Use the method that matches what the tab contains. If Selenium is displaying an HTML report and you want to create a PDF, call Selenium’s print command, decode the returned Base64 data, and write it to a file. If the tab is displaying an existing PDF returned by a server, configure the browser to download PDF responses, preserve the authenticated session, and wait for the completed file. Do not automate Chrome’s or Firefox’s built-in PDF viewer with DOM selectors.
Choose the correct Selenium workflow
A browser tab that looks like a PDF can represent two different things:
| What the URL returns | Correct approach | What you save |
|---|---|---|
| HTML, such as an invoice or report page | Use Selenium’s print-to-PDF command | A PDF rendered by the browser, including the page’s print styles |
An existing response with Content-Type: application/pdf |
Configure a download directory and download the response | The server-provided PDF bytes |
These paths have different fidelity. Printing reproduces the current rendered page and its @media print rules; downloading preserves the PDF generated by the server. Authentication also differs: a browser download automatically uses the current Selenium session, while a separate HTTP request must reproduce its cookies, authorization headers, redirects, and any anti-bot checks.
Create a PDF from a rendered HTML page
Complete Python example
Selenium’s Python binding returns the print result as Base64-encoded PDF data. Decode it and write the bytes to a deterministic path. Chromium printing in this Selenium example requires headless mode.
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from pathlib import Path
import base64
from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.options import Options
from selenium.webdriver.common.print_page_options import PrintOptions
from selenium.webdriver.support.ui import WebDriverWait
url = "https://example.test/report"
out = Path("artifacts/report.pdf")
out.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
options = Options()
options.add_argument("--headless=new")
driver = webdriver.Chrome(options=options)
try:
driver.get(url)
# Replace this with a selector that proves your report is ready.
WebDriverWait(driver, 30).until(
lambda d: d.find_element("css selector", "[data-report-ready]")
)
print_options = PrintOptions()
# Optional: print_options.page_ranges = ["1-3"]
pdf_b64 = driver.print_page(print_options)
pdf_bytes = base64.b64decode(pdf_b64)
if not pdf_bytes:
raise RuntimeError("Selenium returned an empty print result")
out.write_bytes(pdf_bytes)
print(f"Saved {out.resolve()} ({len(pdf_bytes)} bytes)")
finally:
driver.quit()Remove the readiness wait only when the page is guaranteed to be complete immediately after navigation. A fixed sleep is less reliable than waiting for a report-specific element, because slow data requests can finish earlier or later on different runs.
Control pages and print appearance
- Page ranges: assign
print_options.page_ranges, for example["1-3"], when only selected pages are needed. - Print CSS: the output follows the browser’s print rendering, so inspect
@media printrules when colors, navigation, or layout differ from the screen. - Dynamic content: wait for the final table, chart, or report marker before calling
print_page. If content is loaded by JavaScript after the marker, wait for a more specific condition. - Output folders: create the parent directory before writing and use a unique or cleaned filename in CI so an earlier artifact cannot be mistaken for a new one.
Other Selenium language bindings
JavaScript and Java expose the corresponding print command and PrintOptions APIs. The command is named printPage in JavaScript bindings and is exposed through the PrintsPage interface in Java. The returned value and the Base64 decode/write call are binding-specific; apply the same sequence: navigate, wait for readiness, call the print command, decode the returned PDF data, and write bytes to disk.
Download a PDF that the server already provides
If navigation returns an actual PDF, printing the PDF viewer would not preserve the original file. Configure downloads before opening the URL, then wait for the final file. Keep the browser session alive until the transfer finishes.
Chrome with Python
from pathlib import Path
import time
from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.options import Options
folder = Path("artifacts/pdfs").resolve()
folder.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
prefs = {
"download.default_directory": str(folder),
"download.prompt_for_download": False,
}
options = Options()
options.add_experimental_option("prefs", prefs)
# In automated runs, make PDF responses download rather than open in the viewer.
options.add_experimental_option("prefs", {
**prefs,
"plugins.always_open_pdf_externally": True,
})
# Add --headless=new when running without a display.
# options.add_argument("--headless=new")
driver = webdriver.Chrome(options=options)
try:
driver.get("https://example.test/files/report.pdf")
deadline = time.time() + 60
while time.time() < deadline:
partials = list(folder.glob("*.crdownload"))
pdfs = [p for p in folder.glob("*.pdf") if p.stat().st_size > 0]
if pdfs and not partials:
print(f"Downloaded {pdfs[0]}")
break
time.sleep(0.25)
else:
raise TimeoutError("PDF did not finish downloading")
finally:
driver.quit()Chrome’s user-facing equivalent is Settings → Privacy and security → Site Settings → Additional content settings → PDF documents → Download PDFs. In automation, set an explicit download directory through the options supported by your Selenium binding and execution environment. The .crdownload file is Chrome’s temporary transfer; do not process it as the final document.
