How to Minimize Puppeteer Browser Window To Tray

Puppeteer is a powerful tool for automating tasks in headless or non-headless web browsers using JavaScript. While Puppeteer is often used to perform actions within a browser, it’s essential to manage the browser’s window state effectively. In this article, we’ll explore how to minimize a Puppeteer browser window to tray.

Understanding the Code Example

The following code example does minimize puppeteer browser window to the tray:

const puppeteer = require('puppeteer')

async function main() {
    const browser = await puppeteer.launch({headless: false})
    const page = await browser.newPage();
    // Create a raw protocol session.
    const session = await page.target().createCDPSession();
    const { windowId } = await session.send('Browser.getWindowForTarget');
    await session.send('Browser.setWindowBounds', { windowId, bounds: { windowState: 'minimized' } });
}
main()

Here’s what the code does:

1. It imports the Puppeteer library.
2. It creates a new Puppeteer browser instance with the puppeteer.launch method, setting headless to false. This means that the browser will have a graphical user interface (GUI) and will be visible during automation.
3. It creates a new page within the browser using browser.newPage().
4. It establishes a raw protocol session using page.target().createCDPSession(). This session allows you to communicate with the browser using the Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP).
5. It fetches the windowId by sending a CDP command Browser.getWindowForTarget. This command retrieves information about the browser window.
6. Finally, it minimizes the browser window by sending the Browser.setWindowBounds command with a parameter indicating the desired window state: 'minimized'.

Minimizing the Puppeteer Browser Window

The code example demonstrates how to minimize a Puppeteer browser window. However, there are some important considerations and alternatives to keep in mind:

1. Headless Mode:

If you intend to run your Puppeteer automation in headless mode (no visible browser window), minimizing the window is not applicable. You can remove the headless: false option when launching the browser to run it in headless mode.

2. Browser Window Visibility:

Keep in mind that minimizing the browser window will make it less visible but not completely hidden. Depending on the system and the specific use case, it may still be partially visible in the taskbar or system tray.

3. Page Interactions:

While the code example demonstrates how to minimize the browser window, you can perform various interactions with web pages using Puppeteer, such as clicking buttons, filling out forms, and extracting data. These interactions often require a maximized or visible browser window.

4. Browser Management:

Puppeteer provides a range of browser management options, such as creating multiple browser instances, managing cookies, and handling pages concurrently. Depending on your automation needs, you may need to consider these features.

In conclusion, minimizing a Puppeteer browser window can be useful in specific scenarios where you want to reduce the window’s visibility while still interacting with web pages. However, it’s essential to understand the implications of window minimization and how it aligns with your automation objectives. Puppeteer offers a versatile set of tools to manage browsers and web pages effectively, so be sure to tailor your approach to your specific requirements.