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Chrome Headless is Chrome running without a visible browser window, usually so a command-line tool or automation program can load and inspect pages without a person operating the browser. Since Chrome 112, its unified Headless mode uses the regular Chrome browser code; the former, separate implementation is now distributed as chrome-headless-shell.
What Chrome Headless means
“Headless” describes how Chrome runs, not a different kind of website or a physical device. Chrome loads and renders web pages in an unattended environment, but does not display its browser interface on the desktop. A script can then ask it to capture a screenshot, print a page to PDF, or perform browser interactions.
Headless Chrome still has a screen environment. Its virtual screen can be configured independently of physical displays attached to the host, which is useful on machines without a monitor. The exact capture dimensions and browser behavior depend on the options and automation framework used.
How Headless mode works
In unified Headless mode, Chrome creates platform windows but does not show them. The key distinction from the older implementation is that unified mode runs the regular Chrome browser code: Chrome describes Headless and visible Chrome as using the same code path. The lack of a visible window changes how a person interacts with the browser, not the fact that Chrome is doing browser work.
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Chrome introduced unified Headless in version 112. From Chrome 132.0.6793.0, the earlier implementation became a separate chrome-headless-shell binary. The Chrome binary no longer starts the old implementation with --headless=old; use the shell binary if a task specifically requires that implementation. [Chrome Headless documentation; Chrome Headless Shell announcement]
Choose unified Headless or Headless Shell
| Option | What it runs | Best fit | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
Unified Headless (--headless) |
The regular Chrome browser code, without a displayed window. | Tests that need behavior closer to ordinary Chrome, end-to-end browser checks, or extension testing. | It is the more complete browser environment; it is not the lower-dependency alternative. |
Headless Shell (chrome-headless-shell) |
The former separate Headless implementation, distributed as its own binary. | Constrained automated screenshotting or scraping where a lighter runtime is useful. | It is a narrower, lighter implementation and may not match the full Chrome environment needed for fidelity-sensitive tests. |
Chrome characterizes Headless Shell as a lightweight wrapper around Chromium’s //content module, with substantially fewer dependencies, including no X11/Wayland or D-Bus requirement. That can help in constrained environments. Unified Headless is the better choice when matching regular Chrome and its feature set matters more than minimizing dependencies. Chrome’s comparison is qualitative; it does not provide a performance benchmark establishing that one option is faster. [Chrome Headless documentation; Chrome Headless Shell announcement]
Start Chrome from the command line
Pass --headless to a Chrome binary to run unified Headless. The following commands show the basic form for each operating system; replace the URL and output path with your own. The Chrome executable’s location varies by installation.
# Linux
/path/to/chrome --headless --screenshot="/tmp/page.png" https://example.com
# macOS
"/Applications/Google Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google Chrome" --headless --screenshot="/tmp/page.png" https://example.com
# Windows (Command Prompt)
"C:Program FilesGoogleChromeApplicationchrome.exe" --headless --screenshot="C:Temppage.png" https://example.comThese commands illustrate invoking Headless Chrome to save a screenshot; available command-line options control the operation. If the shell implementation is required, run the chrome-headless-shell executable rather than trying --headless=old on modern Chrome. Consult Chrome’s current documentation for the supported flags and shell distribution details. [Chrome Headless documentation]
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Run Headless Chrome with Puppeteer or Selenium
Puppeteer
Puppeteer exposes the choice directly through its headless launch setting. true selects current unified Headless, 'shell' selects Headless Shell, and false launches visible Chrome. A minimal Node.js example using unified mode is:
const puppeteer = require('puppeteer');
(async () => {
const browser = await puppeteer.launch({ headless: true });
try {
const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.setViewport({ width: 1280, height: 800 });
await page.goto('https://example.com', { waitUntil: 'networkidle0' });
await page.screenshot({ path: 'page.png', fullPage: true });
} finally {
await browser.close();
}
})();To select Headless Shell instead, change the launch setting to headless: 'shell'. Use headless: false when you need to see the browser window while debugging. Puppeteer documents support for Headless virtual screens as well. [Chrome Headless documentation]
Selenium WebDriver
With Selenium, add the --headless argument to Chrome options. This Python example creates a driver, loads a page, saves a screenshot, and closes the browser even if an operation fails:
from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.options import Options
options = Options()
options.add_argument("--headless")
driver = webdriver.Chrome(options=options)
try:
driver.set_window_size(1280, 800)
driver.get("https://example.com")
driver.save_screenshot("page.png")
finally:
driver.quit()Both frameworks automate Chrome; they provide higher-level ways to launch it and control pages. Check the framework’s own current documentation for installation and version compatibility, as those details vary independently of the Headless concept. [Chrome Headless documentation]
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Configure virtual screens
A Headless browser does not need a physical monitor, but it still has screen properties that affect rendering and emulation. Chrome’s virtual-screen feature lets you configure screens independently of displays connected to the host.
