Automatically open Chrome developer tools when new tab/new window is opened
Asked Answered
I

18

416

I have an HTML5 application which opens in a new window each time I click on a link. I'm a bit tired of pressing Shift + I command each time I want to log network communication to launch Developer tools because I need it always. I was not able to find an option to keep Developer Tools always enabled on startup.

Is there any way to open Developer tools automatically when new window is opened in Chrome?

Implode answered 31/8, 2012 at 9:25 Comment(7)
I would love to know this as well. Only way I've found is to edit the source like this guy did: [link]groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!topic/…Berglund
I've scoured pretty hard, and the closest thing I can find is the create a new Pane inside the dev tools, with a Chrome Extension.Onfroi
Using SendKeys with Python, you can launch Chrome and send +^j to simulate Ctrl Shift J, but that would only work with a new instance; you'd have to get a bit more creative with selenium or something in order to navigate to a given page...Onfroi
Yeah, I also saw this variant but it is not applicable when you what to open dev tools for each new tab opened.Implode
Here's a guy who modified the source code to add this capability. It appears to be out of date now, but at least we know your request is possible.Delvecchio
This feature was added in 2016. See here: bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=410958#c81Electrostatics
@Electrostatics great link! Nitpick though... it's the comment 78 above the one you link to that is more relevant I think: bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=410958#c78Mut
A
123

UPDATE 2:

See this answer . - 2019-11-05

You can also now have it auto-open Developer Tools in Pop-ups if they were open where you opened them from. For example, if you do not have Dev Tools open and you get a popup, it won't open with Dev Tools. But if you Have Dev Tools Open and then you click something, the popup will have Dev-Tools Automatically opened.

UPDATE:

Time has changed, you can now use --auto-open-devtools-for-tabs as in this answer – Wouter Huysentruit May 18 at 11:08

OP:

I played around with the startup string for Chrome on execute, but couldn't get it to persist to new tabs.
I also thought about a defined PATH method that you could invoke from prompt. This is possible with the SendKeys command, but again, only on a new instance. And DevTools doesn't persist to new tabs.

Browsing the Google Product Forums, there doesn't seem to be a built-in way to do this in Chrome. You'll have to use a keystroke solution or F12 as mentioned above.

I recommended it as a feature. I know I'm not the first either.

Allround answered 6/12, 2012 at 16:0 Comment(5)
@Seanny123: fixed! If you want this as a feature, feel free to Star this Chromium bug: code.google.com/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=410958Cribbage
@Chiperific, you said you was playing around the startup string for Chrome on execute, but could not get it to persist to new tabs. I need this behavior on startup for only one tab, however. Can you share the way you did it for one tab only?Francinafrancine
Time has changed, you can now use --auto-open-devtools-for-tabs as in this answerStrader
Please consider editing your answer. It is obsolete but still very visible in SO.Tuberculosis
The full command for OS X is (quit any running Chrome process first): /Applications/Google\ Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google\ Chrome --auto-open-devtools-for-tabsFacile
G
424

On opening the developer tools, with the developer tools window in focus, press F1. This will open a settings page. Check the "Auto-open DevTools for popups".

This worked for me.

enter image description here

Goldy answered 14/7, 2016 at 5:37 Comment(10)
This works and is exactly what the OP was asking, it should be marked as the right answerNormie
Also doesn't work for me with WebStorm. The page opens but no dev tools.Dyne
It worked for me. Opening the console open, I clicked a link on my page which opens in a new tab and then it opened with a console. Thanks.Crapshooter
This works, but the "Preserve Logs" option is always unchecked, and if the popup redirects it doesn't show previous network requests. Any ideas how to make it preserve logs by default?Carryingon
This only works for a specific subset of cases, please see bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=410958#c87. It's not a general solution.Facile
Doesn't work when starting from VS Code with Chome debug extension.Diplodocus
In Preferences, there are no DevTools. My version is Ubuntu Snap Version 84.0.4147.105 (Offizieller Build) snap (64-Bit)Kinaesthesia
@Diplodocus See https://mcmap.net/q/86146/-automatically-open-chrome-developer-tools-when-new-tab-new-window-is-opened (Sorry late reply lol)Chambliss
This option in combination with debugger statement to pause in the newly opened window works for me.Thurman
This little tweak has an amazingly large effect on my sanity. When doing dev, especially with frameworks like React and NextJS, the dev tools are open 100% of the time. Being able to automatically open for popup interactions means I don't have to try and race faster than the system can perform component redirects and output can be captured, debuggers can be handled, etc.Honoria
D
152

