How to install Selenium WebDriver on Mac OS?

We can install Selenium WebDriver on Mac OS to automate web browsers for testing purposes. Selenium is a popular framework for web automation that supports multiple browsers including Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. We shall use Homebrew package manager along with pip for a streamlined installation process.

Prerequisites

Before installing Selenium WebDriver, ensure you have the following installed on your Mac −

• Python 3.x − Check with python3 --version

• Homebrew − Install from https://brew.sh/

• Google Chrome browser − Download from official website

Step-by-Step Installation

Step 1: Install Selenium Python Package

Install Selenium using pip package manager −

pip install selenium

For Python 3 specifically, use −

pip3 install selenium

Step 2: Install ChromeDriver

Install ChromeDriver using Homebrew. Note that brew cask has been deprecated, so use the updated command −

brew install chromedriver

Step 3: Verify ChromeDriver Installation

Check if ChromeDriver is properly installed and accessible −

chromedriver --version

This should display the ChromeDriver version information.

Step 4: Create and Run Test Script

Create a simple test script to verify the installation −

from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.service import Service
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.options import Options

# Chrome options (optional)
chrome_options = Options()
chrome_options.add_argument("--headless")  # Run in background

# Initialize Chrome driver
driver = webdriver.Chrome(options=chrome_options)

try:
    # Launch URL
    driver.get("https://www.tutorialspoint.com/index.htm")
    print("Page title:", driver.title)
finally:
    # Close the browser
    driver.quit()

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Chrome Binary Error

If you encounter this error −

unknown error: cannot find chrome binary

This indicates a version mismatch between ChromeDriver and Chrome browser. Solutions −

• Update Chrome browser to the latest version

• Update ChromeDriver with brew upgrade chromedriver

• Specify Chrome binary path in your script if installed in non-standard location

Permission Issues

If ChromeDriver is blocked by macOS security, run −

xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /usr/local/bin/chromedriver

Alternative Installation Methods

Conclusion

Installing Selenium WebDriver on Mac OS is straightforward using Homebrew and pip. The key is ensuring compatibility between ChromeDriver and Chrome browser versions. With proper installation, you can automate web testing efficiently on macOS.