Fix Selenium 4.25 Opening Chrome 136 to New Tab Instead of Navigating with driver.get()

If you’re using Selenium 4.25 with Chrome 136 and an existing Chrome profile, you might notice a frustrating issue: instead of navigating to your specified URL with driver.get(), Chrome opens a new tab showing the default “New Tab” page (chrome://newtab/). This problem often occurs when automating tasks that require a logged-in Chrome profile to preserve cookies, extensions, or session data. Don’t worry—this guide will explain why this happens and provide clear, beginner-friendly solutions to fix it.

In this comprehensive article, we’ll cover the root causes, step-by-step fixes, and best practices for using Selenium with Chrome profiles. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced developer, you’ll find actionable Selenium troubleshooting tips to get your automation scripts back on track.

Why Does Selenium 4.25 Open a New Tab Instead of Navigating?

When you use an existing Chrome profile with Selenium 4.25 and Chrome 136, the browser may launch correctly, showing your personalized “New Tab” page with bookmarks and themes. However, the driver.get() command fails to navigate to your target URL, leaving the browser stuck on chrome://newtab/. Here are the main reasons this happens:

• Profile Conflicts: If the same Chrome profile is already open in another browser instance, Selenium may open a new tab to avoid conflicts, as Chrome restricts multiple processes from accessing the same profile simultaneously.
• Chrome 136 Behavior: Recent Chrome updates (like version 136) introduced stricter profile handling and debugging restrictions, affecting how Selenium interacts with existing profiles.
• DevTools Protocol Issues: Selenium uses the Chrome DevTools Protocol to control the browser. If the protocol doesn’t attach properly to the profile, driver.get() may fail silently or be overridden by Chrome’s default “New Tab” logic.
• Incorrect Chrome Options: Misconfigured ChromeOptions (e.g., missing or conflicting arguments like --user-data-dir or --profile-directory) can cause navigation issues.

This issue is particularly common when automating tasks requiring persistent logins (e.g., accessing sites like aistudio.google.com). Let’s dive into the solutions.

Prerequisites for Fixing the Issue

Before applying the fixes, ensure you have:

• Selenium 4.25.0 installed (pip install selenium==4.25.0).
• ChromeDriver 136 matching your Chrome browser version (check with chrome://version).
• Python 3.8+ installed.
• No Chrome instances running in the background (verify via Task Manager or equivalent).
• A valid Chrome profile path (e.g., C:\Users\YourUser\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default).

Solution 1: Use the detach Experimental Option

The most reliable fix for the “new tab” issue is adding the detach experimental option to your ChromeOptions. This option ensures ChromeDriver navigates within the current tab instead of opening a new one. Here’s how to implement it:

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Ensure Chrome is Closed: Close all Chrome instances using Task Manager (Windows) or Activity Monitor (Mac/Linux) to avoid profile conflicts.
2. Set Up Your Script: Use the following Python code to configure ChromeOptions with the detach option:

from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.options import Options

# Set up Chrome options
chrome_options = Options()
chrome_options.add_argument(r"--user-data-dir=C:\Users\YourUser\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data")  # Path to Chrome profile
chrome_options.add_argument("--profile-directory=Default")  # Specify profile (e.g., "Default" or "Profile 1")
chrome_options.add_experimental_option("detach", True)  # Keep browser open and ensure navigation in current tab

# Initialize WebDriver
driver = webdriver.Chrome(options=chrome_options)

# Navigate to your URL
driver.get("https://www.example.com")
print(f"Navigated to: {driver.current_url}")

# Keep browser open for inspection
input("Press Enter to close the browser...")
driver.quit()

3. Replace Paths: Update user-data-dir and profile-directory to match your system’s Chrome profile path. Find it by navigating to chrome://version in Chrome and checking the “Profile Path” field.
4. Test the Script: Run the script and verify that Chrome navigates to the specified URL in the current tab.

Why It Works

The detach option instructs ChromeDriver to maintain control over the browser session, preventing Chrome from defaulting to a new tab. It also keeps the browser open after the script ends, allowing you to inspect the session.

Notes

• If you’re using a custom profile (e.g., “Profile 1”), replace "Default" with the correct profile name.
• If the issue persists, try omitting --profile-directory and only use --user-data-dir with a copied profile (see Solution 2).

Solution 2: Use a Dedicated Test Profile

Chrome’s default profile (Default) is often used by your regular browser, leading to conflicts. A dedicated test profile isolates Selenium’s session, avoiding the “new tab” issue and potential “Failed to decrypt” errors.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Close Chrome: Ensure no Chrome processes are running (check Task Manager).
2. Create a Test Profile Directory:
   • Create a new folder, e.g., C:\SeleniumChromeProfile.
   • Copy your existing profile’s Default folder (e.g., C:\Users\YourUser\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default) to the new directory:mkdir "C:\SeleniumChromeProfile" xcopy /E /I "%LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default" "C:\SeleniumChromeProfile\Default"
3. Update Your Script: Point Selenium to the new profile directory:

from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.options import Options

# Set up Chrome options
chrome_options = Options()
chrome_options.add_argument(r"--user-data-dir=C:\SeleniumChromeProfile")  # Path to test profile
chrome_options.add_experimental_option("detach", True)  # Optional but recommended

# Initialize WebDriver
driver = webdriver.Chrome(options=chrome_options)

# Navigate to your URL
driver.get("https://www.example.com")
print(f"Navigated to: {driver.current_url}")

# Keep browser open for inspection
input("Press Enter to close the browser...")
driver.quit()

4. Test the Script: Run the script and confirm that Chrome navigates to the URL in the current tab.

Why It Works

Using a copied profile avoids Chrome’s restrictions on the Default profile, which may be locked by other processes or protected by Chrome 136’s security features. This approach also preserves your original profile’s data.

