[Python] Selenium WebDriver: "Session not created - Chrome not reachable" when using a copied...

I am trying to automate Chrome using Selenium by creating a new Chrome profile, copying the contents of the Default profile, and launching it with Selenium to retrieve cookies. However, I keep encountering the following error:

selenium.common.exceptions.SessionNotCreatedException: Message: session not created
from chrome not reachable


Full Traceback

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "test.py", line 71, in g_chrome_cookies
driver = webdriver.Chrome(service=service, options=options)
File "C:\Users\Securely\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python39\lib\site-packages\selenium\webdriver\chrome\webdriver.py", line 45, in __init__
super().__init__(
File "C:\Users\Securely\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python39\lib\site-packages\selenium\webdriver\chromium\webdriver.py", line 66, in __init__
super().__init__(command_executor=executor, options=options)
File "C:\Users\Securely\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python39\lib\site-packages\selenium\webdriver\remote\webdriver.py", line 250, in __init__
self.start_session(capabilities)
File "C:\Users\Securely\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python39\lib\site-packages\selenium\webdriver\remote\webdriver.py", line 342, in start_session
response = self.execute(Command.NEW_SESSION, caps)["value"]
File "C:\Users\Securely\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python39\lib\site-packages\selenium\webdriver\remote\webdriver.py", line 429, in execute
self.error_handler.check_response(response)
File "C:\Users\Securely\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python39\lib\site-packages\selenium\webdriver\remote\errorhandler.py", line 232, in check_response
raise exception_class(message, screen, stacktrace)
selenium.common.exceptions.SessionNotCreatedException: Message: session not created
from chrome not reachable


Additionally, I also tried using --remote-debugging-pipe, but it results in a timeout error.

Environment:

OS: Windows 10 / 11 (tested on three machines)

Chrome Version: 136.0.7103.93 (64-bit)

ChromeDriver Version: 4.0.2 (managed by webdriver-manager)

Selenium Version: 4.31.0

Python Version: 3.9.5


I have tested this on three different Windows machines, and the error is identical on all of them.

Code

import os
import shutil
import getpass
from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.options import Options
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.service import Service
from webdriver_manager.chrome import ChromeDriverManager
from traceback import format_exc

def copy_profile():
"""Copy Chrome 'Default' profile to a new profile folder 'Profile X' where X is the next available number."""
username = getpass.getuser()
base_path = rf"C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data"
src_path = os.path.join(base_path, "Default")

# Find next available Profile number
for i in range(1, 100):
dest_path = os.path.join(base_path, f"Profile {i}")
if not os.path.exists(dest_path):
break

print(f"Copying profile from:\n {src_path}\nto:\n {dest_path}")
shutil.copytree(src_path, dest_path)
return dest_path

def g_chrome_cookies(profile_name):
"""Launch Chrome with a specific profile and get cookies from Facebook."""
username = getpass.getuser()
user_data_dir = rf"C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data"

if not os.path.exists(user_data_dir):
raise FileNotFoundError(f"Chrome user data directory not found: {user_data_dir}")

options = Options()
options.add_argument("--disable-gpu")
options.add_argument("--disable-software-rasterizer")
options.add_argument("--disable-dev-shm-usage")
options.add_argument("--no-sandbox")
options.add_argument("--disable-extensions")
# options.add_argument('--remote-debugging-pipe') # I have checked this option but it causes a timeout error
options.add_argument(f"user-data-dir={user_data_dir}")
options.add_argument(f'--profile-directory={profile_name}')
# Uncomment the next line if you want headless mode
# options.add_argument("--headless=new")

os.environ["QT_LOGGING_RULES"] = "qt.sql.sqlite.warning=false"
service = Service(ChromeDriverManager().install())

driver = None
try:
driver = webdriver.Chrome(service=service, options=options)
driver.get("https://www.facebook.com/")
cookies = driver.get_cookies()
return {cookie['name']: cookie['value'] for cookie in cookies}
except Exception:
print(format_exc())
return {}
finally:
if driver:
driver.quit()

def generate_cookies():
print("[+] Creating new Chrome profile")
new_profile_path = copy_profile()

try:
profile_number = new_profile_path.split("Profile")[-1].strip()
profile_name = f"Profile {profile_number}"
cookies = g_chrome_cookies(profile_name)
print("[+] Retrieved cookies:", cookies)
except Exception:
print(format_exc())
finally:
print("[+] Deleting the copied profile folder")
if os.path.exists(new_profile_path):
shutil.rmtree(new_profile_path)

if __name__ == "__main__":
generate_cookies()


What I have tried:

• Using different profile names
• Adding --remote-debugging-pipe (results in timeout)
• Ensuring the user data directory exists and is accessible
• Running on multiple machines with same Chrome and ChromeDriver versions

Continue reading...