Closing browser (close vs quit) in Selenium Java - Automation Approaches Compared

Verify browser closing behavior using close() and quit() methods

Preconditions (3)

Step 1: Launch the browser using WebDriver

Step 2: Navigate to https://example.com

Step 3: Call driver.close() to close the current browser window

Step 4: Verify that the browser window is closed but WebDriver session may still exist

Step 5: Launch the browser again using WebDriver

Step 6: Navigate to https://example.com

Step 7: Call driver.quit() to close all browser windows and end the WebDriver session

Step 8: Verify that all browser windows are closed and WebDriver session is terminated

✅ Expected Result: After driver.close(), the current browser window closes but WebDriver session may remain active if multiple windows were open. After driver.quit(), all browser windows close and WebDriver session ends.

Automation Requirements - Selenium WebDriver with Java

Assertions Needed:

Verify browser window is closed after driver.close()

Verify WebDriver session is still alive or throws exception after driver.close()

Verify all browser windows are closed after driver.quit()

Verify WebDriver session is terminated after driver.quit()

Best Practices:

Use explicit waits if needed to ensure page loads before closing

Handle exceptions when checking WebDriver session state

Use try-finally to ensure driver.quit() is called to avoid orphan processes

Use descriptive method names and comments

Automated Solution

Selenium Java

import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.NoSuchSessionException;

public class BrowserCloseVsQuitTest {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.setProperty("webdriver.chrome.driver", "path/to/chromedriver");

        // Test driver.close()
        WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
        try {
            driver.get("https://example.com");
            // Close current window
            driver.close();

            // After close(), try to get current URL to check if session is alive
            try {
                String url = driver.getCurrentUrl();
                System.out.println("Session alive after close(), current URL: " + url);
            } catch (NoSuchSessionException e) {
                System.out.println("Session ended after close(): " + e.getMessage());
            }
        } catch (Exception e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        } finally {
            // Quit driver to clean up if session still alive
            try {
                driver.quit();
            } catch (Exception ignored) {}
        }

        // Test driver.quit()
        WebDriver driver2 = new ChromeDriver();
        try {
            driver2.get("https://example.com");
            // Quit closes all windows and ends session
            driver2.quit();

            // After quit(), try to get current URL to verify session ended
            try {
                String url = driver2.getCurrentUrl();
                System.out.println("Session alive after quit(), current URL: " + url);
            } catch (NoSuchSessionException e) {
                System.out.println("Session ended after quit(): " + e.getMessage());
            }
        } catch (Exception e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
    }
}

This code demonstrates the difference between driver.close() and driver.quit() in Selenium WebDriver using Java.

First, it opens a browser and navigates to example.com, then calls driver.close() which closes the current browser window. We then try to get the current URL to check if the WebDriver session is still alive. Usually, if only one window was open, the session may still be alive but the window is closed.

Next, it opens a new browser session and navigates to example.com again, then calls driver.quit() which closes all browser windows and ends the WebDriver session. Trying to get the current URL after quit throws a NoSuchSessionException, confirming the session ended.

Using try-finally blocks ensures the driver quits properly to avoid leftover browser processes. Catching exceptions helps verify session state after close and quit.

Common Mistakes - 3 Pitfalls

Using driver.close() expecting all browser windows to close

Not handling exceptions after calling driver.close() or driver.quit()

Not calling driver.quit() in finally block

Bonus Challenge

Now add data-driven testing to open multiple URLs and test close vs quit behavior for each.

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