Playwright "Executable doesn't exist" - Run npx playwright install

Playwright tried to launch a browser whose binary is not on disk. Installing the npm package does not download browsers - you must run npx playwright install (or use the official image).

What this error means

Tests fail before running with "browserType.launch: Executable doesn't exist at .../chromium-XXXX/chrome-linux/chrome." The message even prints the install command; every test errors identically because no browser is present.

browserType.launch: Executable doesn't exist at
/home/runner/.cache/ms-playwright/chromium-1140/chrome-linux/chrome

Looks like Playwright Test or Playwright was just installed or updated.
Please run the following command to download new browsers:
    npx playwright install

Common causes

Browsers never downloaded

npm ci installs @playwright/test but not the browser binaries. Without an explicit playwright install step, the executable is missing.

Version drift between package and cache

After a Playwright upgrade, the new version expects a newer browser build than what is cached, so the path it looks for does not exist.

How to fix it

Install the browsers (with OS deps)

Run the install step after npm ci; --with-deps also installs the Linux system libraries the browsers need.

npm ci
npx playwright install --with-deps
npx playwright test

Or use the official Playwright image

# in CI
container: mcr.microsoft.com/playwright:v1.49.0-jammy

How to prevent it

• Run npx playwright install --with-deps after dependency install in CI.
• Cache ~/.cache/ms-playwright keyed on the Playwright version.
• Prefer the official Playwright Docker image for a matched toolchain.

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