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Lighthouse Advanced Mode is not a separate product or paid tier. It is a practical name for the advanced controls in Chrome DevTools’ Lighthouse panel: storage handling, JavaScript sampling, throttling, device emulation, categories, and the Navigation, Timespan, and Snapshot run modes. These controls change the conditions and question you are testing; they do not create a different scoring system.
What “Lighthouse Advanced Mode” means
Lighthouse is an open-source automated tool for improving web-page quality. In Chrome DevTools, the Lighthouse panel exposes settings that let you decide what kind of visit to simulate and what evidence to collect. The result is still a Lighthouse report, with audits such as Performance, Accessibility, Best Practices, and SEO.
The word “advanced” describes configuration, not a hidden edition. A report run with cleared storage and mobile throttling answers a different question from one run on a warm desktop session. Treat the settings as part of the test specification and record them whenever you compare reports.
Open the advanced controls in DevTools
- Open the page you want to test in Chrome.
- Open DevTools using the browser’s developer-tools command.
- Select the Lighthouse panel. If it is not visible, open the DevTools panel menu and choose it.
- Choose the device profile and the audit categories you need.
- Expand the panel’s settings control. This is where storage, sampling, throttling, and related run choices are exposed.
- Select the run mode—Navigation, Timespan, or Snapshot—then start the audit.
Begin with Navigation for a page-load baseline. Change one setting at a time when investigating a discrepancy; otherwise you will not know which condition caused the result.
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Advanced settings and what each one changes
| Control | What it changes | Use it when | Important trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clear storage | Removes site storage before the run, approximating a first visit. | You need cold-start behavior for a new visitor. | It is not representative of a returning user with cookies, caches, or other stored state. |
| Storage retained | Leaves existing storage in place. | You are measuring a repeat visit or an already configured account. | Results depend on what was stored in that browser profile, so document the state. |
| Enable JS sampling | Adds JavaScript call-stack detail to the performance trace. | You need to identify which JavaScript stacks consume time. | Report generation can take longer. |
| Simulated throttling | Runs under normal execution and extrapolates what a mobile device would experience. | You want a quicker, repeatable estimate for comparisons. | The estimate is a model, not a physical limit applied to your computer. |
| DevTools throttling | Actually limits CPU and network conditions during the run. | You need to observe behavior while the page is constrained. | Runs take longer and are more sensitive to the local environment. |
| Device selection | Sets the mobile or desktop emulation context used by the audit. | You are checking a specific audience or responsive layout. | Changing device context makes scores incomparable unless every other setting is held constant. |
| Categories | Chooses which Lighthouse audit groups to run, such as Performance, Accessibility, Best Practices, and SEO. | You need a focused report or a complete quality review. | A report with fewer categories cannot answer questions about categories you omitted. |
Clear storage versus a repeat visit
Use Clear storage when the question is “What does a first-time visitor experience?” It is useful for onboarding pages, landing pages, and releases where the initial load matters. Leave storage intact when the question concerns a returning visitor or an authenticated flow that relies on existing state. Do not compare a cleared-storage report with a retained-storage report as if they were the same test.
JavaScript sampling
Enable JavaScript sampling when the ordinary trace does not explain a performance cost and you need call-stack detail. The extra detail can make generation slower, so leave it off for routine baselines and turn it on for an investigation. Keep the setting consistent when comparing two traces intended to show a small code change.
Simulated or DevTools throttling?
Simulated throttling extrapolates mobile results and is generally the efficient choice for a repeatable baseline. DevTools throttling imposes CPU and network limits while the page runs, so it is preferable when you need to see how the page behaves under actual constrained execution. Because it takes longer and is more affected by local conditions, use the same machine and environment for before-and-after runs.
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Navigation, Timespan, and Snapshot
| Mode | Measurement | Typical question | What happens to page state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Navigation | One page load. | How fast and usable is this URL when it loads? | The run starts from a navigation, so it is the normal baseline mode. |
| Timespan | A period that can contain interactions. | What happens when a user opens a menu, adds an item to a cart, or completes a flow? | You begin the timespan, perform the interaction, then end it; the page does not need to be reloaded for each action. |
| Snapshot | The current page state without a reload. | Is the interface accessible and well formed after I have already opened a panel or reached a particular state? | The existing state is inspected as-is, which avoids destroying it with a navigation. |
Run a Navigation baseline
- Load the target URL and wait until the page is in the state you intend to measure.
- Choose Navigation, select the device and categories, and decide whether to clear storage.
- Run the audit without interacting with the page first.
- Save the report’s configuration along with its scores and failed audits.
