How to fix Playwright "Executable doesn't exist" after install?

The "Executable doesn't exist" error means the @playwright/test package is installed but the corresponding browser binaries were not downloaded to the expected location. Playwright stores browser binaries separately from the npm package, in a cache directory (~/.cache/ms-playwright on Linux/macOS, %LOCALAPPDATA%\ms-playwright on Windows). When the cache doesn't exist — typically in a fresh CI environment, a Docker image that didn't include the install step, or after upgrading the Playwright version without reinstalling browsers — tests fail immediately at launch time.

Common mistake

# Only installs the npm package — no browser binaries
npm install @playwright/test

# Tries to launch but Chromium doesn't exist
npx playwright test

Also common in Docker:

FROM node:20
WORKDIR /app
COPY package.json .
RUN npm install
# Missing: browser and OS deps installation
COPY . .
CMD ["npx", "playwright", "test"]

The fix

Always run the browser install step after package installation:

# Install Playwright package
npm install @playwright/test

# Install browsers only
npx playwright install

# Install browsers AND OS-level dependencies (required on most Linux CI images)
npx playwright install --with-deps

For Docker, use the official Playwright base image or install dependencies explicitly:

# Option 1: Use the official Playwright image (recommended)
FROM mcr.microsoft.com/playwright:v1.44.0-jammy

WORKDIR /app
COPY package.json package-lock.json ./
RUN npm ci
COPY . .
CMD ["npx", "playwright", "test"]

# Option 2: Start from Node and install Playwright dependencies
FROM node:20-bookworm-slim

WORKDIR /app
COPY package.json package-lock.json ./
RUN npm ci
RUN npx playwright install --with-deps chromium
COPY . .
CMD ["npx", "playwright", "test"]

For GitHub Actions, cache the browser binaries to avoid downloading them on every run:

- name: Install dependencies
  run: npm ci

- name: Cache Playwright browsers
  uses: actions/cache@v4
  with:
    path: ~/.cache/ms-playwright
    key: playwright-${{ hashFiles('package-lock.json') }}

- name: Install Playwright browsers
  run: npx playwright install --with-deps

Why it works

Playwright separates the test runner (npm package) from the browser binaries (downloaded separately) because browser binaries are large (~100–300 MB each) and version-pinned to the Playwright release. When you upgrade @playwright/test, the binary paths change and previously cached binaries are no longer at the expected location. Running npx playwright install after any version change downloads exactly the binary versions the current package expects. The --with-deps flag additionally installs the Linux shared libraries (glibc, nss, fonts, etc.) that Chromium requires to launch.

Tips

Add npx playwright install --with-deps as a step in every CI pipeline, not just the first run — version upgrades require it.
Pin both the @playwright/test version in package.json and the Docker base image tag together to avoid binary path mismatches.
If you only need Chromium and want to reduce install time, use npx playwright install --with-deps chromium instead of installing all three browsers.
After upgrading Playwright, run npx playwright install locally too — your local cache may have the old binary paths.