Edge WebDriver on Windows

Overview

On Windows, Tauri applications use Microsoft Edge WebView2, which requires msedgedriver.exe for WebDriver automation. The tauri-service automatically handles Edge WebDriver version matching to prevent version mismatch errors.

The Problem

Tauri tests fail on Windows when your Edge browser version doesn't match the installed msedgedriver version:

Error: This version of Microsoft Edge WebDriver only supports Microsoft Edge version 144.
Current browser version is 143.0.3650.139

The Solution

The tauri-service automatically:

1. Detects your Edge browser version from Windows registry
2. Checks if a matching msedgedriver.exe exists
3. Downloads the correct version if needed (enabled by default)
4. Configures PATH to use the downloaded driver

Configuration

Auto-Download (Recommended)

By default, auto-download is enabled. Just use the service normally:

// wdio.conf.js
export const config = {
  services: [
    ['tauri', {
      application: './path/to/your-app.exe',
      // autoDownloadEdgeDriver: true (default)
    }]
  ]
};

Manual Management

Disable auto-download if you prefer to manage drivers yourself:

export const config = {
  services: [
    ['tauri', {
      application: './path/to/your-app.exe',
      autoDownloadEdgeDriver: false
    }]
  ]
};

With auto-download disabled, you must ensure msedgedriver matches your Edge version manually.

How It Works

1. Version Detection

The service detects Edge version from:

• Windows Registry: HKLM\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\EdgeUpdate\Clients\{56EB18F8-B008-4CBD-B6D2-8C97FE7E9062}
• WMIC query: wmic datafile where name="C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Microsoft\\Edge\\Application\\msedge.exe" get Version

2. Driver Check

Checks if msedgedriver.exe in PATH matches the detected Edge version (major version comparison).

3. Download & Install

If mismatch detected:

• Downloads msedgedriver from https://msedgedriver.azureedge.net/{version}/
• Caches in temp directory: %TEMP%\msedgedriver\{majorVersion}\
• Adds to process PATH for test execution

Troubleshooting

"Could not detect Edge version"

Cause: Edge not installed or registry keys missing

Solution: Install Microsoft Edge from https://www.microsoft.com/edge

"Failed to download msedgedriver"

Causes:

• Network/proxy issues
• Microsoft's CDN temporarily unavailable
• Invalid Edge version format

Solutions:

1. Check internet connection and proxy settings
2. Retry - CDN may be temporarily down
3. Manual download from https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/tools/webdriver/
4. Place msedgedriver.exe in PATH

"Version mismatch" even after download

Cause: Another msedgedriver.exe earlier in PATH is being used

Solution: Check PATH order:

where msedgedriver.exe

Ensure the correct version appears first

CI/GitHub Actions Issues

Symptom: Download works locally but fails in CI

Causes:

• GitHub Actions runners may have outdated Edge
• Network restrictions

Solutions:

# .github/workflows/test.yml
- name: Update Edge (if needed)
  if: runner.os == 'Windows'
  run: |
    choco upgrade microsoft-edge -y

- name: Run tests
  run: pnpm test:e2e

Platform Behavior

• Windows: Edge driver check runs automatically
• Linux: Skipped (Tauri uses WebKitGTK)
• macOS: N/A (Tauri testing not supported on macOS)

API Reference

Service Options

interface TauriServiceOptions {
  /**
   * Automatically download and configure matching msedgedriver on Windows
   * @default true
   * @platform Windows only
   */
  autoDownloadEdgeDriver?: boolean;
}

Example Configurations

Default (Auto-Download Enabled)

services: [
  ['tauri', {
    application: './dist/my-app.exe'
  }]
]

Explicit Configuration

services: [
  ['tauri', {
    application: './dist/my-app.exe',
    autoDownloadEdgeDriver: true,
    tauriDriverPort: 4444
  }]
]

Disable Auto-Download

services: [
  ['tauri', {
    application: './dist/my-app.exe',
    autoDownloadEdgeDriver: false
  }]
]

Manual Driver Management

If you disable auto-download, ensure msedgedriver matches your Edge version:

Check Edge Version

reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\EdgeUpdate\Clients\{56EB18F8-B008-4CBD-B6D2-8C97FE7E9062}" /v pv

Download Matching Driver

1. Visit https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/tools/webdriver/
2. Download version matching your Edge major version
3. Extract msedgedriver.exe
4. Add to PATH or place in project directory

Verify Installation

msedgedriver.exe --version
# Should output: MSEdgeDriver 143.x.xxxx.xx

Development Notes

File Structure

• src/edgeDriverManager.ts - Edge driver detection and download logic
• src/launcher.ts - Integration point in onPrepare hook
• src/types.ts - TypeScript interfaces

Cache Location

Downloaded drivers are cached at:

%TEMP%\msedgedriver\{majorVersion}\msedgedriver.exe

Example: C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Local\Temp\msedgedriver\143\msedgedriver.exe

Logging

Enable debug logs to troubleshoot:

export const config = {
  logLevel: 'debug',
  services: ['tauri']
};

Look for logs prefixed with [tauri-service:edge-driver]