How to Run Only One Test in Cypress Quickly and Easily

To run only one test in Cypress, add .only to the test or describe block, like it.only() or describe.only(). This tells Cypress to run just that test or group, skipping all others.

Syntax

Use .only after it or describe to run a single test or test suite.

• it.only('test name', () => { ... }) runs only this test.
• describe.only('suite name', () => { ... }) runs all tests inside this suite only.

This helps focus on one test during development or debugging.

javascript

describe.only('My Test Suite', () => {
  it('runs this test only', () => {
    // test code here
  })
})

// or

it.only('runs only this test', () => {
  // test code here
})

Example

This example shows how to run only one test out of many using it.only. Only the marked test will run, and others will be skipped.

javascript

describe('Math operations', () => {
  it('adds numbers', () => {
    expect(1 + 1).to.equal(2)
  })

  it.only('subtracts numbers', () => {
    expect(5 - 3).to.equal(2)
  })

  it('multiplies numbers', () => {
    expect(2 * 3).to.equal(6)
  })
})

Output

Running:  subtracts numbers

  ✓ subtracts numbers (passed)

Tests: 1 passed, 0 failed, 0 skipped

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when running a single test in Cypress include:

• Forgetting to remove .only after debugging, causing other tests to be skipped unintentionally.
• Using .only on multiple tests or suites, which runs all marked tests but not others.
• Confusing it.only with it.skip, which skips tests instead of running only one.

Always double-check your test files before committing.

javascript

describe('Example Suite', () => {
  it.only('test one', () => {
    // runs
  })

  it.only('test two', () => {
    // also runs because of multiple .only
  })

  it('test three', () => {
    // skipped
  })
})

Output

Running:  test one
Running:  test two

Tests: 2 passed, 0 failed, 1 skipped

Quick Reference

Command	Description
it.only()	Run only this single test
describe.only()	Run only this test suite and its tests
it.skip()	Skip this test
describe.skip()	Skip this test suite
Remove .only	Run all tests normally

Key Takeaways

Use .only on it or describe to run just one test or suite in Cypress.

Remove .only after debugging to avoid skipping other tests.

Multiple .only run all marked tests but skip others.

it.skip and describe.skip skip tests instead of running only one.

Use .only to speed up development by focusing on a single test.