--- title: 'Chrome for Testing Explained: Versions, Downloads & CI (2026)' description: Chrome for Testing is a version-pinned Chrome build with auto-update disabled, made for automation. What it changes, how to download a specific version with its matching ChromeDriver, and when to test on real Chrome instead. source_url: html: https://testingbot.com/software-testing-questions/what-is-chrome-for-testing md: https://testingbot.com/software-testing-questions/what-is-chrome-for-testing.md --- # Chrome for Testing Last updated August 19, 2026 - [![Share on Facebook](https://static.addtoany.com/buttons/facebook.svg) ](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/facebook?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Ftestingbot.com%2Fsoftware-testing-questions%2Fwhat-is-chrome-for-testing.md&linkname= "Share on Facebook") - [![Share on Twitter](https://static.addtoany.com/buttons/twitter.svg) ](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/twitter?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Ftestingbot.com%2Fsoftware-testing-questions%2Fwhat-is-chrome-for-testing.md&linkname= "Share on Twitter") - [![Share on LinkedIn](https://static.addtoany.com/buttons/linkedin.svg) ](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/linkedin?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Ftestingbot.com%2Fsoftware-testing-questions%2Fwhat-is-chrome-for-testing.md&linkname= "Share on LinkedIn") - [![Share on HackerNews](https://static.addtoany.com/buttons/y18.svg) ](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/hacker_news?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Ftestingbot.com%2Fsoftware-testing-questions%2Fwhat-is-chrome-for-testing.md&linkname= "Share on HackerNews") Since 2023 Google has published [Chrome for Testing](https://googlechromelabs.github.io/chrome-for-testing/), a separate flavour of Chrome intended for automation rather than for browsing. It exists to solve one specific problem: regular Chrome updates itself, ChromeDriver is tied to a Chrome version, and so a suite that passed yesterday can fail this morning because the browser moved and the driver did not. Chrome for Testing gives you a build that will not change underneath you. ## What Chrome for Testing changes - **Auto-update is disabled.** The binary you downloaded is the binary you will run tomorrow. - **Every version stays downloadable.** Regular Chrome only offers the current release, so pinning an older version is not possible. - **Each build has a matching ChromeDriver.** Both are published together under the same version number. - **No automatic sign-in or profile sync** , and none of the first-run and promotional surfaces that interfere with automation. - **It is not branded as Chrome** and is explicitly not intended for regular browsing. ## Chrome for Testing, Chrome and Chromium The three are easy to confuse, and the difference matters when you are deciding what to test on. - **Chrome** is what your customers run. It auto-updates, includes proprietary codecs and Google integrations, and is the only one of the three that reflects real user behaviour. - **Chrome for Testing** is the same Chrome code at a pinned version, with the update mechanism and sign-in surfaces removed. Rendering matches Chrome for that version. - **Chromium** is the upstream open-source project. It omits proprietary codecs, so media playback and DRM behave differently from Chrome. For a deterministic local or CI run, Chrome for Testing is the right pick. For a final check that your site works for real users, real Chrome is what matters. ## How to download Chrome for Testing The simplest route is the `@puppeteer/browsers` command line utility. ```bash npx @puppeteer/browsers install chrome@stable ``` You can pin an exact version instead of `stable`: ```bash npx @puppeteer/browsers install chrome@116.0.5793.0 ``` The [Chrome for Testing availability page](https://googlechromelabs.github.io/chrome-for-testing/) lists every published build and its status, and is the place to check what exists before pinning. ### Downloading the matching ChromeDriver Install the driver with the same version string so the pair cannot drift apart: ```bash npx @puppeteer/browsers install chromedriver@116.0.5793.0 ``` ## Pinning a version in CI The value of Chrome for Testing only materialises if the version is pinned somewhere durable rather than resolved at run time. Put the version in a variable your CI job reads, install both binaries from it, and treat a bump as a normal reviewed change. ```bash CHROME_VERSION=116.0.5793.0 npx @puppeteer/browsers install chrome@$CHROME_VERSION npx @puppeteer/browsers install chromedriver@$CHROME_VERSION ``` Cache the downloaded binaries between runs. They are large, and re-downloading them on every build is usually the slowest step in the job. ## When not to use Chrome for Testing Version pinning is a double-edged tool. A suite pinned to Chrome 116 will keep passing long after your customers have moved on, which means you stop discovering the breakages that matter. Two habits avoid that: - Pin for the deterministic runs that gate a merge, so a browser update never turns into a mystery failure. - Run the same suite against current, auto-updating Chrome on a schedule, so you learn about real-world breakage on your own timeline rather than from a customer. > TestingBot provides real Chrome browsers and automatically pairs each one with the correct ChromeDriver, so the version-mismatch problem does not arise. 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