Measure an interaction with Timespan
- Open Lighthouse and select Timespan.
- Start the timespan.
- Perform the interaction you want to measure—for example, open a menu, add an item to a cart, or complete a flow.
- End the timespan and inspect the resulting audits.
Timespan is the appropriate answer when reloading would remove the behavior under investigation. Keep the interaction script identical between runs; an extra click or a different starting state changes the measurement.
Inspect an existing state with Snapshot
- Put the page into the exact state you need to inspect.
- Choose Snapshot and the required categories.
- Run the audit without navigating.
- Use the report to examine that state, then repeat after a controlled change.
Snapshot is useful for a dialog, expanded navigation, populated cart, or other state that a reload would close. It is not a substitute for a page-load test; use Navigation when load performance is the question.
A configuration decision guide
- First visit: Navigation plus Clear storage.
- Returning visitor: Navigation with storage retained, using a documented browser profile.
- Mobile estimate: Navigation with simulated throttling and a mobile device profile.
- Constrained execution: Navigation or Timespan with DevTools CPU and network throttling.
- Interaction performance: Timespan, with a written sequence of actions.
- Current UI state: Snapshot, when navigation would destroy the state.
- JavaScript diagnosis: Enable JS sampling for the investigative run, then repeat with the same setting when validating the fix.
A repeatable optimization loop
- Define the question. Write down whether you are testing first visit, repeat visit, page load, an interaction, or a current state.
- Capture a baseline. Record URL, device, categories, storage choice, throttling type, JS sampling state, and run mode.
- Read failed audits and opportunities. These identify areas Lighthouse considers candidates for improvement; they are not guarantees of a particular ranking outcome.
- Change one thing. Keep the test conditions fixed so the report can be attributed to the code or configuration change.
- Rerun the same configuration. A different mode, device, storage state, or throttling method is a new experiment.
- Compare evidence, not just the headline score. Look at the relevant audit details and trace information, especially when JS sampling was enabled for diagnosis.
Run several times when local variability is obvious, and avoid mixing simulated and DevTools throttling in one before-and-after claim. The goal is a controlled comparison, not a single impressive number.
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Common problems and fixes
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The report describes a different user than expected. | Clear storage, retained storage, or the device profile does not match the intended audience. | Set the storage and device choices explicitly, then rerun and record them. |
| The page state disappears before the audit. | You used Navigation, which reloads the page. | Use Snapshot for the existing state or Timespan for the interaction that creates it. |
| The interaction is missing from the report. | The timespan was not started before the action or ended after it. | Start Timespan, perform the exact sequence, and end it only after the final action. |
| Generation is unusually slow. | JS sampling is enabled, or DevTools throttling is imposing real limits. | Disable sampling for routine runs; use simulated throttling when an estimate is sufficient. |
| Two reports cannot be compared fairly. | One or more settings changed between runs. | Match mode, device, categories, storage, throttling, and sampling, then change only the implementation under test. |
| The score is lower than expected after a redesign. | The test question or page state changed, not necessarily the quality of the same experience. | Re-establish a baseline with the old and new versions under identical settings before interpreting the difference. |
Performance, reliability, and interpretation notes
Advanced settings affect test cost in time and repeatability. JS sampling adds trace detail but can slow report generation. DevTools throttling is closer to observing constrained execution, yet it takes longer and depends more on the local machine and network. Simulated throttling is faster for a stable comparison, but it remains an extrapolation.
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Storage choice is equally important. Clearing storage targets first-visit behavior; retaining it targets repeat visits. Neither is universally “correct.” Select the one that matches the product question and state it in your notes.
Lighthouse audits are diagnostic evidence. A score does not guarantee a search ranking, and no authoritative statistic establishes a universal improvement percentage for an “Advanced Mode.” Use the failed audits and opportunities to decide what to investigate, then validate the real user flow separately.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lighthouse Advanced Mode available in Lighthouse CI or only DevTools?
The term refers to the advanced controls described in the Chrome DevTools Lighthouse panel; it is not documented as a separate Lighthouse product or tier.
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Yes, but they answer different questions: Timespan measures the work performed during an interaction, while Snapshot inspects the state that already exists. Choose the one that matches the evidence you need.
Should a team standardize one throttling method?
For comparable trend reports, standardize one method and record it. Use simulated throttling for efficient estimates or DevTools throttling when observing actual CPU and network constraints is essential.
The Bottom Line
Lighthouse’s advanced controls are a test-design toolkit: match storage, run mode, throttling, device, categories, and trace detail to the question, then keep that configuration fixed while you improve the page.
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