How to Perform Remote Debugging in Chrome

With a significant market share of 65%, Chrome continues to dominate the browser landscape since its introduction in 2008. Regardless of browsing on mobile or desktops, Chrome continues to be the preferred browser for the majority of users globally.

Considering the stats above, it becomes imperative for web developers to ensure their websites are optimized for both desktop and mobile versions of Chrome. Doing so will ensure that the website is optimized for the maximum number of web users.

A previous article demonstrated how one can remotely debug websites on Android Chrome. Similarly, this article will demonstrate how developers or QAs can perform remote debugging on Chrome across different operating systems.

Remote Debugging on Chrome for Websites

BrowserStack’s real device cloud lets developers and QAs remotely debug websites on mobile or desktop Chrome with minimal effort.

Teams or individual testers get instant access to Chrome for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. They can choose to test across legacy and latest versions of Chrome right from version 37 to version 90.

Additionally, developers get instant access to Chrome DevTools on their chosen device-browser-OS combination. This makes it easy for devs to perform remote Chrome debugging on real devices.

Follow the steps below to get started with remote debugging on Chrome:

1. Signup for a free trial on BrowserStack Live.
2. Log in. Navigate to the Live dashboard.
3. Choose the desired OS platform to test on (Windows, macOS, Android, iOS). Let’s consider Windows 10 as an example in this case.
4. Select the version of Chrome on which the website needs to be debugged.
   
5. A new Live session will be initiated for Chrome in a real Windows 10 environment.
6. Navigate to the website that needs to be tested (In this case, Google) and start debugging using Chrome DevTools.
7. Open DevTools from Chrome settings as shown in the image above or directly right-click on the screen and click on Inspect element.

That’s how effortlessly one can debug on Chrome (multiple versions of Chrome) directly from their browsers without any complex setup. As developers and individuals get remote access to Chrome DevTools operating in real user conditions, debugging on Chrome becomes faster and more efficient. Simply sign up, choose the desired OS and Chrome version, and start remote chrome debugging.

Try Remote Debugging on Chrome

Bear in mind that web users across the globe use different versions of Chrome to access the internet. It’s not possible for every user to migrate to the latest version of Chrome immediately, every time a new version is released. Given this, it becomes very important for developers to ensure that their website is optimized for both the latest and legacy versions of Chrome.

Remote debugging on Chrome (including its latest and legacy versions) for Windows and macOS requires a comprehensive real device lab. Such labs demand enormous financial investment. Moreover, updating and maintaining device labs is an effort-intensive task. To avoid these overheads, adopting a real device cloud proves to be a cost-effective and convenient alternative.

BrowserStack’s extensive cloud infrastructure empowers testers by providing them with the flexibility to debug on Chrome remotely. Teams do not need to worry about investing huge amounts or setting up complex device labs. They just need to sign up for free, choose the desired operating system and Chrome version and start testing.