Set the download directory in the browser’s Options object before you create the WebDriver session. Chrome uses the download.default_directory preference; Firefox uses profile preferences supplied through Firefox Options. The directory is local to the machine running the browser, so a remote session saves on the remote host unless Selenium Grid managed downloads are enabled.
What you configure, and when
Selenium 4 uses browser-specific Options classes to configure a session. Build the options, add the download preferences, and pass those options to ChromeDriver, FirefoxDriver, or RemoteWebDriver. Changing a preference after the session starts is too late for reliable download behavior.
- Choose an absolute, writable directory.
- Create a separate directory per test when possible, so old files cannot be mistaken for new downloads.
- Start the driver only after all browser preferences are set.
- Wait for your own completion condition before quitting or opening the file; browser startup does not mean a download is finished.
Chrome: set download.default_directory
Java with ChromeOptions
ChromeDriver accepts a preference map through setExperimentalOption("prefs", ...). Use a full path and verify that the test process can write to it.
import java.nio.file.Files;
import java.nio.file.Path;
import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.Map;
import org.openqa.selenium.By;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeOptions;
public class ChromeDownload {
public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
Path downloadDir = Files.createTempDirectory("selenium-download-");
Map<String, Object> prefs = new HashMap<>();
prefs.put("download.default_directory", downloadDir.toAbsolutePath().toString());
ChromeOptions options = new ChromeOptions();
options.setExperimentalOption("prefs", prefs);
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver(options);
try {
driver.get("https://example.com/report");
driver.findElement(By.cssSelector("a.download")).click();
// Wait here until the expected file exists and is complete.
} finally {
driver.quit();
}
}
}On Windows, provide a valid Windows path with backslashes (for example, C:\tests\downloads) or use Java’s Path API as in the example. ChromeDriver’s guidance warns against special system directories: the desktop directory is disallowed, Linux home is disallowed, and the exact restricted set can change. Do not assume that a path accepted on one operating system is valid on another.
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Chrome in Python
from pathlib import Path
import tempfile
from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.options import Options
path = Path(tempfile.mkdtemp(prefix="selenium-download-"))
options = Options()
options.add_experimental_option(
"prefs",
{"download.default_directory": str(path.resolve())}
)
driver = webdriver.Chrome(options=options)
try:
driver.get("https://example.com/report")
driver.find_element("css selector", "a.download").click()
# Poll path until the expected file exists and any temporary download is gone.
finally:
driver.quit()Firefox: configure the profile before startup
Firefox writes preferences supplied through FirefoxOptions (or a profile attached to those options) into the profile before Firefox starts. The exact preference names and values needed to handle a particular MIME type can vary by Firefox version and language binding, so verify them against the version you run rather than copying a supposedly universal recipe.
JavaScript with Firefox Options
const { Builder } = require('selenium-webdriver');
const firefox = require('selenium-webdriver/firefox');
const options = new firefox.Options()
// Replace these with the preferences appropriate for your Firefox version
// and the MIME types your test downloads.
.setPreference('browser.download.folderList', 2)
.setPreference('browser.download.dir', '/absolute/path/to/downloads');
(async () => {
const driver = await new Builder()
.forBrowser('firefox')
.setFirefoxOptions(options)
.build();
try {
await driver.get('https://example.com/report');
// Click the download control and wait for a completed file.
} finally {
await driver.quit();
}
})();The setPreference(name, value) API is the important part. Add MIME-handling preferences only after checking the target Firefox release and the file types involved; a setting that works for one content type or release may not produce the same result elsewhere.
Python with FirefoxProfile
from pathlib import Path
import tempfile
from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.firefox.options import Options
from selenium.webdriver.firefox.firefox_profile import FirefoxProfile
download_dir = Path(tempfile.mkdtemp(prefix="selenium-firefox-download-")).resolve()
profile = FirefoxProfile()
profile.set_preference("browser.download.folderList", 2)
profile.set_preference("browser.download.dir", str(download_dir))
# Add version-appropriate MIME preferences when required by your application.
profile.update_preferences()
options = Options()
options.profile = profile
driver = webdriver.Firefox(options=options)
try:
driver.get("https://example.com/report")
finally:
driver.quit()A Firefox profile can be created fresh or cloned from an existing profile. Supplying preferences through the profile or through the moz:firefoxOptions preferences object has the same timing requirement: apply them before the browser process launches.
