Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

You can automate Chromium-based Opera with Selenium 4 in Python by installing Opera, using an OperaChromiumDriver release compatible with its Chromium version, and directing Selenium to Opera’s executable. The example below starts Opera locally, waits for a page element, checks the result, and shuts the browser and driver service down cleanly. Local tests do not require Selenium Server or Grid.

What connects Selenium to Opera?

Selenium’s Python package automates browser interactions. WebDriver is the control layer: Selenium sends commands through a browser-specific driver, which communicates with the browser. For Opera, that driver is OperaChromiumDriver, maintained by Opera Software and derived from ChromeDriver for Chromium-based Opera products.

OperaChromiumDriver is a separate executable; installing the Python Selenium package does not install Opera or guarantee that the matching Opera driver is available. Treat the installed Opera version, OperaChromiumDriver release, and Selenium version as a compatibility set. In particular, align the driver with the Chromium version used by your Opera installation.

Install Python Selenium, Opera, and OperaChromiumDriver

  1. Install Python and create a virtual environment in your project directory:

    Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.
    #1 Best Overall
    Acer Wireless Mouse for Laptop, 2.4GHz Computer Mouse 3 Adjustable 1600 DPI
    • 【Plug and Play for Home/Office/School】The wireless computer mouse features 2.4GHz connectivity, delivering a stable, interference-free connection up to 32ft. Designed for 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐮𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬, it ensures comfortable use all day. Simply plug in the USB-A receiver for instant pairing—no drivers needed. 📌📌 If the mouse isn’t suitable, place the USB receiver in the battery compartment and return both.
    • 【3 Levels Adjustable DPI】This travel USB mouse offers 3 adjustable DPI settings (800, 1200, 1600), allowing you to customize sensitivity for precise design work. Effortlessly switch to match your task and elevate your productivity. 📌 Please remove the film at the bottom of the mouse before use.
    • 【Effortless Browsing】Equipped with forward and backward buttons, this computer mice streamlines your workflow, making it easy to navigate through web pages and files with a simple click. 📌Side button does not work on Mac.
    • 【Visible Indicator Light】 The pc mouse features a visual indicator for DPI levels and low battery alerts. The red light flashes once for 800 DPI, twice for 1200 DPI, and three times for 1600 DPI. When the battery level is below 10%, the light flashes red until the mouse is completely out of power.
    • 【Click to Wake】With smart sleep mode, it saves power by standby after 10 inactive minutes, just 2-3 clicks to wake. This efficient design delivers 3x longer battery life than motion-wake mice. Engineered for durability, its buttons and scroll wheel are tested for 10 million clicks, ensuring long-term reliability and consistent performance.
    python -m venv .venv

    Activate it using the command for your shell, then install Selenium:

    python -m pip install -U selenium
  2. Install the desktop version of Opera you intend to test. If it is not in a location OperaDriver can detect, note the full path to its executable; you will set that path in the test.

  3. Download an OperaChromiumDriver release compatible with the Chromium version in that Opera installation. Make the executable available on your system PATH, or retain its full path so you can pass it directly to Selenium’s service object.

    Rank #2
    Sale
    Logitech M185 Compact Ambidextrous 2.4 GHz Wireless Mouse - Swift Grey
    • Compact Mouse: With a comfortable and contoured shape, this Logitech ambidextrous wireless mouse feels great in either right or left hand and is far superior to a touchpad
    • Durable and Reliable: This USB wireless mouse features a line-by-line scroll wheel, up to 1 year of battery life (2) thanks to a smart sleep mode function, and comes with the included AA battery
    • Universal Compatibility: Your Logitech mouse works with your Windows PC, Mac, or laptop, so no matter what type of computer you own today or buy tomorrow your mouse will be compatible
    • Plug and Play Simplicity: Just plug in the tiny nano USB receiver and start working in seconds with a strong, reliable connection to your wireless computer mouse up to 33 feet / 10 m (5)
    • Better than touchpad: Get more done by adding M185 to your laptop; according to a recent study, laptop users who chose this mouse over a touchpad were 50% more productive (3) and worked 30% faster (4)
  4. Check that the Selenium package, Opera executable, and driver executable are available to the same environment that will run the test. A virtual environment manages Python packages; it does not put Opera or OperaChromiumDriver on PATH.

    Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Launch Opera with Selenium 4 in Python

Opera’s Selenium 4 desktop setup uses ChromeOptions to configure the Opera binary, an OperaDriver service to start the driver, and Selenium’s Remote WebDriver interface to connect to that service. Although the Python connection uses webdriver.Remote, this example runs Opera on the same machine as the Python script; it is not a Selenium Grid test.

Replace the two paths below with locations on your machine. If OperaDriver is already on PATH, you can omit the explicit executable path and let the service resolve it.

Rank #3
Sale
Redragon M612 Wired RGB Optical Gaming Mouse 8000 DPI Remapping Keys
  • Pentakill, 5 DPI Levels - Geared with 5 redefinable DPI levels (default as: 500/1000/2000/3000/4000), easy to switch between different game needs. Dedicated demand of DPI options between 500-8000 is also available to be processed by software.
  • Any Button is Reassignable - 11 programmable buttons are all editable with customizable tactical keybinds in whatever game or work you are engaging. 1 rapid fire + 2 side macro buttons offer you a better gaming and working experience.
  • Comfort Grip with Details - The skin-friendly frosted coating is the main comfort grip of the mouse surface, which offers you the most enjoyable fingerprint-free tactility. The left side equipped with rubber texture strengthened the friction and made the mouse easier to control.
  • 5 Decent Backlit Modes - Turn the backlit on and make some kills in your gaming battlefield. The hyped dynamic RGB backlit vibe will never let you down when decorating your gaming space, it would be better with other Redragon accessories with lights on.
  • Fatigue Killer with Ergonomic Design - Solid frame with a streamlined and general claw-grip design offers a satisfying and comfortable gaming experience with less fatigue even though after hours of use.
from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.service import Service
from selenium.webdriver.support.ui import WebDriverWait
from selenium.webdriver.support import expected_conditions as EC
from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By

