SeleniumHQ/selenium · error · Error::WebDriverError

unable to find profile named: #

Error message

unable to find profile named: #{name.inspect}

What it means

Raised by Firefox::Profile.from_name (Error::WebDriverError) when no profile with the given name is found in Firefox's profiles.ini. The class method delegates to ProfilesIni and raises if the lookup returns nil.

Solutions

1. List available profiles from profiles.ini and use an existing name.
2. Create the profile in Firefox first (about:profiles) so it appears in profiles.ini.
3. If you don't need an existing profile, use a fresh Profile.new instead of from_name.

Example fix

// before
profile = Selenium::WebDriver::Firefox::Profile.from_name('QA')

// after
# confirm available names first
available = Selenium::WebDriver::Firefox::Profile.ini.keys
profile = Selenium::WebDriver::Firefox::Profile.from_name('QA')
# or use a fresh profile
profile = Selenium::WebDriver::Firefox::Profile.new

names = Selenium::WebDriver::Firefox::Profile.ini.keys
if names.include?(requested_name)
  profile = Selenium::WebDriver::Firefox::Profile.from_name(requested_name)
else
  profile = Selenium::WebDriver::Firefox::Profile.new  # fresh profile
end

When it happens

Trigger: Calling Selenium::WebDriver::Firefox::Profile.from_name(name) with a name not listed in Firefox's profiles.ini; referencing a profile that was deleted; typo in the profile name.

Common situations: Running on a machine/container with no Firefox profile initialized; profile name read from config that doesn't match the local Firefox install; Selenium Grid node without the expected named profile.

Related errors

• Port needs to be an integer
• Add-on id could not be found.
• Add-on path does not exist
• Add-on path is neither an XPI nor a directory
• expected one of # , got # :#

AI-assisted analysis of SeleniumHQ/selenium@aa36b38e69 (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/a1d634c3c3f24536. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at rb/lib/selenium/webdriver/firefox/profile.rb:53

          'browser.usedOnWindows10.introURL' => 'about:blank',
          'network.captive-portal-service.enabled' => false,
          'security.csp.enable' => false
        }.freeze

        LOCK_FILES = %w[.parentlock parent.lock lock].freeze

        attr_reader :name, :log_file

        class << self
          def ini
            @ini ||= ProfilesIni.new
          end

          def from_name(name)
            profile = ini[name]
            return profile if profile

            raise Error::WebDriverError, "unable to find profile named: #{name.inspect}"
          end

          def decoded(json)
            JSON.parse(json)
          end
        end

        #
        # Create a new Profile instance
        #
        # @example User configured profile
        #
        #   profile = Selenium::WebDriver::Firefox::Profile.new
        #   profile['network.proxy.http'] = 'localhost'
        #   profile['network.proxy.http_port'] = 9090
        #
        #   driver = Selenium::WebDriver.for :firefox, :profile => profile
        #

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