Browserflow
  • 👋🏽 Welcome to Browserflow
  • Guides
    • Building a flow
    • Running a flow
    • Debugging a flow
    • Sharing a flow
    • Automating Google websites
    • Keyboard shortcuts
    • Selectors
    • Variables
    • Input variables
    • Conditions
  • Browserflow Cloud
    • Running flows in the cloud
    • Loop Sheet flows
    • Saving files
    • Automating sites behind a login
    • API
    • Webhooks
    • Zapier
    • Troubleshooting
  • Reference
    • Browserflow commands
      • Interact with Page
        • Click
        • Type Text
        • Press Key
        • Scroll
        • Hover
        • Select Option
        • Set Date Input
        • Upload File
        • Handle Dialog
      • Extract Data
        • Get Element Text
        • Get Link URL
        • Get Page URL
        • Get Element Attribute
        • Get Element HTML
        • Get Clipboard
        • Save File
        • Take Screenshot
        • Generate PDF
      • Navigate
        • Visit
        • Go Back
        • Go Forward
        • Reload Page
      • Spreadsheet
        • Loop Spreadsheet Rows
        • Add Spreadsheet Row
        • Update Spreadsheet Row
        • Find Spreadsheet Row
      • Control Flow
        • Loop Elements
        • Loop Pages
        • Loop
        • Loop List Items
        • If
        • Else
        • While
        • End
        • Break
      • Tabs
        • Create Tab
        • Get Active Tab ID
        • Select Tab
        • Close Tab
      • Utilities
        • Run Script
        • Get Date
        • Wait
        • Wait for Element
        • Show Alert
        • Make HTTP Request
        • Assert
        • Run Flow
        • Comment
        • Solve Captcha
  • Support
    • Getting help
    • Common errors
  • Troubleshooting
    • Updating to the latest version
Powered by GitBook
On this page
  • Problem
  • Solution
  • Background

Was this helpful?

  1. Guides

Automating Google websites

PreviousSharing a flowNextKeyboard shortcuts

Last updated 3 years ago

Was this helpful?

Problem

If you try to run an automation on a Google website (Google Forms, Google Sheets, Gmail, YouTube, etc.), you'll see the following error message in the logs:

Solution

  1. Open chrome://apps

  2. Right click on all Chrome apps for Google websites (e.g. Google Drive, Gmail, YouTube)

  3. Select "Remove from Chrome..."

  4. Refresh the Google website you're trying to automate

  5. Your flow will now run successfully

Background

Google Chrome comes pre-installed with Chrome apps that mainly serve as shortcuts to Google websites for Chrome OS users. Unfortunately, these pre-installed apps have a known bug that prevent extensions like Browserflow from automating Google websites. By removing these apps, you'll be able to run flows on Google websites.

Google is aware of these issues and is working on fixing them:

  • https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=885025#c39

  • https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=809304

Note: Removing these pre-installed apps will not affect your access or usage of these services. If you still feel unsure, you always have the option of reinstalling these apps via the Chrome Web Store:

  • Google Drive

  • Gmail

  • YouTube

  • Slides

  • Docs

  • Sheets