Hi,Since a few days, we've been noticing one of our TestExecute workers, running on v. 15.79.43.11 is detecting elements in the Chrome browser in the wrong location.A collegue has similar issues on their desktop, running TestComplete v15.80.1.7.Other TestExec workers and TestComplete instances running the same version (including the same version of the Chrome browser) do not experience this issue. Does anybody have an idea what might cause this?We've checked the obvious things as screen resolution and Windows zoom level. The issue doesn't occur with our regular AUT, only during interaction with Chrome.

The update for TC v 15.81.7.7 does NOT have a fix for this issue included. Just wanted to throw that out there in case someone else finds the object positions are fixed after installing the update.

We've been using TestComplete for several years now, and we often keep encountering problems after browser updates.Therefore, the underlying issue seems more significant to me:Smartbear doesn't test enough with pre-release versions (alpha, beta), leading to recurring problems with new browser versions.Furthermore, the versions officially supported by Smartbear are often more than six months old and thus unacceptable from a security standpoint.And also as mentioned before many companies have policies so that the browser will be updated "automatically" to avoid security problems.

Also experiencing the same issue now in Chrome 145.0.7632.117. Display scaling is at 100%, I am NOT using multiple browsers, and I can't even get past our login screen now which has worked for years because the elements are not being detected in the correct position.Unable to downgrade Chrome since it is organization managed, and updates get auto-installed. SmartBear once again fails to do beta testing to ensure compatibility of upcoming browsers.

We are still having the issue as well. Put in a support ticket and they provided me with a beta version that apparently contains the fix, unfortunately due to IT policies we are unable to install the beta so I don't know if it works for sure but could be worth reaching out to support if you are able to install itSupport said it will be in the 15.82 release which should be early May.

It's relating to Windows Scaling, it needs to be set to 100%. See Testing With Various DPI Settings for more information.

Elements detected, clicked in wrong location with Chrome

31 Replies

scottroutesmart
Contributor
1 month ago
Issue still occurs on Chrome 145.0.7632.160 too, which I just installed.
scottroutesmart
Contributor
1 month ago
As a temporary workaround downgrading to Chrome 1.44 seems to work, but for many of us I know that updates are company managed so this is very temporary. (This does show an incompatibility issue between TC and Chrome 1.45 imo.)

Here is a link to get older Chrome versions for reference:
chrome-versions/versions.json at main · ulixee/chrome-versions · GitHub
MarcusBe
Contributor
1 month ago
I assume this issue is not going to be resolved in the near future, will try to talk to IT if its possible to downgrade
- rhu
  Contributor
  1 month ago
  We tried and downgraded chrome but it updated although we created a group policy that it should not.
  So if you know how to disable the chrome update it would be helpful if you coud post it here.
  - MarcusBe
    Contributor
    1 month ago
    Not yet sure if this works im in the process of trying it out
    
    Method 1: Disable Services (Recommended)
    Press Win + R, type services.msc, and hit Enter.
    Locate Google Update Service (gupdate) and Google Update Service (gupdatem).
    Double-click each service, change the Startup type to Disabled, and click Apply.
    Switch to the "Recovery" tab and set "First failure" and "Second failure" to Take No Action.
    
    Method 2: Rename the Update Folder
    Navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\
    Rename the Update folder to something else (e.g., Update.bak).
rhu
Contributor
1 month ago
It seems that Smartbear found a solution (I created a ticket and they responded).
I also tried it out and it looks like it is working (but i did only a few tests).

To solve an Issue that appears after upgrading to Chrome version 145.
The issue is caused by a restrictive Google Chrome security policy. The active NativeMessagingAllowlist policy blocks all external communication modules that have not been explicitly authorized.

To resolve the issue, please take the following steps.
Update TestComplete to >= Version: 15.81.7.7 x64
To enable TestComplete functionality, the customer needs to add the SmartBear host to the Allowlist via directly in the Registry Editor:
Please Note Close TestComplete and Google Chrome before following this.
- Registry Path: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome\NativeMessagingAllowlist
- Policy Name: NativeMessagingAllowlist (If you do not have this folder, please add it manually.)
- Value Type: REG_SZ (String Value) - add new string
- Value Name: Next available number (e.g., 1)
- Value Data: smartbear.testcomplete.native_messaging_host
Then restart the Chrome browser.
- scottroutesmart
  Contributor
  1 month ago
  They had me try the same back on March 2, and this did not resolve the issue for me at least. I also have a ticket logged and followed up on it yesterday, and the response was "our team has reproduced this behavior and is working on Chrome 145 problem".
  
  I upgraded Chrome again today to the latest and double checked, but the issue is still occurring even with the RegKey in place.
jsc
Regular Contributor
3 days ago
SmartBear is there any timeline when this issue will be fixed?
I had to pin the version that is tested to 145.0.7632.110 so that the test is possible at all.
The current version of Chrome is 147 and probably 99.99% of our users use this version!
The chrome version that is supported by TestComplete is 138 - relased in June 2025!
This is hilarious. We are testing versions in a browser that no user is still actively using.
- jsc
  Regular Contributor
  3 days ago
  or did I miss the fix for it somehow? But I updated our versions of TestExecute today and it was still broken.
  - anthonybad91
    Occasional Contributor
    2 days ago
    We are still having the issue as well. Put in a support ticket and they provided me with a beta version that apparently contains the fix, unfortunately due to IT policies we are unable to install the beta so I don't know if it works for sure but could be worth reaching out to support if you are able to install it
    Support said it will be in the 15.82 release which should be early May.
rmalhotra
New Contributor
3 days ago
I have the same issue

TestComplete Version: 15.81.7.7 x64

Chrome Version: 147.0.7727.102 (chrome version and Display settings on VMs are organization managed)

My project already has the Use CSS pixels for scaled pages option enabled

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Elements detected, clicked in wrong location with Chrome

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