SetDownloadPrefs > still prompts me to save file

[6DiegoDiego9]

The Edge (and Chrome?) browser user profile could be preset and locked (lock icon displayed and greyed out switch) by organization policy to "Ask me what to do with each download" which prevents WebCapabilities.SetDownloadPrefs to have the desired effect.

I saw that the line "Me.SetPreference "download.prompt_for_download", False" works and is therefore a solution if the browser has the setting unlocked, however it's ignored if it's locked.

Unfortunately the client.send instruction that sends that line (in a single json pack together with the other preferences) doesn't seem to return an error that we could use to notify the user of that.

Any other ideas to detect and notify that?

[hanamichi77777]

Hello. While I cannot reproduce this issue in my specific environment, I would like to propose several solutions suggested by AI.

When settings are locked by Group Policy (GPO), the capabilities (JSON pack) passed by the WebDriver at startup are technically "accepted" via the communication protocol. However, because the browser's internal priority gives precedence to organizational policies over user/WebDriver settings, the preferences are simply ignored without returning an error.

To detect and notify the user of this state, I propose the following three approaches:

1. Verification of "Actual Capabilities" After Launch
This method checks the dictionary returned by the WebDriver after OpenBrowser is executed to see which settings were ultimately adopted by the browser. You can utilize the GetSessionsInfo method (or the resp dictionary within OpenBrowser) of the SeleniumVBA.WebDriver class.

Implementation Logic:
By adding a check like the one below immediately after OpenBrowser, you may be able to determine if the settings were ignored.

' After browser launch
Dim actualCaps As Dictionary
Set actualCaps = driver.GetSessionsInfo()("capabilities")

' Get the browser-specific options key (goog:chromeOptions or ms:edgeOptions)
Dim optKey As String
If driver.GetBrowserName = "msedge" Then optKey = "ms:edgeOptions" Else optKey = "goog:chromeOptions"

' Check the actually applied "prefs" 
' (Note: the hierarchy returned may vary depending on the driver version)
If actualCaps.Exists(optKey) Then
    Dim prefs As Dictionary
    Set prefs = actualCaps(optKey)("prefs")
    If prefs.Exists("download.prompt_for_download") Then
        If prefs("download.prompt_for_download") = True Then
            MsgBox "Warning: The 'Ask where to save each file' setting is being enforced by policy."
        End If
    End If
End If

2. Direct Windows Registry Check (Most Reliable)
Organizational policies (GPOs) are written to the Windows Registry. Checking the registry via VBA before launching the browser is the most efficient and certain method to see if a setting is locked.

Registry Locations:
Edge: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge
Chrome: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome
Value Name: PromptForDownloadLocation (1 = Enforced Enabled, 0 = Enforced Disabled)
Example VBA Check Function:

Public Function IsDownloadPromptLockedByPolicy() As Boolean
    Dim shell As Object
    Set shell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
    Dim policyValue As Variant
    On Error Resume Next
    
    ' Check Edge Policy (1: Forced On, 0: Forced Off)
    policyValue = shell.RegRead("HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\PromptForDownloadLocation")
    
    ' If the value exists and is set to 1, it is locked
    If Err.Number = 0 Then
        If policyValue = 1 Then IsDownloadPromptLockedByPolicy = True: Exit Function
    End If
    
    ' Check Chrome Policy similarly
    Err.Clear
    policyValue = shell.RegRead("HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome\PromptForDownloadLocation")
    If Err.Number = 0 Then
        If policyValue = 1 Then IsDownloadPromptLockedByPolicy = True: Exit Function
    End If
    
    IsDownloadPromptLockedByPolicy = False
End Function

By calling this function before StartEdge or StartChrome, you can proactively notify the user: "Auto-download may not function because download settings are locked on this PC."

3. Scanning the DOM State of the Settings Page
This method involves navigating to the settings page (e.g., edge://settings/downloads) after launching the browser and using JavaScript to determine if the toggle switch is disabled (grayed out).

Steps:
1.driver.NavigateTo "edge://settings/downloads"
2.Use ExecuteScript to check if the toggle switch element has the disabled attribute.

However, browser internal pages (edge://... or chrome://...) often restrict WebDriver operations and script execution for security reasons. Therefore, Approach #2 (Registry Check) is likely the most suitable for SeleniumVBA operations.

Recommended Action
I recommend implementing the Registry Check as a utility function.
A policy lock doesn't just mean the "setting won't work"; it often causes the automation process to hang at a "Save As" dialog, making Excel appear frozen to the user. "Pre-launch detection" offers the best user experience by identifying the issue before the automation fails.

[dornech]

Hm. I set the following propeties/capabilites before starting the browser and it works. Probably you have an issue with the activated internal PDF viewer?

' set browser preferences in WebDriver / WebCapabilities object
Sub setBrowserProfile_directDownload(ByRef objWebCapabilities As SeleniumVBA.WebCapabilities, ByVal s_WebdriverBrowser As String, ByRef s_Path As String)

'  check/determine path for direct download
   If (s_Path = vbNullString) Or Not DirExists(s_Path) Then
      s_Path = TempDir()
   End If

'  set browser preferences
   If checkChromeTypeBrowser(s_WebdriverBrowser) Then
      objWebCapabilities.SetPreference "download.default_directory", s_Path
      objWebCapabilities.SetPreference "download.prompt_for_download", False
      objWebCapabilities.SetPreference "plugins.plugins_disabled", "[""Chrome PDF Viewer""]"
      objWebCapabilities.SetPreference "plugins.always_open_pdf_externally", True
   ElseIf (s_WebdriverBrowser = s_WebdriverBrowser_FireFox) Then
      objWebCapabilities.SetPreference "browser.download.folderList", 2
      objWebCapabilities.SetPreference "browser.download.dir", s_Path
      objWebCapabilities.SetPreference "browser.download.manager.showWhenStarting", False
      objWebCapabilities.SetPreference "browser.helperApps.alwaysAsk.force", False
      objWebCapabilities.SetPreference "browser.helperApps.neverAsk.saveToDisk", "application/pdf,text/csv"
      objWebCapabilities.SetPreference "pdfjs.disabled", True
   End If

End Sub