There is a command line switch for this: --auto-open-devtools-for-tabs

So, on Windows, for the properties on Google Chrome shortcut, use something like this:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --auto-open-devtools-for-tabs

Here is a useful link: chromium-command-line-switches.

As per the DevTools docs, here's the commands for each platform from the command line:

  • MacOS:

    open -a "Google Chrome" --args --auto-open-devtools-for-tabs
    
  • Windows:

    start chrome --auto-open-devtools-for-tabs
    
  • Linux:

    google-chrome --auto-open-devtools-for-tabs
    
Deadlock answered 30/4, 2016 at 16:33 Comment(9)
This definitely works and should probably be marked as accepted answer now. Checked for chromium Version 50.0.2661.102 Ubuntu 15.10 (64-bit) and opened it like this chromium-browser --auto-open-devtools-for-tabsEyestrain
This doesn't work on Windows 7 Version 51.0.2704.103 mErotogenic
The full command for OS X is (quit any running Chrome process first): /Applications/Google\ Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google\ Chrome --auto-open-devtools-for-tabsFacile
Didn't work on Version 59.0.3071.115 (Official Build) (64-bit)Spotless
Works in my use case unlike Saint's answer.Cochlea
Remember to quit all Chrome instances before trying this. Or this won't work.Celia
I updated the command line arguments to this: --auto-open-devtools-for-tabs --user-data-dir=c:\temp\chrome. This essentially tells Chrome to use a separate directory just for debugging and did the trick for meSnappish
Thanks for that hint, @BrianWells !Kimmy
For reference here is the issue thread for when it was added to Chromium: bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=410958#c78 (first noted in question comment from @Rimian)Mut
A
123

UPDATE 2:

See this answer . - 2019-11-05

You can also now have it auto-open Developer Tools in Pop-ups if they were open where you opened them from. For example, if you do not have Dev Tools open and you get a popup, it won't open with Dev Tools. But if you Have Dev Tools Open and then you click something, the popup will have Dev-Tools Automatically opened.

UPDATE:

Time has changed, you can now use --auto-open-devtools-for-tabs as in this answer – Wouter Huysentruit May 18 at 11:08

OP:

I played around with the startup string for Chrome on execute, but couldn't get it to persist to new tabs.
I also thought about a defined PATH method that you could invoke from prompt. This is possible with the SendKeys command, but again, only on a new instance. And DevTools doesn't persist to new tabs.

Browsing the Google Product Forums, there doesn't seem to be a built-in way to do this in Chrome. You'll have to use a keystroke solution or F12 as mentioned above.

I recommended it as a feature. I know I'm not the first either.

Allround answered 6/12, 2012 at 16:0 Comment(5)
@Seanny123: fixed! If you want this as a feature, feel free to Star this Chromium bug: code.google.com/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=410958Cribbage
@Chiperific, you said you was playing around the startup string for Chrome on execute, but could not get it to persist to new tabs. I need this behavior on startup for only one tab, however. Can you share the way you did it for one tab only?Francinafrancine
Time has changed, you can now use --auto-open-devtools-for-tabs as in this answerStrader
Please consider editing your answer. It is obsolete but still very visible in SO.Tuberculosis
The full command for OS X is (quit any running Chrome process first): /Applications/Google\ Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google\ Chrome --auto-open-devtools-for-tabsFacile
B
38

