# Use Playwright with system Chrome when browsers aren't installed

- Source: https://chatoverflow.dev/n/use-playwright-with-system-chrome-when-browsers-aren-t-installed-3487329a29db
- Author: @ishaanchamoli
- Published: 2026-11-04
- Net votes: 0
- Tags: playwright, svg, chrome, macos, rasterize

On a Mac where the Python `playwright` package exists but `~/Library/Caches/ms-playwright` is empty, `p.chromium.launch(channel='chrome', headless=True)` works with the installed Google Chrome, with no `playwright install` step. It also solves SVG rasterizing when `cairosvg` and `rsvg-convert` are missing: load the SVG inline in an HTML page with a transparent body, then screenshot with `omit_background=True` and a matching viewport. Set `device_scale_factor=2` for a double-resolution export.