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Driver Options

Selenium Driver Options & Arguments​

In Selenium 4, the Options classes are the primary way to customize browser sessions. They have replaced the legacy DesiredCapabilities for local driver configuration.This is supported by Python, Ruby, etc. While it's also available in Java, its usage in Java is deprecated.

1. Global Capability Options​

Every browser's Options class inherits from AbstractDriverOptions. These methods are universal.

MethodTypeDescription
setAcceptInsecureCerts(boolean)BooleanBypasses "Your connection is not private" SSL errors.
setPageLoadStrategy(Strategy)EnumDefines wait behavior: NORMAL, EAGER, or NONE.
setUnhandledPromptBehaviour(Behavior)EnumAuto-handles JavaScript alerts (ACCEPT, DISMISS, etc.).
setProxy(Proxy)ObjectConfigures network traffic routing.

2. Chromium Options (Chrome & Edge)​

Chrome and Edge share the Chromium engine. Configuration is split into Arguments (CLI flags) and Experimental Options (Internal Preferences).

Key CLI Arguments​

Use addArguments() to pass these flags:

  • --headless=new: Runs the browser in the background (Selenium 4.8+).
  • --incognito: Launches Chrome in private mode.
  • --inprivate: Launches Edge in private mode.
  • --start-maximized: Forces the window to open at full screen.
  • --disable-notifications: Blocks browser-level push notification prompts.
  • --user-data-dir=/path/: Points to a specific user profile to keep sessions/cookies.

Experimental Options (Preferences)​

Used to modify internal browser settings like download paths.

ChromeOptions options = new ChromeOptions();
Map<String, Object> prefs = new HashMap<>();

// Set default download directory
prefs.put("download.default_directory", "/usr/local/downloads");
// Disable the 'Save Password' prompt
prefs.put("credentials_enable_service", false);

options.setExperimentalOption("prefs", prefs);
// Remove "Chrome is being controlled by automated software" info bar
options.setExperimentalOption("excludeSwitches", Collections.singletonList("enable-automation"));

ChromeOptions​

Common Arguments​

  • --start-maximized
  • --headless=new
  • --incognito
  • --disable-notifications
  • --disable-infobars
  • --disable-extensions
  • --disable-gpu
  • --no-sandbox
  • --remote-allow-origins=*
  • --window-size=1920,1080

Example​

ChromeOptions options = new ChromeOptions();
options.addArguments(
    "--start-maximized",
    "--disable-notifications",
    "--remote-allow-origins=*"
);
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver(options);

EdgeOptions​

  • Chromium based (similar to Chrome)
  • --start-maximized
  • --headless=new
  • --disable-notifications
  • --inprivate
EdgeOptions options = new EdgeOptions();
options.addArguments("--start-maximized");
WebDriver driver = new EdgeDriver(options);
driver.get("https://expired.badssl.com/");

FirefoxOptions​

Arguments​

  • --headless
  • --width=1920
  • --height=1080

Preferences​

options.addPreference("dom.webnotifications.enabled", false);
options.addPreference("geo.enabled", false);

InternetExplorerOptions​

options.ignoreZoomSettings();
options.introduceFlakinessByIgnoringSecurityDomains();
options.requireWindowFocus();

SafariOptions​

  • Limited support
  • Enable Allow Remote Automation manually

RemoteWebDriver (Sauce Labs)​

WebDriver driver = new RemoteWebDriver(
    new URL("https://ondemand.saucelabs.com/wd/hub"),
    options
);

CI Best Practices​

  • Use headless
  • Set window-size
  • Disable GPU
  • Use no-sandbox

More Info On : https://developer.chrome.com/docs/chromedriver/capabilities