Cannot access the indicated browser window. You cannot automate internal browser pages or the new tab page

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Why does Use Application Browser fails on chrome-extension:// URL

Summary

This article explains why UiPath throws the error "Cannot access the indicated browser window. You cannot automate internal browser pages or the new tab page" when attempting to attach to or interact with a browser window, and provides the known resolutions for each scenario.

Applies To

  • Product: UiPath Studio / UiPath Robot
  • Activity Package: UiPath.UIAutomation.Activities (all versions)
  • Browsers: Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge (Chromium)
  • Deployment: All

Symptom

When using the Use Application/Browser, Attach Browser, or Click activity, the automation fails with the following error:

Cannot access the indicated browser window. You cannot automate internal browser pages or the 'new tab' page.

This error may also appear in UI Explorer when attempting to indicate elements in a browser window or tab.

Most Common Scenario: PDF Opened via Adobe Acrobat Chrome Extension

A frequently reported trigger is automating a workflow where a web application (such as Salesforce, SAP, or a document management system) opens a PDF file in Chrome. If the Adobe Acrobat Chrome extension is installed and enabled, Chrome will render the PDF through the extension at a URL such as:

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://example.com/document.pdf

Because this page is served by another Chrome extension, the UiPath browser extension is blocked from accessing it, resulting in this error.

Resolution

Resolution 1: Disable the Third-Party Extension (Recommended for PDF Scenarios)

If the error is triggered by a PDF rendered via the Adobe Acrobat Chrome extension (or any other PDF-rendering extension):

  1. Open Chrome and navigate to chrome://extensions
  2. Locate Adobe Acrobat (or the relevant PDF extension)
  3. Toggle it off
  4. Relaunch the browser and re-run the automation

With the extension disabled, Chrome will use its native built-in PDF viewer, which is fully automatable by the UiPath extension.

Note: This change applies only to the browser profile the bot uses. If the bot uses a dedicated browser profile, disabling the extension there will not affect other users on the same machine.

Resolution 2: Bypass the Browser Tab Entirely (Download the File Directly)

If the goal is to download or process the file (PDF, report, etc.) rather than interact with its rendered content, avoid opening the file in the browser tab altogether:

  • Option A: Right-click the link in the browser using a UiPath activity and select "Save link as" to download the file directly without opening a new tab.
  • Option B: Capture the file's download URL from the source page and use the HTTP Request activity to retrieve it programmatically, bypassing the browser rendering step entirely.

Resolution 3: Use Active Accessibility Mode

If the above resolutions are not applicable and the target content must be interacted with inside the browser window, switch the UI Framework in the activity properties:

  1. Open the activity properties panel
  2. Set UI Framework to Active Accessibility (AA)
  3. Re-indicate the target element

This uses a lower-level accessibility API that may expose elements that the default UIA or Chrome DOM injection cannot access. Results vary by application.

Resolution 4: Chrome Group Policy (DevTools Availability)

In some enterprise environments, a Chrome Group Policy restricts extension access, which can also trigger this error. If none of the above resolutions apply:

  1. Open the Windows Registry Editor (regedit)
  2. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome
  3. Check for a DWORD value named DeveloperToolsAvailability
  4. If it is set to 2 (disabled), contact your IT administrator to allow DevTools access for the bot's browser profile