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Waiting for a download to finish
Neither browser startup nor a click proves that the file is ready. ChromeDriver does not wait for downloads to finish, and quitting immediately can terminate an active transfer. Use an explicit wait that matches your application.
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- Wait until the expected filename exists.
- Ignore temporary download names while the browser is writing.
- Require the file size (or modification time) to remain unchanged for a short polling interval when partial files are possible.
- Check that the file can be opened or parsed before the test proceeds.
- Apply a test timeout and report the directory contents when it expires.
Do not rely only on “the directory is non-empty”: a previous artifact, an error page saved as a file, or a still-growing temporary file can make that check pass incorrectly.
Remote WebDriver: where the file really goes
With Remote WebDriver, the browser’s configured directory is on the remote computer, not automatically on the machine running your test code. This distinction explains many “missing download” failures: the browser saved successfully, but the test looked in a local directory that the browser never used.
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Use Selenium Grid managed downloads
- Start the Grid node or standalone server with
--enable-managed-downloads true. - Enable the client capability
se:downloadsEnabledthrough your binding’s browser Options class. - Start the remote session with those options.
- Use Selenium’s downloadable-file endpoints to list and retrieve files from the session.
A file listing is an immediate snapshot; it is not a wait for completion. Keep the browser-side completion wait (or poll until the expected file appears) before requesting the managed download.
Remote Java pattern
ChromeOptions options = new ChromeOptions();
Map<String, Object> prefs = new HashMap<>();
prefs.put("download.default_directory", "/tmp/test-downloads");
options.setExperimentalOption("prefs", prefs);
options.setCapability("se:downloadsEnabled", true);
WebDriver driver = new RemoteWebDriver(
new java.net.URL("http://grid-host:4444"), options);The path above exists on the Grid host. If managed downloads are not enabled, retrieve the file using your infrastructure’s method (for example, a shared volume or an artifact transfer) rather than expecting it in the client process’s filesystem.
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Chrome and Firefox compared
| Concern | Chrome | Firefox |
|---|---|---|
| Configuration surface | ChromeOptions preference map via download.default_directory |
Firefox profile preferences via FirefoxOptions or FirefoxProfile |
| Path guidance | Use a full path; avoid restricted system directories; Windows separators matter | Verify path and preference behavior for the target Firefox version and operating system |
| Completion | ChromeDriver does not wait automatically | Implement an explicit file-completion wait as well |
| Remote execution | The directory is on the remote host unless Grid managed downloads transfer the file | |
Troubleshooting
The file is not in the directory
- Print the resolved absolute path and confirm it is writable by the browser process.
- Confirm the preference was added before constructing the driver.
- Check that the click really initiated a download and did not open a new tab, authentication page, or inline viewer.
- For Remote WebDriver, inspect the remote host rather than the client host.
The test ends with a partial file
Extend the wait and detect temporary names or changing file size. Move driver.quit() into the cleanup block only after the completion condition succeeds or times out with diagnostics.
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Chrome rejects the path
Replace relative paths and special directories with a newly created absolute directory. On Windows, construct the path with the operating system’s path API to avoid malformed separators.
Firefox opens a save dialog
Inspect the response MIME type and configure the corresponding Firefox profile preferences for your exact Firefox release. There is no single preference list that is guaranteed for every file type, version, and binding.
Remote file listing is empty
Ensure the server was started with managed downloads enabled, the session has se:downloadsEnabled, and the download has completed. Listing before completion returns only the files visible at that instant.
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Performance, isolation, and reliability practices
- Use a per-test temporary directory and delete it after collecting failure artifacts.
- Reuse a driver only when tests can safely share browser state; otherwise, a fresh session prevents stale files and preferences.
- Keep download timeouts separate from page-load timeouts so a slow transfer produces a useful error.
- Record the browser version, operating system, resolved path, and directory listing in test logs.
- For parallel tests, never point multiple sessions at the same directory unless filename collisions are impossible.
- On remote infrastructure, provision disk space and a cleanup policy on the browser host or Grid-managed storage.
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FAQ
Can I change the directory after creating the driver?
Do it by starting a new browser session with revised Options. Preferences are intended to be applied before startup.
Does Selenium copy remote downloads to my computer automatically?
No. The browser writes to the remote host. Grid managed downloads are the Selenium-supported transfer mechanism when enabled.
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No. Validate the expected filename and completion state; unrelated or partial files can make a non-empty check pass falsely.
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