Run Chrome on Linux without a visible browser window by launching its binary with --headless. For example, google-chrome --headless https://example.com opens a page in Headless mode. You do not need Xvfb. For repeatable automation, use Puppeteer or Selenium-WebDriver, and pin matching Chrome and ChromeDriver versions in CI.
Run Chrome in Headless mode from the command line
Chrome must already be installed, and google-chrome must be on your shell’s PATH. The binary name and location can differ by installation.
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Open a terminal.
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Launch Headless Chrome with a page URL:
google-chrome --headless https://example.com
Current Headless mode runs the regular Chrome browser implementation without showing its interface. Since Chrome 112, it has shared the regular browser implementation; it is not the old, separate Headless implementation. See Chrome’s Headless mode guide.
Capture a page as DOM, screenshot, or PDF
Chrome’s command-line options can render a page and save the result without opening a visible window. These examples use the syntax documented in the Chrome command-line reference:
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Dump the rendered DOM
google-chrome --headless --dump-dom https://example.com--dump-dom serializes the parsed DOM after page scripts have had a chance to modify it; it is not simply the original HTML response.
Save a screenshot
google-chrome --headless --screenshot --window-size=1280,900 https://example.comChrome saves screenshot.png in the current directory. Specify a viewport with --window-size=width,height when the output dimensions matter.
Print a PDF
google-chrome --headless --print-to-pdf output.pdf https://example.comFor captures that need a time limit, the CLI also documents --timeout. For pages whose content depends on timers, --virtual-time-budget can fast-forward page timers. Check the options supported by your installed Chrome version and verify the result for the page you are capturing.
Choose modern Headless or Headless Shell
Use regular Chrome with --headless when tests need behavior close to full Chrome or broader browser feature coverage. The old Headless implementation became a separate chrome-headless-shell binary starting with Chrome 132.0.6793.0.
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| Choice | When it fits | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
Chrome --headless |
Full-browser tests and workflows where fidelity to regular Chrome matters. | Uses the regular Chrome implementation and its environment requirements. |
chrome-headless-shell |
Lightweight capture workloads where its reduced feature set is acceptable. | Chrome describes it as lighter, with fewer dependencies; it is less authentic than full Chrome. It does not require X11/Wayland or D-Bus. |
Choose based on required browser features and the actual workload; do not assume the lighter binary is a drop-in replacement for tests that depend on full Chrome behavior. See Chrome’s Headless guide and Chrome’s Headless Shell announcement.
Automate Headless Chrome with Puppeteer or Selenium
Puppeteer
Puppeteer defaults to modern Headless mode. To use the separate shell, set headless: 'shell':
const browser = await puppeteer.launch({
headless: true, // modern Chrome Headless
// headless: 'shell', // Headless Shell
});Puppeteer can download a compatible Chrome for Testing binary by default. Consult its Headless modes guide for current options.
Selenium-WebDriver
For Selenium, add the --headless argument to Chrome options. Builder syntax varies by language binding, so use the current documentation for your binding; Selenium’s Chrome browser documentation covers configuring Chrome.
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Keep CI browser versions aligned
For repeatable CI runs, pin a Chrome for Testing version and its corresponding ChromeDriver. Chrome for Testing provides version-specific browser and driver downloads; pinning avoids unintended changes when the browser or driver updates. See Chrome for Testing.
Linux and container considerations
No virtual display is required
Headless Chrome does not need Xvfb or another display server. The historical Chrome Headless guide explicitly documents running without one: Headless Chrome.
Do not treat --no-sandbox as a universal fix
Chrome’s sandbox isolates browser processes. Chrome says a properly configured container with a user does not need --no-sandbox; running Chrome as root without the sandbox is unsupported. Check the container’s user and sandbox setup before changing this security setting. See Chrome’s sandbox documentation and Chrome in Docker guidance.
GPU flags are for graphics-specific cases
Basic Headless browsing does not ordinarily require custom GPU flags. Chrome’s Linux graphics guidance discusses Vulkan-related options including --use-angle=vulkan, --enable-features=Vulkan and --disable-vulkan-surface, alongside sandbox caveats. Investigate the graphics stack and follow current Chrome guidance only when a WebGL or WebGPU workload requires it: Chrome’s Linux graphics guidance.
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Troubleshoot common launch and capture problems
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google-chrome: command not found: The executable may have another name or may not be onPATH. Check the binary name and installation location for your distribution. There is no single installation command or dependency list established for every Linux distribution; follow the official instructions for your Chrome package or Chrome for Testing build. -
ChromeDriver and Chrome do not work together: Use a matching Chrome for Testing browser and ChromeDriver version, or let Puppeteer manage its compatible browser download.
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The screenshot or DOM is captured too early: Use
--timeoutto bound a capture, or consider--virtual-time-budgetfor timer-driven content. These settings do not guarantee that every site’s data is ready; validate the output against the page. -
Chrome fails in a container: Inspect the container user and sandbox configuration. Avoid running as root without the sandbox or adding
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WebGL or WebGPU rendering fails: First establish whether GPU acceleration is required. Then check the Linux graphics stack and Chrome’s current GPU-specific guidance; Vulkan flags are not a general-purpose compatibility recipe.
Or skip the browser setup
If you only need a website capture and do not want to install or manage a Linux browser, ScreenshotNeo returns a screenshot or PDF from one GET request. The cURL example below saves a WebP image; replace the URL as needed. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for the full parameter set.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run Headless Chrome without installing a desktop environment?
Yes. Headless mode does not require Xvfb or another visible display server.
Does the Headless Shell command use the same binary as Chrome?
No. The old implementation is distributed as the separate chrome-headless-shell binary.
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