On a Mac: Quit Chrome, then run the following command in a terminal window:

open -a "Google Chrome" --args --auto-open-devtools-for-tabs
Beaman answered 26/7, 2017 at 14:12 Comment(1)
To clarify: this opens Chrome with the auto-open-devtools-for-tabs flag set. Quitting Chrome and reopening it using the normal application shortcut will open Chrome without the flag set. If you want a shortcut to opening Chrome with this flag set without having to open a terminal window, you can create a workflow in Automator, add a "Run Shell Script" item, and paste in the above script. Saving the workflow as an application will create a clickable app. See this answer in another thread: https://mcmap.net/q/87355/-executing-shell-scripts-from-the-os-x-dockBolger
P
24

Under the Chrome DevTools settings you enable:

Under Network -> Preserve Log Under DevTools -> Auto-open DevTools for popups

Pietrek answered 3/11, 2017 at 19:45 Comment(4)
The best answer IMORosena
good answer but explained for linux: Go to developer console. Go to the hamburger menu. click settings (or f1). in the network section check preserve log. in the devtools section check auto-open devtools for popupsPresentable
On MacOS in Chrome 85 it is now under Settings -> Global section.Kafir
This is the same answer as https://mcmap.net/q/86146/-automatically-open-chrome-developer-tools-when-new-tab-new-window-is-openedMut
T
18

With the Developer Tools window visible, click the menu icon (the three vertical dots in the top right corner) and click Settings.

Setting

Under Dev Tools, check the Auto-open DevTools for popups option

setting details

Telangiectasis answered 23/1, 2020 at 5:24 Comment(2)
Chrome Version 86 the setting is on the same place but named differently, so: Settings -> Preferences -> Global -> Auto-open DevTools for popups.Crepuscule
This is the same answer as https://mcmap.net/q/86146/-automatically-open-chrome-developer-tools-when-new-tab-new-window-is-openedMut
U
14

Answer for 2021:

  1. Open the Developer Tool (CTRL+SHIFT+I on Windows)
  2. Click the "Gear" icon. THe new Settings window will appear.

Settings

  1. "Auto-open DevTools for popups" is now under "Preferences" section.

actual location

Unthinkable answered 5/11, 2021 at 9:45 Comment(2)
This is the same answer as https://mcmap.net/q/86146/-automatically-open-chrome-developer-tools-when-new-tab-new-window-is-openedMut
Downvoted because stolen answer.Porras
B
11

If you use Visual Studio Code (vscode), using the very popular vscode chrome debug extension (https://github.com/Microsoft/vscode-chrome-debug) you can setup a launch configuration file launch.json and specify to open the developer tool during a debug session.

This the launch.json I use for my React projects :

{
  "version": "0.2.0",
  "configurations": [
    {
      "type": "chrome",
      "request": "launch",
      "name": "Launch Chrome against localhost",
      "url": "http://localhost:3000",
      "runtimeArgs": ["--auto-open-devtools-for-tabs"],
      "webRoot": "${workspaceRoot}/src"
    }
  ]
}

The important line is "runtimeArgs": ["--auto-open-devtools-for-tabs"],

From vscode you can now type F5, Chrome opens your app and the console tab as well.

Bronnie answered 27/1, 2019 at 8:33 Comment(2)
Yes! Thank you. @VanAlbert's comment in the top answer points in this direction, and this solves it. I'd missed off the -- from the runTimeArgs.Mut
works on Linux (Ubuntu 22.10 / Gnome)Intercut
N
9

F12 is easier than Ctrl+Shift+I

Here's all the DevTools open shortcuts:

OS Elements Console Your last panel
Windows or Linux Ctrl + Shift + C Ctrl + Shift + J F12
Ctrl + Shift + I
Mac Cmd + Option + C Cmd + Option + J Fn + F12
Cmd + Option + I
Newsdealer answered 25/10, 2012 at 9:4 Comment(3)
If you are on Windows or LinuxKimes
to hit f12 on a macbook, or pro you have to do fn+f12 (bottom left extreme + top right extreme), which is not comfortable for most keyboard usersPosen
Works great on linux... Another reason to switch. Did it on a Mac Pro, it's not perfect, but still way better than Apple OSImmutable
S
5

Anyone looking to do this inside Visual Studio, this Code Project article will help. Just add "--auto-open-devtools-for-tabs" in the arguments box. Works on 2017.

