Browser automation with tools like Excel VBA or scripting environments relies heavily on Selenium Basic. However, setting it up correctly requires pairing the base software with the exact version of ChromeDriver matching your Google Chrome browser.

In this guide, we walk you through downloading, installing, and updating Selenium Basic with the correct ChromeDriver on Windows.

Prerequisites

• A Windows machine (32-bit or 64-bit)

• Google Chrome installed on your system

• Administrative permissions to install software and modify Program Files

Step 1: Download and Install Selenium Basic

1. Open your browser and search for Selenium Basic on Google, or head directly to its official GitHub repository.

2. Navigate to the Releases page located beneath the Download section.

3. Locate Selenium Basic 2.0.9.0 and download the installer .exe file.

4. Run the installer and proceed through the setup wizard.

5. Note the installation directory: The default location is typically:

   Plaintext

   C:\Program Files\SeleniumBasic
   

   (or C:\Program Files (x86)\SeleniumBasic on some systems).

6. Complete the setup and click Finish.

Why update drivers? While Selenium Basic comes bundled with default web drivers, browser versions update rapidly. To prevent session crashes or version incompatibility errors, you must replace the packaged driver with the latest matching driver for your browser.

Step 2: Check Your Google Chrome Version

Before downloading ChromeDriver, you must know your exact Chrome build:

1. Open Google Chrome.

2. Click the three vertical dots in the top-right corner.

3. Go to Help > About Google Chrome.

4. Check the major version number (for example, version 153.0.x).

Step 3: Download the Matching ChromeDriver

1. Search for ChromeDriver or visit the official Chrome for Testing availability dashboard.

2. Locate the stable channel matching your browser's major build (e.g., version 153).

3. Select the package built for your operating system (e.g., win64 for 64-bit Windows).

4. Download the .zip archive to your machine.

Step 4: Replace the Old Driver in Selenium Basic

1. Extract the downloaded chromedriver_win64.zip file.

2. Locate and Copy the extracted chromedriver.exe executable.

3. Open Windows File Explorer and navigate to your Selenium Basic installation directory:

   Plaintext

   C:\Program Files\SeleniumBasic
   

4. Paste the copied chromedriver.exe into this folder.

5. When prompted by Windows, choose Replace the file in the destination to overwrite the outdated driver with the new version.

Verification & Next Steps

Once the file is replaced, your setup is complete. You can now initialize the Chrome WebDriver inside your automation scripts or Excel VBA projects without encountering SessionNotCreatedException or version mismatch errors.

' Example verification snippet in Excel VBA
Sub TestSelenium()
    Dim bot As New WebDriver
    bot.Start "chrome"
    bot.Get "https://www.google.com"
    MsgBox "Selenium Basic and ChromeDriver are running successfully!"
    bot.Quit
End Sub