Macro opens new web page that requires sign in

Help and Support
1

Using the chrome extension, I am able to open a webpage that has already been signed in. This webpage requires two extra clicks to get to the page I want to monitor. When I try to create a macro, it opens a fresh browser that requires log in. The only way to log into this website is to type in my email, then go to my email to authenticate. Is there a way to work around this?

1 Like
2

@alexhan2 Yes — there is a workable approach, but it requires using local monitoring in Chrome and recording the macro a specific way.

What you’re seeing is expected: when a macro is recorded or replayed in the cloud, it opens a fresh browser session, which is why you’re asked to log in again. Since your site uses email-based authentication, that login step can’t be automated in a cloud macro.

How to work around this

  1. Use the Chrome extension for local monitoring
    Make sure the monitor runs locally.

  2. Log in manually in Chrome first

    • Open the website in Chrome

    • Complete the email authentication

    • Stay logged in — Chrome will maintain the session

  3. Record the macro only for the two extra clicks

    • Start recording the macro after you’re already logged in inside the Cloud

    • Record only the two clicks needed to reach the page you want to monitor

    • Do not record any login steps

  4. Create the monitor from the logged-in page

    • With the page open and logged in, use the Distill Chrome extension

    • Perform the two clicks

    • Select the elements you want to monitor

    • Attach the macro to the monitor and save it

How this works during checks

  • The monitor runs locally in Chrome

  • Your logged-in session is reused

  • The macro performs the two clicks before each check

  • No repeated login is required

Important requirements

This will work as long as:

  • You’re using Chrome extension for monitoring

  • The website doesn’t automatically log you out

  • The macro does not include login steps

3

Thanks for the quick response.

Maybe I’m doing something wrong, but even through the chrome extension when I try to record a macro it opens a new browser on cloud. It does not let me record from the current webpage. Can you help me with this?

4

@alexhan2 Thanks for the clarification — that helps. Here’s how this works and what you can try next.

When you click Record Macro, Distill opens a new browser window for recording. This recorder always starts in a fresh session, which is why it doesn’t use your already logged-in Chrome page.

One possible way to record the macro

If you want to record the post-login steps, you can try this approach:

  1. Start macro recording (this opens the new recorder browser).

  2. Begin the login flow in that browser.

  3. When you receive the login link via email, copy and paste that link directly into the macro recorder browser.

    • This should complete the login inside the recorder session.

  4. Once you’re logged in there, start recording only the two additional clicks needed to reach the page you want to monitor.

  5. Save the macro.

Please note: this approach can be a bit complex and may not always work smoothly, depending on how the site handles authentication.

Next steps

To help us guide you better, we’ll need more visibility into what’s happening on your end. If possible, please share:

  • A brief video recording of the steps you’re taking while setting this up

  • Any errors or unexpected behavior you see during macro recording

For more in-depth debugging, it would be best to reach out to our support team directly so we can review this with you:

We’ll be happy to take a closer look and help you find the best setup for your use case.

5

Unfortunately this did not work. I keep getting error logs that “E_ELEMENT_NOT_FOUND”. When I click on it to see the preview, it is just stuck on the page that is linked in the macro, not where the recording was started.

6

@alexhan2 Thanks for clarifying — that detail helps.

Since you’ve already clicked on the E_ELEMENT_NOT_FOUND entry and seen the preview, what you’re observing there is actually consistent with the issue:

  • The preview being stuck on the page linked in the macro indicates that the macro did not successfully navigate to the expected page.

  • Because the navigation didn’t complete as expected, the next step in the macro tries to interact with elements that don’t exist on the current page, which results in E_ELEMENT_NOT_FOUND.

As mentioned earlier, this particular approach is quite complex and often requires careful adjustments to navigation steps, timing/waits, and element selectors.

Without seeing exactly how the macro was recorded and how the monitor is configured, it’s not possible to say precisely where things are breaking.

That’s why we suggested reaching out to support directly — it allows us to review the macro steps, the error details page you’re seeing, and the monitor configuration as a whole, and then guide you more accurately on whether this can be made to work.

If you’re able to share screenshots or a short recording of the macro steps, the error preview page, and the monitor setup, we’ll be happy to take a closer look and help you further.