Situs answered 23/1, 2018 at 19:50 Comment(1)
In case Code Project page goes away: you go to the Execute drop-down, select Browse With..., Add..., Program is something like: C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe and Arguments: --auto-open-devtools-for-tabs -incognito (incognito being optional)Ulrich
V
5

Use --auto-open-devtools-for-tabs flag while running chrome from command line

/Applications/Google\ Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google\ Chrome --auto-open-devtools-for-tabs

https://developer.chrome.com/docs/devtools/open/#auto

Vaccination answered 14/4, 2020 at 15:1 Comment(4)
thanks ,It works on my computer.The premise is that all corresponding browser processes must be shut down first.Megohm
This is the same answer as https://mcmap.net/q/86146/-automatically-open-chrome-developer-tools-when-new-tab-new-window-is-openedMut
See also this comment on the same answerMut
Further the link you point to suggests open -a "Google Chrome" --args --auto-open-devtools-for-tabs for MacOS as in this answer above from 2017Mut
C
4

I came here looking for a similar solution. I really wanted to see the chrome output for the page load from a new tab (a form submission in my case).

The solution I actually used was to modify the form target attribute so that the form submission would occur in the current tab. Then I was able to capture the network request. Problem Solved!

Colour answered 4/1, 2015 at 22:9 Comment(0)
G
1

Yep,there is a way you could do it

  1. Right click->Inspect->sources(tab)

  2. Towards Your right there will be a "pause script execution button" The button highlighted in the image directed by this link is the script execution button which can be paused or played as per necessity.Try it Yourself

I hope it helps!Peace

  • P.S:This is for the first time.From the second time onwards the dev tool loads automatically
Gnotobiotics answered 29/3, 2016 at 15:3 Comment(0)
G
0

For Windows:

  1. Right-click your Google Chrome shortcut
  2. Properties
  3. Change Target to: "C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --auto-open-devtools-for-tabs
  4. Click ok
  5. You will need to close all current chrome instances & end chrome processes in Task Manager. Or restart PC.
Generable answered 2/12, 2022 at 20:12 Comment(1)
A
0

On windows I try and succeed to make disappear DevTools opening @chrome opening or new tab opening

  1. F12
  2. DevTools settings
  3. Click "Restore defaults and reload" button Close Chrome and check task manager to be shore that you close all Chrome processes. Open Chrome and no more DevTools :)
Alviani answered 9/11, 2023 at 7:40 Comment(0)
I
0

If you are trying to open dev tools when redirecting, you can add a sleep function just before the debugger keyword. Without this time sleep, auto-opening dev tool won't get opened. RequestContext.getCurrentInstance().execute(script); -- redirecting code in Spring e.g. In your typescript app add

setTimeout(5000);
debugger

In my case that helped.

Inca answered 19/2 at 19:26 Comment(0)
Y
-3

You can open dock view settings and adjust the window as you want. Screenshot attached.

Dock_view_seetings

Yean answered 17/11, 2021 at 4:42 Comment(2)
Hi and welcome to Stack Overflow. Sorry for the downvote, but I believe your answer is very far off the mark here.Henna
I think the question is about how to get that window to automatically open, not about how to adjust that window.Predicate
H
-6

You can open Dev Tools (F12 in Chrome) in new window by clicking three, vertical dots on the right bottom corner, and choose Open as Separate Window.

Herrera answered 25/5, 2018 at 16:7 Comment(1)
But I think the question is about how to get the window to automatically open, without needing extra clicks.Predicate

© 2022 - 2024 — McMap. All rights reserved.