Set a Puppeteer page’s user agent with await page.setUserAgent({ userAgent: '…' }), and do it before navigating if the page should receive the override from its first request. This changes the page’s user-agent settings; use device emulation when you also need a known device profile and viewport.
Set a user agent on a Puppeteer page
Use the options-object form of Page.setUserAgent:
import puppeteer from 'puppeteer';
const browser = await puppeteer.launch();
try {
const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.setUserAgent({
userAgent: 'your user-agent string',
});
await page.goto('https://example.com');
// Continue with page work.
} finally {
await browser.close();
}The call returns a promise, so await it before navigating or doing work that depends on the override. Replace the example string with one appropriate to the browser and scenario you intend to represent. The Puppeteer documentation does not specify a universally suitable current string, so avoid treating an arbitrary, hard-coded browser version as authoritative. See the Page.setUserAgent API documentation.
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Optional metadata and platform
The options object can also include userAgentMetadata and platform. For example, add those fields only when you have the corresponding values for the browser scenario being represented:
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userAgent: 'your user-agent string',
userAgentMetadata: yourUserAgentMetadata,
platform: 'your platform',
});The user-agent string alone should not be assumed to reproduce every characteristic of a real browser or device. Consult the installed Puppeteer version’s API documentation for the exact types and supported options.
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Choose between a page override and device emulation
| Approach | What it changes | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
page.setUserAgent() |
The page’s user-agent settings; the options form also supports metadata and platform. | When the user-agent override itself is the goal. |
page.emulate(device) |
A known device profile, including user agent and viewport. | When you want to emulate a device rather than change only the user-agent settings. |
Puppeteer describes page.emulate(device) as a shortcut for setting both the user agent and viewport. Set up emulation before navigation where possible: changing viewport dimensions can affect a page and may trigger a reload in some cases. Device definitions are available through Puppeteer’s KnownDevices list. See the page interaction guide for the emulation guidance.
Install Puppeteer or connect to a managed browser
The page-level user-agent call is the same idea whichever package you use; the difference is browser setup. The installation guide distinguishes the packages this way:
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puppeteerdownloads a compatible Chrome version as part of installation.puppeteer-coredoes not download Chrome. Use it when connecting to a remote browser or managing browser binaries separately.
Choose the package that matches how Chrome is supplied in your environment, then apply the override to the page you will navigate.
Troubleshoot user-agent overrides
- The page still sends its old user agent: Make sure you call and await
page.setUserAgent()on the same page before navigation or other dependent work. - You need a mobile layout, not just a different user-agent string: A string override is not a complete device profile. Use
page.emulate(device)when the viewport and known device settings matter, and configure it before navigation where possible. - An older example fails against your installed package: API signatures can change. Check the documentation for the Puppeteer version you installed; the current API uses an options object, and the Next documentation marks a legacy positional signature as obsolete.
- Chrome does not launch with
puppeteer-core: That package does not download a browser. Supply or connect to a browser separately, or usepuppeteerif its bundled compatible Chrome setup fits your needs.
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