How Can I Successfully Open a Specific Chrome Profile Using Selenium's --user-data-dir Argument?

Using Selenium to Automate Chrome with Specific Profiles

Selenium provides powerful tools for automating Chrome, allowing configuration via ChromeOptions. One common task is launching Chrome with a specific profile using the --user-data-dir argument. However, this can sometimes lead to issues.

Addressing Profile Loading Problems

You've encountered a 60-second hang when using --user-data-dir and --profile-directory. This often stems from using the default Chrome profile ("Default"). The default profile may contain extensions, history, and other data that conflict with your automation needs.

Best Practice: Create a Dedicated Profile

To avoid these problems, create a dedicated profile for Selenium testing:

1. Access Chrome's settings (chrome://settings/).
2. Go to "People" and select "Manage other people."
3. Click "Add person," provide a name and icon, and ensure "Create a desktop shortcut for this user" is checked.
4. Click "Add" to create the new profile.

Integrating the New Profile with Selenium

1. Locate the profile directory name from the new profile's desktop shortcut properties (e.g., --profile-directory="Profile 2").
2. Find the absolute path to this directory (e.g., C:\Users\Thranor\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Profile 2).
3. Configure ChromeOptions in your Selenium code:

<code class="language-csharp">ChromeOptions m_Options = new ChromeOptions();
m_Options.AddArgument($"--user-data-dir={Path.GetFullPath(@"C:\Users\Me\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Profile 2")}");
m_Options.AddArgument("--disable-extensions"); </code>

Note: Using Path.GetFullPath ensures correct path handling across systems. Remember to replace the example path with your actual profile path.

4. Initialize ChromeDriver with these options and navigate to your target URL.

Conclusion

Creating a separate profile dedicated to Selenium testing eliminates conflicts and ensures reliable browser launches, preventing hangs and improving the stability of your automation scripts.

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