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Puppeteer’s default browser launch arguments are generated Chrome command-line flags, not one permanent list. They vary with Puppeteer version and launch options such as headless mode, DevTools, and extensions. To see the exact flags your installed package will use, call await puppeteer.defaultArgs(options) with the options you plan to launch with.

What Puppeteer means by “default args”

There are three separate things to keep straight:

  • LaunchOptions are Puppeteer settings such as headless, devtools, and ignoreDefaultArgs.
  • Default arguments are the browser flags Puppeteer generates from its version and those settings.
  • args is your array of additional command-line flags. It adds to the defaults; it does not replace them.

The official LaunchOptions reference for Puppeteer 25.12.0 documents these controls. Since generated flags can change between releases, avoid treating a copied list as a universal contract.

How to inspect the arguments for your launch

Use Puppeteer’s defaultArgs() method to inspect the list produced by your installed package. Pass the same relevant options to inspection and launch so conditional flags match.

import puppeteer from 'puppeteer';

const options = { headless: true };
console.log(await puppeteer.defaultArgs(options));

const browser = await puppeteer.launch(options);

defaultArgs(options) returns a Promise of the browser arguments. See the PuppeteerNode.defaultArgs() API reference for the documented method.

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How launch options change the generated flags

Headless, shell, or visible Chrome

In Puppeteer 25.12.0, headless defaults to true, meaning current headless Chrome. Set headless: false to launch a visible browser. The separate chrome-headless-shell binary is selected with headless: 'shell'; it does not fully match regular Chrome behavior, though Puppeteer’s guide describes it as currently more performant for automation tasks that do not need Chrome’s full feature set. Consult the headless modes guide for those distinctions.

The current ChromeLauncher implementation adds --headless=new for headless: true and --headless for headless: 'shell'. Headless launches also include --hide-scrollbars and --mute-audio in that implementation. These exact strings can change; inspect your local runtime instead of relying on a list copied from another version.

DevTools and extensions

With devtools: true, Puppeteer’s documented behavior forces headless off by default, and the current implementation adds --auto-open-devtools-for-tabs. Extension settings also affect the generated list: Puppeteer adds its default extension-disabling argument unless extensions are enabled. Check the flags generated for your own options with defaultArgs().

What representative default flags do

The current ChromeLauncher source on the main branch illustrates the kinds of flags used. This is an implementation snapshot, not a guarantee that every flag appears for every configuration or release.

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Purpose Representative flags What they indicate
Automation and startup --enable-automation, --no-first-run Mark an automation launch and skip first-run setup. The source also builds enabled and disabled feature lists; current built-in examples include enabled PdfOopif and disabled Translate, AcceptCHFrame, MediaRouter, and OptimizationHints.
Background activity and services --disable-background-networking, --disable-background-timer-throttling, --disable-backgrounding-occluded-windows, --disable-component-extensions-with-background-pages, --disable-component-update, --disable-sync Change background browser activity and services. They do not disable all network requests made by pages.
Crash reporting --disable-breakpad, --disable-crash-reporter Relate to crash reporting.
UI and interaction --disable-popup-blocking, --disable-prompt-on-repost Change popup blocking and repost confirmation behavior. Headless launches add the scrollbar and audio flags noted above.
PDF and color --export-tagged-pdf, --generate-pdf-document-outline, --force-color-profile=srgb Relate to PDF output and color rendering; their presence is not a promise of identical output across Chrome versions.
Runtime and process behavior --disable-dev-shm-usage, --disable-hang-monitor, --disable-ipc-flooding-protection, --disable-renderer-backgrounding Adjust runtime behavior. Their presence alone does not establish that they are required in every container or improve performance in every environment.

Adding, filtering, or removing default arguments

Add extra flags with args

Use args when you need additional browser flags while retaining Puppeteer’s defaults. For example, args: ['--start-maximized'] adds that flag; it does not turn the defaults off. Confirm that a chosen Chrome flag is supported by the browser executable you run.

Filter one default with ignoreDefaultArgs

Pass an array to omit particular defaults. The API’s example filters --mute-audio:

const options = { headless: true };

const browser = await puppeteer.launch({
  ...options,
  ignoreDefaultArgs: ['--mute-audio'],
});

This is useful when one default conflicts with the behavior you need, without discarding the rest. The documented example appears in the PuppeteerNode.launch() reference.

Omit all defaults only when you understand the consequences

ignoreDefaultArgs: true tells Puppeteer not to use its default arguments. That is a broad change: it can remove assumptions Puppeteer normally relies on, so startup or automation behavior may differ. Prefer filtering a named flag when that is all you need to change.

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Keep Chrome’s sandbox enabled where possible

The current default list does not ordinarily add --no-sandbox. Chrome’s sandbox provides layers intended to protect the host from untrusted web content. Puppeteer’s troubleshooting guidance recommends configuring a sandbox and strongly discourages running without one. Treat --no-sandbox as a workaround only when the content is fully trusted and a usable sandbox cannot be configured—not as a routine CI or Docker setting.

Version, browser, and reproducibility notes

  • The official docs cited here rendered version 25.12.0. The flag examples are drawn from the repository’s current main branch and may differ from your installed release.
  • Puppeteer recommends using its downloaded Chrome for Testing version; it does not guarantee operation with every other Chrome version. Your executable choice can therefore matter when comparing launch behavior.
  • When investigating a difference, record the Puppeteer version, browser executable or distribution, headless setting, DevTools and extension options, supplied args, and whether defaults are retained, filtered, or omitted. Also note whether sandboxing remains enabled.
  • The documented default for LaunchOptions.timeout while waiting for the browser to start is 30 seconds in the Puppeteer 25.12.0 API reference. Increase it only when your startup conditions warrant it.

Troubleshooting common launch-argument problems

The flags I expected are missing or different

Check the installed Puppeteer version and call defaultArgs() with the same headless, DevTools, and extension options used by launch(). A list from another version or launch mode may not apply.

My custom args did not replace Puppeteer’s flags

That is expected: args adds flags. To remove one default, use ignoreDefaultArgs: ['--flag-name']; to remove all defaults, set ignoreDefaultArgs: true only if you accept the broader behavior change.

Audio is muted in headless mode

The current implementation includes --mute-audio in headless launches. If your use case requires audio, filter that specific default and verify behavior with your installed Puppeteer and Chrome versions.

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DevTools does not open with headless mode

The launch API says devtools: true forces headless off by default. Check the resolved launch options and inspect defaultArgs(); the current implementation adds --auto-open-devtools-for-tabs for DevTools.

Chrome fails in a container or reports a sandbox problem

Do not assume adding --no-sandbox is the right fix. Follow the official troubleshooting guidance to configure a usable sandbox; use the insecure workaround only for fully trusted content when sandboxing cannot be made available.

Launch times out

Puppeteer 25.12.0 documents a 30-second default launch timeout. Check that the chosen executable is available and compatible, and inspect the underlying launch error before increasing timeout; a longer wait will not resolve a missing executable or incompatible browser.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does Puppeteer’s args option replace its default browser arguments?

No. It adds command-line flags. Use ignoreDefaultArgs to filter or omit defaults.

How can I see the arguments Puppeteer will use without launching Chrome?

Call await puppeteer.defaultArgs(options) with the relevant launch options.

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Does Puppeteer add --no-sandbox by default?

The current ChromeLauncher default list does not ordinarily add it.

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