- Set initial screen properties with Chrome’s
--screen-infooption. - While Chrome is running, use the Chrome DevTools Protocol commands
Emulation.addScreenandEmulation.removeScreento add or remove virtual displays. - Puppeteer documents support for the virtual-screen feature; use its current guidance for the framework-specific setup.
This is distinct from merely setting a viewport size: screen emulation concerns the browser’s virtual display environment, while a viewport is the page area available for rendering. [Chrome Headless documentation]
What to use Headless Chrome for
- Automated screenshots: load a page and capture it without opening a visible browser window.
- Browser testing: run scripted interactions or end-to-end checks in unified mode when behavior close to regular Chrome is important.
- Scraping: render pages through a browser in unattended jobs, choosing the shell when its lower dependency footprint better suits the environment.
- Display-independent automation: use a virtual screen when the host has no physical display or when a test needs defined screen properties.
These are capabilities and fit considerations, not guarantees that every site will load or that every automation task behaves identically in visible and Headless runs. A site can still require authentication, block automated traffic, or depend on conditions your script has not configured.
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Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshooting Headless Chrome
--headless=old fails
On Chrome 132.0.6793.0 and later, the old implementation is no longer launched from the Chrome binary. Run unified mode with --headless, or use the standalone chrome-headless-shell binary if the old implementation is specifically required. [Chrome Headless Shell announcement]
The command says Chrome cannot be found
The example executable path is not universal. Find the Chrome binary installed on the machine and substitute its actual path; also check that the account running the script can execute it.
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A screenshot taken before a page finishes rendering can miss content loaded later. In a framework, wait for an appropriate navigation condition or a page element before capturing, and verify the target URL can load in that environment. A blank result may also reflect a site response or bot check rather than a Headless display problem.
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The result has the wrong dimensions
Set the viewport or screen configuration explicitly instead of relying on defaults. For virtual display behavior, distinguish the page viewport from screen properties and use the relevant Chrome or framework controls.
Automation differs from visible Chrome
First confirm that the script selected unified Headless rather than Headless Shell. If the task depends on full Chrome fidelity, extensions, or end-to-end behavior, unified mode is the intended starting point; the shell is designed as a lighter option, not a full-fidelity substitute.
Chrome fails in a constrained host
Check the runtime dependencies available to the environment. Headless Shell has substantially fewer dependencies and does not require X11/Wayland or D-Bus according to Chrome’s comparison, so it may fit constrained screenshot or scraping jobs better. Use it only if its narrower implementation meets the task’s needs. [Chrome Headless Shell announcement]
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Does Headless Chrome need a monitor?
No. Chrome supports virtual screens independently of physical displays attached to the host.
Is Headless Chrome a different browser?
Unified Headless is regular Chrome running without a displayed window; Headless Shell is the separate former implementation.
Can I use Chrome Headless for browser tests?
Yes. Unified Headless is the better fit when a test needs behavior closer to regular Chrome.
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