Chrome user profile no longer working with Desired Capabilities in Katalon Studio 9.7.5 ?

[andrija.kitanovic]

Hi everyone,

I’ve been using Katalon Studio (v9.7.5 Build 223) and previously was able to launch Google Chrome with my personal user profile by configuring the following settings under:

`Project > Settings > Desired Capabilities > Web UI > Chrome

Error when I try to run test case:

[dineshh]

To resolve the Chrome user profile issue in Katalon Studio 9.7.5, follow these steps:

1. Update Desired Capabilities Syntax

Modern Selenium versions require goog:chromeOptions instead of chromeOptions:

{
  "goog:chromeOptions": {
    "args": [
      "user-data-dir=C:/Users/YourUsername/AppData/Local/Google/Chrome/User Data",
      "profile-directory=Profile 1"  // Omit if using "Default" profile
    ]
  }
}

• Note: Replace YourUsername and ensure the path uses forward slashes or escaped backslashes (C:\\Users\\...).

2. Verify Profile Directory Accessibility

• Close all Chrome processes before running tests (prevents profile lock).
• Check permissions: Ensure Katalon has read/write access to the profile folder.

3. Avoid Default Profile Conflicts

Use a dedicated profile for automation (not Default):

"args": [
  "user-data-dir=C:/Katalon_Chrome_Profile",
  "profile-directory=KatalonProfile"
]

• Manually create the folder C:/Katalon_Chrome_Profile and launch Chrome once to initialize it.

4. Disable Chrome Sandbox (If Needed)

Add these arguments for environments with strict security:

"args": [
  ...,
  "--no-sandbox",
  "--disable-dev-shm-usage"
]

5. Use Katalon’s Built-In Profile Handling

Instead of manual setup, leverage Katalon’s Chrome Preferences:

1. Go to Project > Settings > Execution > Default > WebUI > Chrome.
2. Check Reuse existing Chrome profile and specify the directory.

6. Confirm ChromeDriver Compatibility

• Ensure the ChromeDriver version matches your Chrome browser (check via chrome://version).
• Update ChromeDriver in Katalon via Tools > Update WebDrivers.

7. Debugging Steps

• Check logs: Review console logs for errors like invalid profile path or permission denied.
• Minimal test case: Run a script that only opens Chrome with the profile:

WebUI.openBrowser('')
WebUI.navigateToUrl('chrome://version/') // Verify profile path
WebUI.closeBrowser()

8. Alternative: Load Profile via Relative Path

For portability, use a profile within the project:

"args": [
  "user-data-dir=${System.getProperty('user.dir')}/ChromeProfile"
]

If the issue persists, share the exact error message from logs and validate the profile setup using a standalone Selenium script outside Katalon to isolate the cause