When you call Puppeteer’s launch() without setting userDataDir, Puppeteer creates a temporary browser profile under the operating system’s temporary directory. It does not document one universal path for every OS. To use a persistent or controlled profile location, pass userDataDir explicitly and ensure the account running Chrome can write to that directory.
What Puppeteer means by the default user data directory
A user data directory is the root directory where a browser stores profile data. In Puppeteer’s launch API, userDataDir is an optional path. The Puppeteer 25.12.0 API describes it as a “Path to a user data directory.” When the option is omitted, the troubleshooting documentation says Puppeteer creates a temporary profile under the operating system’s temporary directory.
That description identifies the location by purpose, not by a fixed path string. The exact temporary directory can vary by operating system and environment, so do not assume a single literal default such as a particular home-directory folder.
Set a profile directory explicitly
Pass userDataDir in the options to launch() when you need a specific profile location. The directory must be writable by the account running Chrome. For example:
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const browser = await puppeteer.launch({
userDataDir: './puppeteer-profile',
});Use a location appropriate to your application and deployment. A relative path is resolved in the context of the process working directory, so an absolute path may be easier to manage in a service or scheduled job. Puppeteer’s troubleshooting example likewise demonstrates supplying an explicit path.
Do not confuse launch defaults with the channel-directory resolver
The similarly named resolveDefaultUserDataDir(browser, platform, channel) function belongs to @puppeteer/browsers. Its purpose is different: it returns the expected user data directory for the specified browser, platform, and Chrome release channel. The function explicitly does not check whether that directory exists.
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| Behavior | Inputs | What it tells you | Existence behavior |
|---|---|---|---|
launch() with no userDataDir |
Launch options, with the profile option omitted | Puppeteer creates a temporary profile beneath the OS temporary directory | The documentation describes creation of a temporary profile |
resolveDefaultUserDataDir() |
Browser, platform, and channel | Computes the expected channel-specific directory | Does not check whether the returned directory exists |
The resolver is useful for channel-specific profile discovery; it is not evidence that ordinary launch() without userDataDir uses that same path. The reviewed resolver documentation is labeled Next, while the launch API pages identify Puppeteer 25.12.0, so check the documentation matching your installed package version before relying on a version-specific behavior. The API reference does not enumerate path mappings for each operating system and channel.
Keep profile storage separate from browser selection and connection
userDataDir controls profile storage. It is separate from channel and executablePath, which concern which browser executable or channel Puppeteer selects. The launch API lists Chrome as the default browser.
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There is also a channel option for connect(). The ConnectOptions documentation describes it as looking for a WebSocket at the well-known user data directory for that channel. That behavior is documented as experimental, Chrome-only, and Node.js-only; it is a connection lookup, not the temporary-profile behavior of a normal launch.
Troubleshoot profile-directory problems
- The browser does not retain profile data between runs: If you omit
userDataDir, Puppeteer uses a temporary profile. Set an explicit directory when profile persistence is needed. - Chrome cannot use the chosen directory: Check that the account running the browser has write access to the path, and verify that the parent directory exists and is accessible in the process environment.
- A resolver result points to a missing directory: This is not necessarily a resolver error.
resolveDefaultUserDataDir()returns an expected path and does not verify that it exists. - A channel-based connection cannot find a browser: Confirm that the intended Chrome channel and its running browser are available. The documented
connect()channel lookup concerns a WebSocket at the channel’s well-known profile directory and is limited to the experimental Node.js Chrome behavior. - An unrelated Chrome binary behaves unexpectedly: Profile-path selection alone does not ensure compatibility. Puppeteer says it works best with the Chrome for Testing version it downloads by default and does not guarantee operation with arbitrary Chrome versions.
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