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Which Chrome channel should you use with Puppeteer?
Choose based on which browser you want to run, not on an assumption that the channel name alone controls Puppeteer’s download:
- Use Puppeteer’s managed Chrome for Testing for the documented compatibility baseline. Puppeteer downloads a compatible browser as part of its normal installation workflow; the supported-browser table pairs Puppeteer v25.12.0 with Chrome for Testing 154.0.8037.57. That mapping is version-specific and changes, so check the current supported browsers table for your installed Puppeteer version.
- Use
channelwhen you want Puppeteer to launch a regular Chrome installation already present in a known system location. - Install by channel with
@puppeteer/browserswhen you want to manage a Chrome for Testing download separately. Its CLI supports channel-based installation such aschrome@stable.
Puppeteer’s channel enum lists the four names, but the cited Puppeteer channel documentation does not define their release cadence or maturity differences. Do not treat a choice of Beta, Dev, or Canary as a compatibility guarantee. Puppeteer specifically suggests Canary or Dev if you prefer Google Chrome over Chrome for Testing, while still warning that other Chrome versions may not work.
What does channel mean in Puppeteer?
The channel option tells Puppeteer to locate and launch a regular Chrome installation for the requested channel. It is not an instruction to download that channel into Puppeteer’s managed browser cache. The allowed values are exactly beta, canary, dev, and stable, as listed in Puppeteer’s ChromeReleaseChannel enum reference.
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For example, the following asks Puppeteer to launch an installed Chrome Beta:
const browser = await puppeteer.launch({ channel: 'beta' });If Puppeteer cannot find the requested local channel, launch may fail. Install the corresponding Chrome build or use a managed Chrome for Testing installation instead.
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How do you install Chrome for Testing by channel?
The @puppeteer/browsers package has its own browser-management workflow. Its documented CLI example installs Chrome for Testing by channel:
npx @puppeteer/browsers install chrome@stableThe @puppeteer/browsers documentation also shows installation by a specific version or milestone. This is distinct from launch({ channel: 'stable' }): the CLI installs a managed Chrome for Testing build, while the launch option searches for a regular Chrome installation in known system locations.
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If you use the regular puppeteer package, its installation workflow downloads the Chrome for Testing version Puppeteer is designed to work with. For puppeteer-core, Chrome is not downloaded at package installation; you manage the browser yourself and provide executablePath or channel when launching. See Puppeteer’s installation guide.
How do you use Chrome Canary with Puppeteer?
First make sure a Canary installation is available in a system location Puppeteer recognizes. Then pass canary to launch:
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const puppeteer = require('puppeteer');
(async () => {
const browser = await puppeteer.launch({ channel: 'canary' });
try {
const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.goto('https://example.com');
console.log(await page.title());
} finally {
await browser.close();
}
})();For an ES module, import Puppeteer with import puppeteer from 'puppeteer'; and use the same launch options. With puppeteer-core, import that package instead and make sure the local Canary executable is installed and discoverable; if it is not at a known location, configure its path with executablePath.
Using Canary or Dev is a way to select a locally installed Google Chrome channel, not a way to request a Puppeteer-matched browser. Puppeteer’s launch documentation cautions: “There is no guarantee it will work with any other version.”
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How should you choose between managed Chrome and a local channel?
| Need | Use | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Prefer Puppeteer’s documented compatibility baseline | Puppeteer-managed Chrome for Testing | Uses the browser version Puppeteer downloads for its release; other Chrome versions are not guaranteed compatible. |
| Run a regular Chrome installation already on the machine | launch({ channel: 'stable' }) or another enum value |
Searches known system locations for the requested Chrome channel; does not install it into Puppeteer’s cache. |
| Install and manage Chrome for Testing separately | @puppeteer/browsers CLI or API |
Can install by channel, version, or milestone; the documented channel example is chrome@stable. |
Use puppeteer-core |
Supply executablePath or channel |
You are responsible for browser management; package installation does not download Chrome. |
For exact option details, see LaunchOptions. For the current Puppeteer-to-Chrome for Testing mapping, consult the supported browsers page rather than relying on an older version number.
Troubleshooting channel launches
- “Could not find Chrome” or a launch error for a channel: confirm that the requested Chrome channel is installed and that Puppeteer can find it in a known system location. Alternatively, provide its executable path or install managed Chrome for Testing.
puppeteer-corehas no browser to launch: this package does not download Chrome during installation. Install a browser separately and configurechannelorexecutablePath.- A Chrome version launches but automation behaves unexpectedly: verify which executable Puppeteer actually started and compare it with the supported-browser mapping for your Puppeteer release. Compatibility with other Chrome versions is not guaranteed.
- You expected
channel: 'stable'to download Chrome: that option selects an existing system installation. Usenpx @puppeteer/browsers install chrome@stableto install Chrome for Testing by channel.
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