Open Web Browser Step

The Open Web Browser Step opens a web browser and goes to a specific website address. This step uses a Selenium driver to control the browser. The driver downloads by itself to match your chosen browser and its version.

How to Use the Open Web Browser Step

Use this step to begin automating tasks on the web by opening a browser window.

Step 1: Add the Open Web Browser Step

1. Drag the Open Web Browser Step into your process workflow.
2. Click on the step to change its settings.

Step 2: Set Up Browser Settings

1. Type: Pick your browser from the list.
   • Chrome
   • Edge
2. URL: Type in the full web address you want to open. For example: https://www.robotiq.ai
3. Maximized: Turn this on (T for True) if you want the browser window to open full-screen. It's off (F for False) by default.

Step 3: Record Web Actions (Optional)

1. After you pick the browser type and enter the URL, click the Start Web Browser Recording button.
2. This lets you record what you do and choose items on the webpage.

Important: If you don't have internet or the robot isn't allowed to download the Selenium driver automatically, you'll need to download it yourself. Put the driver in this folder on your VM: C:\Users\%username%\.cache\selenium

Inside this folder, make another folder for your browser type (like chromedriver or msedgedriver). Inside that, make a win64 subfolder. Then, make another subfolder with the driver version (for example, 142.0.7444.61). Put the driver file inside this version folder.

Parameters Explained

Step Name (Optional)

• A name you choose for this step in your process.

Start Web Browser Recording (Optional)

• Starts recording to capture web elements and actions.
• This button shows up after you pick a browser type and enter a URL.
• For more information, see Record process.

Type (Required)

• The kind of web browser to open.
• Choices: Chrome, Edge.

URL (Required)

• The full web address to open in the browser.
• Example: https://www.robotiq.ai

Maximized (Required)

• Controls if the browser window opens full-screen.
• T (True): Opens full-screen.
• F (False): Opens in a regular window (this is the default).

Prevent Browser Download (Required)

• Controls whether the browser automatically downloads the driver.
• T (True): Prevents the browser from automatically downloading the driver.
• F (False):  Allows the browser to automatically download the driver (default).

Browser arguments (Optional)

• Special commands given to the browser when it starts.
• These change how the browser acts, like turning on incognito mode or running without showing a window.
• Arguments are text, starting with --. Put a space between multiple arguments.
• Example: --incognito --disable-popup-blocking

Common Issues

Problem: Selenium driver doesn't download by itself. Solution: Download the right Selenium driver for your browser and version yourself. Put it in C:\Users\%username%\.cache\selenium\[browser_type]\win64\[driver_version]\.

Related Articles

• Web Automation with Selenium
• Close Web Browser Step
• Selenium driver

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Additional comments

When launching a Chromium-based browser (like Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge) using Selenium or any automation tool, you can pass special command-line arguments (also called flags) to customize the browser’s behavior. These arguments allow you to control how the browser starts such as enabling incognito mode, disabling popups, or running in headless mode.

Arguments are passed as strings, prefixed with --, and you can pass multiple arguments by separating them with a space.

Here are some of the most frequently used command‑line arguments for Chromium‑based browsers (Chrome, Edge) when automating via Selenium.

Most command-line arguments listed here work across Chromium-based browsers (like Chrome and Edge); however, be cautious with the WebDriver you are using, as some Microsoft Edge-specific arguments may not work in Chrome, and vice versa. This list covers flags that are generally compatible with multiple Chromium-based browsers.

NOTE: If you don’t have internet access or permission for the robot to automatically download the Selenium driver, it must be downloaded manually.The driver should be placed on the VM under the path:
C:\Users\%username%\.cache\selenium
Inside this directory, create a folder for the browser type you selected, either chromedriver or msedgedriver. Within that browser folder, create a subfolder named win64, and inside it, create another subfolder with your driver version (e.g., 142.0.7444.61). Before doing this, make sure to check which version of the selected browser is installed on the machine where the process is executed, so that the driver version matches the browser version. More details can be found in the documentation. Place the appropriate driver file inside that version folder.