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Firefox with Python
from pathlib import Path
from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.firefox.options import Options
folder = Path("artifacts/pdfs").resolve()
folder.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
options = Options()
options.set_preference("browser.download.folderList", 2)
options.set_preference("browser.download.dir", str(folder))
options.set_preference(
"browser.helperApps.neverAsk.saveToDisk",
"application/pdf",
)
# This bypasses the built-in viewer in many Firefox versions.
# Verify the preference against the Firefox version used by your project.
options.set_preference("pdfjs.disabled", True)
driver = webdriver.Firefox(options=options)
try:
driver.get("https://example.test/files/report.pdf")
# Poll folder for a nonzero .pdf and wait until any .part file disappears.
finally:
driver.quit()The MIME type in browser.helperApps.neverAsk.saveToDisk must match the response’s Content-Type. If the server sends a different type, inspect its response headers and use that value. Firefox uses a .part temporary file while downloading.
Preserve authentication and session state
Download preferences do not log you in. Perform the login with Selenium first, then navigate to the PDF link or URL in the same driver. This carries the browser’s cookies and session state into the request. If a link opens a new tab, switch to that window before checking the download directory.
You can retrieve known PDF bytes with an HTTP client instead of Selenium, but that is equivalent only when you safely transfer every requirement of the browser request: cookies, authorization headers, redirects, and anti-bot protections. When any of those are uncertain, let Selenium perform the download and validate the resulting file.
Wait for and verify the completed file
- Clean the destination directory before each run, or generate a unique run directory.
- Wait for a final filename with a nonzero size.
- Ensure Chrome’s
.crdownloador Firefox’s.parttemporary files no longer exist. - Read the first five bytes and require the PDF signature
%PDF-. - For stronger validation, open the file with a PDF parser and confirm that at least one page can be read.
from pathlib import Path
def assert_pdf(path: Path) -> None:
if not path.exists() or path.stat().st_size == 0:
raise AssertionError(f"Missing or empty file: {path}")
with path.open("rb") as f:
if f.read(5) != b"%PDF-":
raise AssertionError(f"Not a PDF: {path}")For print-to-PDF, perform the same nonempty and signature checks immediately after decoding. A successful Selenium command does not guarantee that the page contained the data you expected.
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Print versus download: practical trade-offs
| Concern | Print-to-PDF | Existing-PDF download |
|---|---|---|
| Input | Rendered HTML | Server response identified as a PDF |
| Fidelity | Browser layout and @media print rules |
Original server-generated bytes |
| Browser control | print_page and print options |
Download directory and MIME preferences |
| Authentication | Uses the current page session | Uses the current session when Selenium performs the download |
| CI considerations | Headless Chromium is required in the documented example | Temporary-file polling and browser-specific preferences are required |
Troubleshooting Selenium PDF saves
The output is a viewer page, not a PDF
You navigated to an existing PDF and attempted to select text or click viewer controls. Treat it as a download instead: set Chrome or Firefox download preferences before navigation, then monitor the filesystem.
print_page returns an error or empty data
Confirm that the driver is running in the required headless configuration, the page has finished rendering, and the returned string is decoded as Base64 before writing. Check that the decoded byte string is nonempty and begins with %PDF-.
The download never appears
Verify the absolute download directory, ensure it exists and is writable, and confirm that the response is not an HTML login page or an authorization error. Check for a lingering .crdownload or .part file before declaring a timeout.
Firefox still prompts for a location
Set browser.download.folderList, browser.download.dir, and browser.helperApps.neverAsk.saveToDisk before creating the driver. Correct the MIME type if it does not match the server header. Browser preferences are version-sensitive, so verify pdfjs.disabled with the Firefox version used in CI.
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- Reuse a logged-in driver only when session isolation is acceptable; otherwise create a fresh profile for each test.
- Use explicit waits and bounded polling intervals. Long fixed sleeps make fast runs slower while still failing on unusually slow pages.
- Keep download directories isolated per test worker to avoid filename collisions and false positives.
- Headless runs need the same browser version and driver compatibility as interactive runs; pin those in CI where reproducibility matters.
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FAQ
Does Selenium’s print command download the PDF that the server stores?
No. It creates a new PDF from the currently rendered page. Use the download workflow when preserving the server’s original bytes matters.
Can I save a PDF without opening a browser window?
Yes. Run the print workflow with headless Chromium, or run the configured download workflow in a headless browser. The browser still performs the authenticated navigation and rendering.
Why should I check the %PDF- signature?
A successful navigation or nonempty file can still contain an HTML login page or error response. The signature check catches that mismatch before downstream PDF processing.
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Does Selenium’s print command download the PDF that the server stores?
No. It creates a new PDF from the currently rendered page. Use the download workflow when preserving the server’s original bytes matters.
Can I save a PDF without opening a browser window?
Yes. Run the print workflow with headless Chromium, or run the configured download workflow in a headless browser. The browser still performs the authenticated navigation and rendering.
Why should I check the %PDF- signature?
A successful navigation or nonempty file can still contain an HTML login page or error response. The signature check catches that mismatch before downstream PDF processing.
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