defaultBrowser and browser.defaultBrowserContext() refer to different things in Puppeteer. The first is a configuration property that selects the browser Puppeteer uses; the second is a method on a launched or connected browser that returns its default browsing context.
How do I get the default browser in Puppeteer?
If you mean the browser implementation Puppeteer uses, configure defaultBrowser (without parentheses). The current Puppeteer configuration reference lists chrome as its default and says the PUPPETEER_BROWSER environment variable can override the setting. See the Puppeteer configuration reference.
If you mean the default session context inside an already launched browser, call browser.defaultBrowserContext(). It returns a BrowserContext. Puppeteer’s API documentation states that “The default browser context cannot be closed.” See Browser.defaultBrowserContext().
| Question | Use | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Which browser does Puppeteer use? | defaultBrowser configuration |
Selects the browser; documented default is chrome. |
| Which context is the browser’s default session? | browser.defaultBrowserContext() |
Returns the default BrowserContext for that browser. |
Set or override the browser Puppeteer uses
defaultBrowser is a configuration property, not a method to call on a Browser object. The configuration reference documents it as an optional SupportedBrowser property. It identifies chrome as the default and notes that PUPPETEER_BROWSER can override the configured value. Consult the configuration API reference for the supported values for your installed Puppeteer version.
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In other words, writing browser.defaultBrowser() is not the documented way to select a browser or retrieve a context. Set browser selection in Puppeteer configuration; use the instance method browser.defaultBrowserContext() only when you need the default context after you have a browser instance.
Get the default context or create an isolated one
A browser has at least one default context. A BrowserContext represents an individual user context; contexts isolate storage such as cookies and localStorage. Puppeteer’s BrowserContext reference also notes that, in Chrome, non-default contexts are incognito. The default context can also be incognito if Chrome was launched with --incognito.
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Use browser.createBrowserContext() when you need a separate context. Puppeteer documents that the new context does not share cookies or cache with other browser contexts. Create pages from the context with context.newPage(), and close the created context when finished if appropriate.
import puppeteer from 'puppeteer';
const browser = await puppeteer.launch();
// Retrieve the default context and open a page in it.
const defaultContext = browser.defaultBrowserContext();
const defaultPage = await defaultContext.newPage();
// Create a separate context whose cookies and cache are isolated.
const isolatedContext = await browser.createBrowserContext();
const isolatedPage = await isolatedContext.newPage();
// Close pages or contexts you created when finished.
await isolatedPage.close();
await isolatedContext.close();
await defaultPage.close();
// Close the browser when the work is complete.
await browser.close();The example uses Puppeteer’s documented context methods; the default context itself is not closable. See Browser.createBrowserContext() and the default-context method reference.
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Find the context for an existing page
If you already have a Page and need to know which context it belongs to, call page.browserContext(). A Page represents a tab or extension background page, and one browser can have multiple Page objects. The method returns the context associated with that page; it does not select or change the browser.
const context = page.browserContext();
console.log(context);See Puppeteer’s Page.browserContext() and Page class references.
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Common mistakes and fixes
- Calling
defaultBrowser()as a method: use the configuration propertydefaultBrowserto select a browser, or callbrowser.defaultBrowserContext()to get the default context. - Trying to close the default context: Puppeteer documents that it cannot be closed. Close pages you opened and close the browser when finished; close separately created contexts when they are no longer needed.
- Expecting a new context to share cookies or cache: contexts are isolated. If a page needs a session, create it in the context that should own that session.
- Expecting
page.browserContext()to create a context: it only returns the context that already owns the page. Usebrowser.createBrowserContext()to make a separate one. - Setting a browser in configuration but seeing a different selection: check whether
PUPPETEER_BROWSERis set, because Puppeteer documents it as an override.
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