# Unable to start Jupyter lab or Jupyter notebook in a browser

**URL:** <https://discourse.jupyter.org/t/unable-to-start-jupyter-lab-or-jupyter-notebook-in-a-browser/1265>\
**Category:** General\
**Created:** [June 4, 2019, 7:10pm UTC](https://discourse.jupyter.org/t/unable-to-start-jupyter-lab-or-jupyter-notebook-in-a-browser/1265 "2019-06-04T19:10:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 11\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![reikdas](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/discourse.jupyter.org/reikdas/32/751_2.png) [@reikdas](https://discourse.jupyter.org/u/reikdas)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 7:10pm UTC](https://discourse.jupyter.org/t/unable-to-start-jupyter-lab-or-jupyter-notebook-in-a-browser/1265/1 "2019-06-04T19:10:43Z")

</div>

I get the following log when starting Jupyter lab or Jupyter notebook-

```auto
[W 17:03:08.963 NotebookApp] No web browser found: could not locate runnable browser.

```

and Jupyter does not start a browser (or a tab in a browser).

(I am using Linux - Manjaro i3 community edition)

I have configured Jupyter to use google-chrome-stable by

```auto
jupyter notebook --generate-config

```

and setting the following line in `~/.jupyter/jupyter_notebook_config.py`

```auto
c.NotebookApp.browser = '/usr/bin/google-chrome-stable' 

```

(Yes I have uncommented the above line)

`/usr/bin/google-chrome-stable` and `google-chrome-stable` successfully launch chrome from the terminal.

I have also tried

```auto
jupyter lab --browser=google-chrome-stable

```

```auto
jupyter lab --browser google-chrome-stable

```

without success.

Jupyter used to open in a browser when I had Pale Moon installed on my system, but now that I have removed it, I cannot seem to get this working. `google-chrome-stable` is my default browser now.

The obvious workaround is to copy the localhost URL to a web browser but I am trying to avoid that.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![rolweber](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/discourse.jupyter.org/rolweber/32/657_2.png) [@rolweber](https://discourse.jupyter.org/u/rolweber)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2019, 5:36am UTC](https://discourse.jupyter.org/t/unable-to-start-jupyter-lab-or-jupyter-notebook-in-a-browser/1265/2 "2019-06-05T05:36:09Z")

</div>

Have you checked that the user as which Jupyter is started has execute permission on `/usr/bin/google-chrome-stable`?

Have you tried `jupyter lab --generate-config` instead of `jupyter notebook --generate-config`? I’m not too familiar with the config system, but the app name plays a role there.

Also check for environment variables that specify a browser.

---

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**Author:** ![reikdas](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/discourse.jupyter.org/reikdas/32/751_2.png) [@reikdas](https://discourse.jupyter.org/u/reikdas)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2019, 5:52am UTC](https://discourse.jupyter.org/t/unable-to-start-jupyter-lab-or-jupyter-notebook-in-a-browser/1265/3 "2019-06-05T05:52:09Z")

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> [@rolweber](#):
>
> Have you checked that the user as which Jupyter is started has execute permission on `/usr/bin/google-chrome-stable` ?

It does. Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to execute `google-chrome-stable` or `/usr/bin/google-chrome-stable` to launch Google Chrome.

> [@rolweber](#):
>
> Have you tried `jupyter lab --generate-config` instead of `jupyter notebook --generate-config` ? I’m not too familiar with the config system, but the app name plays a role there.

I don’t think it does. `jupyter lab --generate-config` wants to overwrite ~/.jupyter/jupyter\_notebook\_config.py with default config.  
Even if it did, `jupyter notebook` also doesn’t start in the browser.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Rhythm\_Nation84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/51bf81/32.png) [@Rhythm\_Nation84](https://discourse.jupyter.org/u/Rhythm_Nation84)\
**Post date:** [October 20, 2019, 5:56pm UTC](https://discourse.jupyter.org/t/unable-to-start-jupyter-lab-or-jupyter-notebook-in-a-browser/1265/4 "2019-10-20T17:56:19Z")

</div>

any resolution to this problem?

I’ve also installed anaconda on Manjaro i3 and got anaconda-navigator to run once after initial install, but nothing when I try to call it from dmenu.

