Why Is the Running Browser Version Newer?

A profile card can show Profile requires: 146… and, while the browser is open, Running: 147…. This does not automatically mean the wrong profile or browser was launched. The two labels answer different questions, and a verified newer browser already installed on the device can be selected for that launch.

Read the two version labels correctly

• Profile requires is the browser version saved with the profile. MaskPilot treats it as the minimum version for launch, not an exact-version pin.
• Running is the browser kernel used by the current process on this device. It appears only while that local browser process is running.

The running value does not rewrite the profile’s saved browser requirement or change the cloud configuration. After the process stops, the temporary running label disappears rather than becoming a remote running record.

Why a newer local version can be used

Before launch, MaskPilot checks browser kernels already installed for the current platform. It can reuse the highest newer version when that build is still available, has a valid manifest and checksum, and its executable and packaged files pass integrity checks.

This selection stays within strict boundaries:

• it never chooses a version lower than Profile requires;
• a damaged, incomplete, cross-platform, unavailable, or prerelease build is not used as an automatic replacement;
• if no suitable newer local build exists, the profile continues with its required build and prepares that build when necessary; and
• MaskPilot does not download a remote newer version solely to upgrade an older profile during launch.

Reusing a verified installed version avoids launching an unnecessarily old local kernel without silently changing every profile’s saved configuration.

Verify which version actually launched

1. Before launch, note the Profile requires value on the target profile card.
2. Start that same profile and wait until its status becomes Running.
3. Read the Running value on the card. If it is higher, record both values rather than treating them as one field.
4. Test the required website flow and the selected extensions in a test profile before applying the same browser change to more profiles.
5. Close the browser normally and allow profile data to finish saving.

If you edited the required browser version while the profile was already open, the existing process keeps its original launch configuration. Fully close and relaunch it; see why profile settings did not apply.

Handle an unexpected result safely

If Running is lower than Profile requires, the launch result is not consistent with the expected boundary. Close the profile, open Updates → Browser version, refresh the local state, and use Verify and repair when the required build is reported as damaged or incomplete. Do not manually delete browser-kernel directories. Follow the browser download and repair checklist if preparation fails.

Extension compatibility is checked against the browser version prepared for the actual launch, not merely the saved lower-bound label. A verified newer browser can therefore expose an extension incompatibility that was not visible with the older requirement. Use the extension compatibility checklist instead of forcing a downgrade or editing the extension package.

MaskPilot currently does not treat Profile requires as an exact pin. If a workflow must reproduce one exact older browser build, do not remove newer verified kernels to force the result. Isolate the requirement in a test workflow and contact support with both version labels and the reason exact reproduction is necessary.

Compare website-reported versions carefully

A website may show only a major browser version, a reduced User-Agent value, or a version obtained through User-Agent Client Hints. That formatting can differ from the complete Running value without proving that a different binary launched.

When a website reports an unsupported or unexpected version, record the profile name, Profile requires, Running, the site’s displayed value, the client version, and the test time. Redact account details, cookies, and proxy credentials. Do not change the browser, extensions, proxy, and fingerprint settings together.

Chrome’s official User-Agent Client Hints documentation explains how sites receive browser brand and version information. Chromium’s release-channel documentation explains why browser builds have different stability and update boundaries.