Protocol error (Page.navigate): Target closed

Learn how to fix the 'Target closed' error when trying to navigate to a page that has been closed

Ivan Muñoz Apr 30, 2025

Crash

This error occurs when you try to perform an action on a page or browser that has already been closed. This typically happens due to premature closure or race conditions in your automation code.

Common Causes

• Premature browser closure: Browser is closed before navigation completes
• Multiple page closures: Trying to use a page after it’s been closed
• Race conditions: Operations running after page/browser closure
• Error handling issues: Browser closes during error recovery
• Resource cleanup: Automatic cleanup closing resources too early

Solutions

1. Proper browser and page lifecycle management

let browser;
let page;

try {
  browser = await puppeteer.launch();
  page = await browser.newPage();
  
  await page.goto('https://example.com');
  // ... your automation code ...
} catch (error) {
  console.error('Error:', error);
} finally {
  if (page) await page.close();
  if (browser) await browser.close();
}

2. Check page state before operations

async function safeNavigate(page, url) {
  if (!page || page.isClosed()) {
    throw new Error('Page is closed or invalid');
  }
  
  try {
    await page.goto(url);
  } catch (error) {
    if (error.message.includes('Target closed')) {
      console.log('Page was closed during navigation');
      // Handle the error appropriately
    }
    throw error;
  }
}

3. Implement proper error handling

async function runAutomation() {
  const browser = await puppeteer.launch();
  const page = await browser.newPage();
  
  try {
    await page.goto('https://example.com');
    // ... your automation code ...
  } catch (error) {
    if (error.message.includes('Target closed')) {
      console.log('Target was closed, attempting recovery...');
      // Implement recovery logic
      const newPage = await browser.newPage();
      await newPage.goto('https://example.com');
      return newPage;
    }
    throw error;
  }
}

4. Use page event listeners

const page = await browser.newPage();

// Listen for page close events
page.on('close', () => {
  console.log('Page was closed');
});

// Listen for browser disconnect
browser.on('disconnected', () => {
  console.log('Browser was disconnected');
});

5. Implement retry logic with proper checks

async function navigateWithRetry(page, url, maxRetries = 3) {
  for (let i = 0; i < maxRetries; i++) {
    try {
      if (page.isClosed()) {
        throw new Error('Page is closed');
      }
      await page.goto(url);
      return;
    } catch (error) {
      if (i === maxRetries - 1) throw error;
      console.log(`Retry ${i + 1} of ${maxRetries}`);
      // Wait before retrying
      await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 1000));
    }
  }
}

Still Encountering Issues?

If you’re still having trouble with target closure errors, you can use a visual testing tool like Buglesstack to debug your automation and track page lifecycle events.

// .. assuming you already have your Puppeteer browser and page initialized

try {
	await page.goto('https://www.google.com/search?q=puppeteer');		
	await page.waitForSelector('[name="q"]');
}
catch (error) {
	// Prepare buglesstack data
	const buglesstackData = {
		url: page.url(),
		screenshot: await page.screenshot({ encoding: 'base64' }),
		html: await page.content(),
		metadata: {},
		message: error.message,
		stack: error.stack
	};

	// Get your access token from https://app.buglesstack.com
	const ACCESS_TOKEN = 'HERE_YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN';

	// Send error to buglesstack
	await axios.post('https://app.buglesstack.com/api/v1/crashes', buglesstackData, {
		headers: {
			Authorization: `Bearer ${ACCESS_TOKEN}`,
			'Content-Type': 'application/json'
		}
	});
		
	// Re-throw the error to propagate it
	throw error;
}

By implementing proper lifecycle management and error handling, you can resolve the “Target closed” error and make your automation more robust.