---

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**Author:** ![Eve\_Zen](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/discourse.jupyter.org/eve_zen/32/1668_2.png) [@Eve\_Zen](https://discourse.jupyter.org/u/Eve_Zen)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2020, 6:43pm UTC](https://discourse.jupyter.org/t/unable-to-start-jupyter-lab-or-jupyter-notebook-in-a-browser/1265/5 "2020-03-06T18:43:53Z")

</div>

I have a same problem, did anyone figure that out ?  
It works from command line(jupyter-notebook), but only server starts, i have to copy the link and open it in Chrome. It doesnt open from navigator, if i check running processes, the server is running

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![reikdas](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/discourse.jupyter.org/reikdas/32/751_2.png) [@reikdas](https://discourse.jupyter.org/u/reikdas)\
**Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 1:34pm UTC](https://discourse.jupyter.org/t/unable-to-start-jupyter-lab-or-jupyter-notebook-in-a-browser/1265/7 "2020-04-06T13:34:12Z")

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Doesn’t work.

```
[W 18:57:22.551 LabApp] Unrecognized alias: '--browers=google-chrome-stable %s', it will probably have no effect.
[W 18:57:23.060 LabApp] No web browser found: could not locate runnable browser.

```

or

```
[W 18:57:45.376 LabApp] Unrecognized alias: '--browers=/usr/bin/google-chrome-stable %s', it will probably have no effect.
[W 18:57:45.772 LabApp] No web browser found: could not locate runnable browser.

```

or

```
[W 18:58:05.499 LabApp] Unrecognized alias: '--browers=/usr/bin/google-chrome-stable --app=%s', it will probably have no effect.
[W 18:58:05.901 LabApp] No web browser found: could not locate runnable browser.
```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dsjamieson](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/discourse.jupyter.org/dsjamieson/32/1798_2.png) [@dsjamieson](https://discourse.jupyter.org/u/dsjamieson)\
**Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 2:18pm UTC](https://discourse.jupyter.org/t/unable-to-start-jupyter-lab-or-jupyter-notebook-in-a-browser/1265/8 "2020-04-06T14:18:57Z")

</div>

You have to give your browser (“google-chrome-stable” in this case) a string format argument (%s) in order to pass it the notebook’s URL:

```auto
jupyter lab --browser="google-chrome-stable %s"

```

or, if you prefer opening chrome in app mode:

```auto
jupyter lab --browser="google-chrome-stable --app=%s"

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dsjamieson](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/discourse.jupyter.org/dsjamieson/32/1798_2.png) [@dsjamieson](https://discourse.jupyter.org/u/dsjamieson)\
**Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 2:22pm UTC](https://discourse.jupyter.org/t/unable-to-start-jupyter-lab-or-jupyter-notebook-in-a-browser/1265/9 "2020-04-06T14:22:00Z")

</div>

I had a typo (“browers” should be “browser”), I’ve deleted my old post and made a new one. I checked that this works in both OS X Catalina with zshell and Ubuntu 19.10 with bash

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ggrrll](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/discourse.jupyter.org/ggrrll/32/2132_2.png) [@ggrrll](https://discourse.jupyter.org/u/ggrrll)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 1:09pm UTC](https://discourse.jupyter.org/t/unable-to-start-jupyter-lab-or-jupyter-notebook-in-a-browser/1265/10 "2020-05-25T13:09:22Z")

</div>

Hi,

thanks for your answer.

However, I am running

```
jupyter lab --browser='brave %s'

```

and it still doesn’t open any window (although I don’t get the error anymore)…  
(`brave` is my alias for the brave browser, which in a bash shell works ~ opens a new window)

Thanks

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dsjamieson](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/discourse.jupyter.org/dsjamieson/32/1798_2.png) [@dsjamieson](https://discourse.jupyter.org/u/dsjamieson)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 2:46pm UTC](https://discourse.jupyter.org/t/unable-to-start-jupyter-lab-or-jupyter-notebook-in-a-browser/1265/11 "2020-05-25T14:46:24Z")

</div>

Hi,

I just tested this, and I guess you cannot use aliases in the --browser option. For instance,

```
jupyter lab --browser='brave-browser --new-window %s'

```

works for me. You could make an alias for this whole command.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ggrrll](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/discourse.jupyter.org/ggrrll/32/2132_2.png) [@ggrrll](https://discourse.jupyter.org/u/ggrrll)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 3:50pm UTC](https://discourse.jupyter.org/t/unable-to-start-jupyter-lab-or-jupyter-notebook-in-a-browser/1265/12 "2020-05-25T15:50:12Z")

</div>

Hi @dsjamieson ,

yes, you are right.

I just replaced `brave` with the full path to the app (`/Applications/Brave\ Browser.app/Contents/MacOS/Brave\ Browser`) and it worked

Thanks again!