 136, published September 22, as of October 3, 2026. Release information changes; check the page for the current pairing rather than copying that example as a current recommendation.
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The driver’s four-part version and the browser version are separate identifiers. Use the release’s stated Opera Stable target, not a visual resemblance between version strings.
Set up Selenium with Python on desktop
1. Install Selenium and locate the executables
Install Selenium in the Python environment that will run your script, then obtain the OperaDriver executable from the matching release entry. You also need the path to the installed Opera executable if auto-detection is unreliable. The paths below are examples; replace them with paths for your operating system and installation.
2. Start the service and connect with RemoteWebDriver
This Selenium 4-style example starts OperaDriver separately, configures Opera through ChromeOptions, opens a page, prints its title, and closes both the browser session and service even if navigation fails.
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from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.chrome import service
opera_driver_path = "/path/to/operadriver"
opera_binary_path = "/path/to/opera"
webdriver_service = service.Service(opera_driver_path)
webdriver_service.start()
options = webdriver.ChromeOptions()
options.binary_location = opera_binary_path
options.add_experimental_option("w3c", True)
driver = webdriver.Remote(webdriver_service.service_url, options=options)
try:
driver.get("https://example.com")
print(driver.title)
finally:
driver.quit()
webdriver_service.stop()The structure follows the project’s documented desktop approach with navigation and cleanup added. Service constructor details can vary by installed Selenium binding version; use the API for the version in your environment if the shown service construction is not accepted. The project also documents a capabilities-based example for Selenium 2 and 3; do not assume those legacy constructor forms apply unchanged to current Selenium.
Choose how Selenium finds or connects to Opera
| Connection mode | When to use it | What to configure |
|---|---|---|
| Launch a specific Opera executable | Use when you have multiple browser installs or auto-detection selects the wrong one. | Set the Opera binary path in the browser options, as in the Python example. |
| Auto-detect Opera | Use when the driver can locate the intended Opera installation. | The desktop documentation says to pass empty capabilities and let the driver detect Opera. If detection fails or selects another installation, set the explicit binary path. |
| Attach to a running Opera instance | Use when Opera must be started separately or with a particular profile or setup. | Launch Opera with --remote-debugging-port=PORT, then configure the matching debugger address when connecting. Keep the port consistent between the launch command and the connection options. |
OperaDriver has browser options similar to ChromeDriver. The desktop documentation also describes logPath for browser logs. Consult the project’s desktop setup documentation for the option syntax supported by your driver and Selenium versions.
Verify that the session is using the intended browser
- Confirm the local Opera version and the release entry’s named Opera Stable target.
- Check that the configured executable path points to the intended Opera binary and that the OperaDriver path points to the downloaded executable.
- Run the example against a simple page and confirm that it loads and returns a title.
- If session creation fails, record the exact Selenium, Opera, and OperaDriver versions and inspect the driver logs before changing options.
Troubleshoot common setup failures
Session creation fails before a page opens
Check the exact browser target named by the OperaDriver release, the installed Opera version, and both executable paths. Version or capability mismatches can produce frustrating errors, but a single error report is not enough to identify a universal cause. An issue opened November 8, 2021 described a session-creation error with Opera 81.0.4196.31 and OperaDriver 95.0.4638.54 despite a specified binary; it is an old individual report, not evidence that current installations share that failure. See the project issue tracker.
Opera is not found or the wrong installation launches
Set options.binary_location to the intended Opera executable and verify the path is valid for the machine running the script. If you intentionally use auto-detection, confirm that the expected browser installation is discoverable to the driver.
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Make sure Opera was started with remote debugging enabled and that the debugger address supplied to the driver matches the port Opera is listening on. A mismatch between the launch port and configured address prevents the intended attachment.
The service constructor or capabilities are rejected
Check the installed Selenium major version and consult its matching binding documentation. The project’s current desktop pattern uses RemoteWebDriver; examples written for Selenium 2 or 3 may use constructor details that are not current Selenium 4 syntax.
Android automation is a separate Appium workflow
The project documents OperaDriver with Appium on Android. Appium can switch between native UI and web contexts, which can be useful when a native Opera dialog must be dismissed before testing a web page. This is not part of the desktop Selenium example; follow the project’s Appium documentation for that setup.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does OperaDriver work with every Chromium-based Opera version?
No universal compatibility guarantee is established; check the target browser version named in the release entry against your installed Opera version.
Can OperaDriver automate the old Presto-based Opera browser?
The project directs Presto-based Opera users to OperaPrestoDriver, a separate driver.
Can I use another Selenium language binding?
The project directs readers to Selenium’s documentation for non-Python bindings; the exact desktop connection pattern may differ by binding and version.
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