From your WSL2 project directory, run npx playwright test --debug. Playwright starts the Inspector and a headed browser. The windows appear on the Windows desktop only when WSLg is working and your system meets Microsoft’s WSL GUI requirements.
Run the Inspector from a WSL2 Playwright project
Open your WSL distribution, change to the directory containing your Playwright Test project, and use the project’s local Playwright installation:
npx playwright test --debugThis debug shortcut enables an interactive session: tests run headed, one worker is used, the timeout is disabled, and execution stops after the first failure. The Inspector window and browser should be displayed through WSLg on your Windows desktop.
Debug one test file
Limit the run to a file when a whole suite would be too large to inspect:
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npx playwright test tests/example.spec.ts --debugYou can target a particular test line by appending :line to the file path, as documented by Playwright:
npx playwright test tests/example.spec.ts:42 --debugUse the environment-variable form
The equivalent workflow sets PWDEBUG=1 and then runs the test command:
PWDEBUG=1 npx playwright testIn practice, --debug is easier to remember and applies the same interactive defaults. Playwright also supports PWDEBUG=console for its documented browser developer-tools workflow.
Prepare Playwright inside WSL2
Install the project dependencies
Run the commands from the Linux filesystem or from the project directory mounted in WSL. Use the package manager and Playwright version already declared by the project rather than a separate global installation.
Download the browser binaries
If the project has not downloaded its browsers, install them from WSL:
npx playwright installTo install only Chromium:
npx playwright install chromiumInstall Linux browser dependencies when required
A browser can be present while required Linux libraries are missing. Playwright’s installer can add those dependencies:
npx playwright install --with-depsYou can combine the dependency option with a selected browser when appropriate for your project. Run these commands inside WSL, not in Windows PowerShell, so the binaries and libraries are installed in the environment that launches the test.
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Verify that WSLg can show the Inspector
Playwright’s Inspector is a Linux GUI application. WSLg is Microsoft’s path for displaying Linux GUI applications on the Windows desktop; it is not a separate, full Linux desktop environment.
Confirm the distribution uses WSL2
Microsoft states that Linux GUI apps are supported only with WSL2, not with a distribution configured for WSL1. From an elevated Windows PowerShell or Command Prompt, inspect your distributions:
wsl -l -vThe distribution that contains the project should show version 2. If it shows version 1, convert or recreate the distribution as WSL2 before expecting a GUI window.
Check the Windows version
Microsoft documents WSL GUI support for Windows 11 and for Windows 10 build 19044 or later. On Windows 10, verify the build in Settings → System → About or with winver. An older build does not meet the documented prerequisite.
Check the graphics driver
WSLg uses virtual GPU support. Microsoft’s prerequisites include a graphics driver compatible with the machine’s GPU. Install or update that driver through the hardware vendor’s supported Windows package before troubleshooting Playwright itself.
Update and restart WSLg
If GUI applications previously worked but the Inspector no longer appears, update WSL and restart its virtual machine from an elevated Windows shell:
wsl --update
wsl --shutdownStart the distribution again, return to the project, and retry npx playwright test --debug. The shutdown ends all running WSL distributions, so save work in other WSL terminals first.
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Work through a test in Inspector
When the Inspector opens, start the test and use its controls to move through actions one at a time. The workflow is useful when you need to see why a locator, navigation, assertion, or interaction behaves differently than expected.
Step over actions
Use the step controls to advance through the test. Observe the headed browser after each action and check the Inspector’s actionability information when an element is not ready, visible, enabled, or otherwise actionable.
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The locator picker lets you select an element in the browser and edit the generated locator live. Refine the locator until it identifies the intended element rather than a coincidental match.
Pause at a deliberate point
For a pause at a known point in the test, add page.pause() in the test code:
import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test';
test('inspect checkout', async ({ page }) => {
await page.goto('https://example.com/checkout');
await page.pause();
await expect(page.getByRole('heading', { name: 'Checkout' })).toBeVisible();
});Run the test with debug settings so the pause opens the Inspector in a headed session.
Inspector or UI Mode?
Both are Playwright workflows, but they solve different problems.
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|---|---|---|
| Pause a running test, step through actions, inspect actionability, or refine a locator in context | npx playwright test --debug (Inspector) |
Controlled execution with a headed browser and focused pauses |
| Browse tests visually, pick locators, use watch mode, and inspect traces before, during, and after runs | npx playwright test --ui (UI Mode) |
A broader interactive test-running experience |
UI Mode is not a replacement for a precise pause inside one test. Conversely, Inspector is not intended to provide UI Mode’s broader browsing and trace-oriented workflow. Both still need a working WSLg display when launched from WSL.
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Troubleshoot when no window appears
“Cannot open display” or no GUI window
- Confirm the distribution is WSL2, not WSL1.
- Confirm Windows 10 is build 19044 or later, or use Windows 11.
- Install the GPU driver required for virtual GPU support.
- Run
wsl --update, thenwsl --shutdown, and start WSL again. - Test another simple Linux GUI application. If it also fails, the issue is WSLg or the Windows graphics configuration rather than the Playwright test.
Microsoft maintains a WSLg “cannot open display” troubleshooting path for machine-specific display failures. WSL GUI support depends on the Windows desktop and does not provide a complete Linux desktop session.
“Executable doesn’t exist” or browser launch failure
The Playwright package may be installed while its browser binary is not. Run npx playwright install, or install the selected browser explicitly, such as npx playwright install chromium.
Missing shared libraries or dependency errors
Install the Linux dependencies with npx playwright install --with-deps. Repeat the command inside the same WSL distribution that runs the tests.
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The test exits too quickly
Make sure the debug flag is attached to the Playwright Test command, not to a wrapper that never forwards it:
npx playwright test tests/example.spec.ts --debugIf you need a pause at a specific location, add await page.pause() and rerun in debug mode.
The wrong tests run
Pass the test file or line selector explicitly. This reduces noise and makes the Inspector session easier to follow:
npx playwright test tests/login.spec.ts:18 --debugDebugging is affected by parallel workers
Debug mode uses one worker by default. If a custom configuration overrides workers, restore a single worker for an orderly interactive session:
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npx playwright test --debug --workers=1Reliability and performance considerations
Expect interactive runs to be slower
Debug mode deliberately disables the normal timeout, runs headed, and processes tests one at a time. That is useful for observation but not a performance benchmark. Use a normal headless run for timing and CI validation after the issue is understood.
Keep browser and project versions aligned
Install browsers with the Playwright CLI associated with the project. Mixing a global CLI, a different package version, and stale browser binaries can produce launch or protocol failures that do not occur in a clean project installation.
Separate display failures from test failures
If the command reports a test assertion error, the Inspector and browser launched successfully; investigate the test. If the command fails before a window appears, check WSL2, WSLg, Windows build, driver, browser binaries, and Linux dependencies in that order.
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