options = webdriver.ChromeOptions()
options.binary_location = "/absolute/path/to/opera"
# Opera's desktop example enables W3C mode.
options.add_experimental_option("w3c", True)

service = Service(executable_path="/absolute/path/to/operadriver")
driver = None

try:
    service.start()
    driver = webdriver.Remote(
        command_executor=service.service_url,
        options=options,
    )
    driver.get("https://example.com")

    heading = WebDriverWait(driver, 10).until(
        EC.visibility_of_element_located((By.CSS_SELECTOR, "h1"))
    )
    assert heading.text == "Example Domain"
finally:
    if driver is not None:
        driver.quit()
    service.stop()

Use the executable paths appropriate to your operating system and installation. If you rely on PATH, omit the executable_path argument, for example Service(). Selenium 4 uses W3C WebDriver by default; the explicit option above follows Opera’s documented setup. If your installed driver rejects that capability, check its compatibility before removing it.

Make Opera tests stable

Prefer selectors tied to the interface contract

Locate controls by stable attributes such as an application-owned ID, name, or test-specific attribute. Avoid selectors that depend on generated class names, long DOM paths, or incidental layout. A test should fail when the behavior it protects changes, not because a styling class or page structure was rearranged.

Free tools Windows power users keep installed

One-click scans. No signup required.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Wait for the condition the test needs

Pages that load data or update after interaction may not be ready when a command runs. The example uses an explicit wait for a visible heading rather than pausing for a fixed number of seconds. For other actions, wait for the relevant state—for example, an element to become clickable or a result to appear—then assert that state.

Rank #4
Sale
Razer Basilisk V3 Customizable RGB Wired Ergonomic Gaming Mouse, Black
  • ICONIC ERGONOMIC DESIGN WITH THUMB REST — PC gaming mouse favored by millions worldwide with a form factor that perfectly supports the hand while its buttons are optimally positioned for quick and easy access
  • 11 PROGRAMMABLE BUTTONS — Assign macros and secondary functions across 11 programmable buttons to execute essential actions like push-to-talk, ping, and more
  • HYPERSCROLL TILT WHEEL — Speed through content with a scroll wheel that free-spins until its stopped or switch to tactile mode for more precision and satisfying feedback that’s ideal for cycling through weapons or skills
  • 11 RAZER CHROMA RGB LIGHTING ZONES — Customize each zone from over 16.8 million colors and countless lighting effects, all while it reacts dynamically with over 150 Chroma integrated games
  • OPTICAL MOUSE SWITCHES GEN 2 — With zero unintended misclicks these switches provide crisp, responsive execution at a blistering 0.2ms actuation speed for up to 70 million clicks

Keep setup, browser actions, and assertions distinguishable

If a test fails, first determine whether OperaDriver started and Opera launched. Then check navigation and element lookup, and finally the assertion. This separates driver or browser startup failures from a page-level defect or an incorrect expected result.

Always close the session

Call driver.quit() during teardown, including after assertion failures. It ends the WebDriver session and closes the browser. When you start the local driver service explicitly, stop that service as well; the example’s finally block handles both cleanup paths.

Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Support on Ko-Fi

Choose local execution or a remote WebDriver

Approach Best fit Trade-off
Local OperaDriver service Developing or running tests on the machine with Opera installed. Simple setup and direct access to a local browser, but each test environment needs its own compatible Opera and driver installation.
Selenium Grid or another Remote WebDriver endpoint Running browsers on remote machines, centralizing browser infrastructure, or scaling execution across environments. Supports remote execution, but requires a reachable endpoint and an environment provisioned with the intended browser and driver combination.

Selenium Manager can handle many driver installations for supported browser setups, but do not assume it will select or manage the OperaChromiumDriver version needed by your Opera build. For reproducible Opera runs, explicitly choose and pin the compatible OperaChromiumDriver release. Selenium’s Python and getting-started documentation distinguish local scripts, which do not need Selenium Server, from remote execution through Grid or a Remote WebDriver endpoint.

What’s actually slowing this PC down?

Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.
Best Value
Sale
Logitech G305 Lightspeed Wireless Gaming Mouse - White
  • Next-gen 12,000 DPI HERO optical sensor delivers unrivaled gaming performance, accuracy and power efficiency
  • Advanced LIGHTSPEED wireless gaming mouse for super-fast 1 ms response time and faster than wired performance
  • Ultra-long battery life gives you up to 250 hours of continuous gaming on a single AA battery
  • Lightweight mechanical design and classic shape for maximum maneuverability, durability and comfort
  • Compact, portable design with convenient built-in storage for included USB wireless receiver

Use a fresh Opera launch or attach to an existing session

Mode What it does When it fits
Fresh launch Starts a new Opera browser session for the test. Use when isolation between test runs matters and the test should control its own browser lifecycle.
Binary autodetection Lets the driver locate the Opera executable rather than setting binary_location. Use only when the installed Opera location is detected correctly; set the binary path explicitly when it is not.
Remote-debugging attachment Connects to an Opera session already started with remote debugging enabled. Use when reusing an existing session is necessary. It is less isolated than starting a fresh browser for each test.

Opera documents these as distinct launch modes. The code above uses a fresh launch with an explicit binary location; it does not attach to an existing debugging session.

Troubleshoot common OperaDriver failures

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.