Closing browser (close vs quit) in Selenium Java - Practice Questions

Challenge - 5 Problems

🧠 Conceptual

intermediate

Difference between close() and quit() in Selenium

Which statement correctly describes the difference between driver.close() and driver.quit() in Selenium WebDriver?

A <code>close()</code> closes all browser windows and ends the WebDriver session, while <code>quit()</code> closes only the current window.

B <code>close()</code> refreshes the current page, while <code>quit()</code> closes the browser window.

C <code>close()</code> closes the current browser window, while <code>quit()</code> closes all browser windows and ends the WebDriver session.

D <code>close()</code> logs out the user from the application, while <code>quit()</code> closes the browser window.

💡 Hint

Think about what happens when multiple tabs or windows are open.

driver.close() closes only the current active browser window. If multiple windows or tabs are open, the others remain open. driver.quit() closes all browser windows opened by the WebDriver and ends the session, freeing up resources.

❓ Predict Output

intermediate

Output after calling close() on single window

What will happen if the following Selenium Java code is executed when only one browser window is open?

Selenium Java

WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
driver.get("https://example.com");
driver.close();
driver.getTitle();

A Returns the page title of https://example.com successfully.

B Does nothing; the browser remains open and getTitle() returns null.

C Opens a new browser window automatically and returns its title.

D Throws an exception because the browser window is closed, so getTitle() fails.

💡 Hint

Consider what happens to the WebDriver session after closing the only window.

Calling close() on the only open window closes that window, but the WebDriver session remains active. However, since no window is open, calling getTitle() causes a NoSuchWindowException because there is no active window to interact with.

❓ assertion

advanced

Assertion to verify browser is closed after quit()

Which assertion correctly verifies that the browser session is closed after calling driver.quit() in Selenium Java?

Selenium Java

driver.quit();
// Which assertion below is valid?

A assertThrows(NoSuchSessionException.class, () -> driver.getTitle());

B assertEquals("", driver.getTitle());

C assertTrue(driver.getWindowHandles().isEmpty());

D assertNotNull(driver.getTitle());

💡 Hint

After quitting, the session no longer exists.

After driver.quit(), the WebDriver session ends. Any command like getTitle() throws a NoSuchSessionException. Therefore, asserting that this exception is thrown is the correct way to verify the session is closed.

🔧 Debug

advanced

Debugging error after close() on multiple windows

Given the code below, what is the cause of the error when trying to switch to the second window after calling driver.close()?

Selenium Java

WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
driver.get("https://example.com");
// Open new tab
((JavascriptExecutor)driver).executeScript("window.open('https://google.com','_blank');");
Set<String> handles = driver.getWindowHandles();
Iterator<String> it = handles.iterator();
String first = it.next();
String second = it.next();
driver.switchTo().window(first);
driver.close();
driver.switchTo().window(second);

A The driver.quit() was not called, so the session is invalid.

B After closing the first window, the driver still tries to switch to it, causing NoSuchWindowException.

C The driver.close() closes all windows, so second window does not exist.

D The window handles set is empty after close(), so switching fails.

💡 Hint

Think about which window is active after close() and what windows remain.

Calling driver.close() closes the current window (the first one). The driver still holds the handle to the closed window if not switched properly. Trying to switch to the second window without updating the handles or switching context causes NoSuchWindowException.

❓ framework

expert

Best practice for closing browser in test framework

In a Selenium Java test framework using JUnit, which is the best practice to ensure all browser windows are closed after each test, even if the test fails?

A Call <code>driver.quit()</code> inside a method annotated with <code>@AfterEach</code>.

B Call <code>driver.close()</code> at the end of each test method.

C Call <code>driver.quit()</code> inside the test method only if no exceptions occur.

D Do not close the browser; let the OS clean up after tests finish.

💡 Hint

Think about test lifecycle and resource cleanup.

Using @AfterEach ensures that driver.quit() runs after every test method, regardless of test success or failure. This properly closes all browser windows and ends the WebDriver session, preventing resource leaks.