Notes

• Ensure the copied profile path is correct and contains a Default subfolder.
• Avoid using --profile-directory with this method, as it may cause conflicts.

Solution 3: Switch to the Correct Window Handle

If Selenium still opens a new tab, it may not be focused on the correct tab. You can explicitly switch to the first window handle to ensure navigation occurs in the intended tab.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Modify Your Script: Add code to switch to the first window handle after launching Chrome:

from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.options import Options

# Set up Chrome options
chrome_options = Options()
chrome_options.add_argument(r"--user-data-dir=C:\Users\YourUser\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data")
chrome_options.add_argument("--profile-directory=Default")
chrome_options.add_experimental_option("detach", True)

# Initialize WebDriver
driver = webdriver.Chrome(options=chrome_options)

# Switch to the first window handle
driver.switch_to.window(driver.window_handles[0])

# Navigate to your URL
driver.get("https://www.example.com")
print(f"Navigated to: {driver.current_url}")

# Keep browser open for inspection
input("Press Enter to close the browser...")
driver.quit()

2. Test the Script: Verify that the browser navigates to the URL in the current tab.

Why It Works

Selenium may lose focus if Chrome opens multiple tabs or windows. Switching to the first window handle (driver.window_handles[0]) ensures Selenium controls the correct tab.

Solution 4: Use Chrome for Testing

Chrome for Testing is a special version of Chrome designed for automation, with fewer restrictions than the standard browser. It can help avoid profile-related issues.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Download Chrome for Testing: Get the binary from Google’s Chrome for Testing page.
2. Update Your Script: Specify the Chrome for Testing binary location:

from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.options import Options

# Set up Chrome options
chrome_options = Options()
chrome_options.binary_location = r"C:\path\to\chrome-for-testing\chrome.exe"  # Path to Chrome for Testing
chrome_options.add_argument(r"--user-data-dir=C:\Users\YourUser\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome for Testing\User Data")
chrome_options.add_argument("--profile-directory=Profile 1")
chrome_options.add_experimental_option("detach", True)

# Initialize WebDriver
driver = webdriver.Chrome(options=chrome_options)

# Navigate to your URL
driver.get("https://www.example.com")
print(f"Navigated to: {driver.current_url}")

# Keep browser open for inspection
input("Press Enter to close the browser...")
driver.quit()

3. Test the Script: Confirm that Chrome for Testing navigates correctly.

Why It Works

Chrome for Testing is optimized for automation, reducing conflicts with profile handling and DevTools restrictions.

Common Errors and Fixes

Here are common errors you might encounter and how to resolve them:

Best Practices for Selenium with Chrome Profiles

To avoid the “new tab” issue and other problems, follow these Selenium tips:

• Always Close Chrome: Use Task Manager to terminate all chrome.exe processes before running your script to prevent profile conflicts.
• Match Versions: Ensure ChromeDriver and Chrome browser versions align (e.g., both 136.0.7103). Check with chrome://version.
• Use Timeouts: Add implicit waits or time.sleep() to handle slow profile loading:import time driver.get("https://www.example.com") time.sleep(3) # Wait for navigation
• Test with Chrome for Testing: It’s more stable for automation than standard Chrome.
• Log Errors: Add try-except blocks to capture and debug issues:try: driver.get("https://www.example.com") except Exception as e: print(f"Navigation error: {e}")
• Keep Profiles Isolated: Use dedicated test profiles to avoid corrupting your main Chrome profile.

Advanced Troubleshooting

If the above solutions don’t work, try these advanced approaches:

• Disable Extensions: Some Chrome extensions may interfere with Selenium. Add --disable-extensions to ChromeOptions:chrome_options.add_argument("--disable-extensions")
• Use Remote Debugging: Connect Selenium to an existing Chrome session using the --remote-debugging-port flag.chrome_options.add_argument("--remote-debugging-port=9222")
• Check Logs: Enable ChromeDriver logging to diagnose issues:from selenium.webdriver.chrome.service import Service service = Service(log_output="chromedriver.log") driver = webdriver.Chrome(service=service, options=chrome_options)

FAQs About Selenium 4.25 and Chrome 136

Why does Selenium open a new tab instead of navigating?

This happens due to profile conflicts or Chrome 136’s restrictions on the DevTools Protocol. Use the detach option or a test profile to fix it.

Can I use my default Chrome profile with Selenium?

Yes, but it’s risky due to potential conflicts. A dedicated test profile is safer.

How do I find my Chrome profile path?

Open Chrome, navigate to chrome://version, and check the “Profile Path” field.

What if I get “Failed to decrypt” errors?

Ensure Chrome is closed before copying the profile, and verify the copied profile’s integrity.

Is Chrome for Testing better for Selenium?

Yes, it’s designed for automation and has fewer restrictions than standard Chrome.

Conclusion: Get Selenium Navigating Again

The issue of Selenium 4.25 opening Chrome 136 to a new tab instead of navigating with driver.get() can be frustrating, but it’s fixable. By using the detach option, a dedicated test profile, or Chrome for Testing, you can ensure smooth navigation in your automation scripts. Always double-check Chrome processes, profile paths, and version compatibility to avoid surprises.

Ready to automate with Selenium? Try these solutions and share your results in the comments. Need more help? Check out the resources below!

Resource:

• For advanced Selenium troubleshooting, visit Selenium’s Official Documentation.
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