msedge.exe does not save html file as pdf in command line headless mode anymore

Question

I am trying to use Edge to save a html file as a pdf file from the command line without opening the Edge browser window.

I have defined the following code in my .bashrc (Cygwin shell)

msedge_path="$cdrive/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft/Edge/Application/msedge.exe"
# Use cygpath to get the Windows path to your Desktop for the output.
# This is more portable than hardcoding it.
pdf_output_dir=$(cygpath -w "C:/Users/USER_ID/Documents")
function pp() {
  # --- Input Validation ---
  if [ -z "$1" ]; then
    echo "Error: You must provide a base filename."
    echo "Usage: pp <filename_without_extension>"
    return 1 # Exit the function with an error status
  fi
  # --- Variable Setup ---
  # Use $1 to safely get the first argument.
  local input_path_without_extension="$1"
  # Extract only the base filename
  local output_base_filename=$(basename "$input_path_without_extension")
  local html_file_posix="$(pwd)/${input_path_without_extension}.html"
  # Use output_base_filename for the PDF name
  local pdf_file_windows="${pdf_output_dir}\\${output_base_filename}.pdf"
  local html_file_windows=$(cygpath -w "$html_file_posix")
  # --- Pre-flight Check ---
  if [ ! -f "$html_file_posix" ]; then
    echo "Error: Input file not found at: $html_file_posix"
    return 1
  fi
  
  echo "Printing '$html_file_posix' to '$pdf_file_windows'..."
  # --- The Command ---
  # Note the correct string concatenation for the flags.
  "$msedge_path" \
    --headless=new \
    --disable-gpu \
    --smartscreen-disable \
    --print-to-pdf="$pdf_file_windows" \
    --virtual-time-budget=5000 \
    "file://$html_file_windows" \
    &> /dev/null &
  # The '&' runs the command in the background, so your shell is immediately available.
}

Back in July 2025, I could execute in a Cygwin shell the following command

pp myfile

and that would save myfile.html as myfile.pdf in C:/Users/USER_ID/Documents.

Now (October 2025) with latest Edge build (Version 141.0.3537.57 (Official build) (64-bit)) it doesn't work anymore. No error is reported but no pdf file is generated.

Answer 1

Hello. This issue has been reported by multiple users since the October 2025 update (Edge 141.0.3537.57). The --print-to-pdf flag no longer works in headless mode due to changes in Chromium’s headless implementation that Edge inherits.

It’s a confirmed regression tracked here (you won't be able to access the issue tho, it's internal): Chromium Issue 381548416 – Headless print-to-pdf broken

For now, the following workarounds have been successful for others: • Add --user-data-dir="C:\Temp\EdgeProfile" to your command. • Use forward slashes in paths, e.g. C:/Users/.../file.pdf. • Try --headless=old instead of --headless=new.

There’s no official fix in the current stable channel yet, but the Chromium issue above is actively tracked and expected to be resolved in a later build.