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

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

Preconditions (3)

Step 1: Open the browser using Selenium WebDriver

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

Step 3: Open a new browser window or tab

Step 4: Switch to the new window or tab

Step 5: Call driver.close() to close the current window

Step 6: Verify that the other window is still open

Step 7: Switch back to the original window

Step 8: Call driver.quit() to close all browser windows and end the session

Step 9: Verify that the browser is completely closed

✅ Expected Result: After driver.close(), only the current window is closed and other windows remain open. After driver.quit(), all browser windows are closed and the WebDriver session ends.

Automation Requirements - Selenium with Python

Assertions Needed:

Assert that after driver.close(), the number of open windows decreases by one

Assert that after driver.quit(), no browser windows remain open

Assert that switching to closed window raises an exception

Best Practices:

Use explicit waits to ensure pages load before actions

Use try-except blocks to handle exceptions when switching windows

Use driver.window_handles to manage multiple windows

Clean up by quitting the driver at the end of the test

Automated Solution

Selenium Python

from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.service import Service
from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By
from selenium.common.exceptions import NoSuchWindowException
import time

# Setup WebDriver (adjust path to chromedriver as needed)
service = Service()
driver = webdriver.Chrome(service=service)

try:
    # Step 1 & 2: Open browser and navigate
    driver.get('https://example.com')
    original_window = driver.current_window_handle

    # Step 3: Open new window using JavaScript
    driver.execute_script('window.open("https://example.com", "_blank");')
    time.sleep(1)  # Wait for new window to open

    # Step 4: Switch to new window
    windows = driver.window_handles
    assert len(windows) == 2, f'Expected 2 windows, found {len(windows)}'
    new_window = [w for w in windows if w != original_window][0]
    driver.switch_to.window(new_window)

    # Step 5: Close current window
    driver.close()

    # Step 6: Verify one window remains
    remaining_windows = driver.window_handles
    assert len(remaining_windows) == 1, f'Expected 1 window after close(), found {len(remaining_windows)}'

    # Step 7: Switch back to original window
    driver.switch_to.window(original_window)

    # Step 8: Quit driver
    driver.quit()

    # Step 9: Verify browser closed by checking exception on window_handles
    try:
        _ = driver.window_handles
        raise AssertionError('driver.window_handles should fail after quit()')
    except Exception:
        pass  # Expected exception

except Exception as e:
    driver.quit()
    raise e

This script opens a browser and navigates to example.com. It then opens a new browser tab using JavaScript and switches to it. After switching, it calls driver.close() to close only the current tab. We verify that one window remains open by checking driver.window_handles. Then, we switch back to the original window and call driver.quit() to close all browser windows and end the session. Finally, we verify that the browser is closed by attempting to access driver.window_handles, which should raise an exception.

Explicit waits are replaced by time.sleep(1) here for simplicity, but in real tests, use Selenium explicit waits. The try-except block ensures the driver quits even if an error occurs, preventing orphan browser processes.

Common Mistakes - 4 Pitfalls

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

Not switching to the correct window before calling driver.close()

Not handling exceptions when switching to a closed window

Not quitting the driver at the end of the test

Bonus Challenge

Now add data-driven testing to open different URLs in new tabs and verify closing behavior for each.

Show Hint

Practice

1. What does the close() method do in Selenium WebDriver?

easy

A. Closes all browser windows and ends the WebDriver session

B. Restarts the browser session

C. Keeps the browser open but clears cookies

D. Closes the current browser window or tab only

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of close()

   The close() method is designed to close only the current browser window or tab that the WebDriver is controlling.

2. Step 2: Compare with quit()

   Unlike quit(), which closes all windows and ends the session, close() affects only one window or tab.

3. Final Answer:

   Closes the current browser window or tab only -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   close() closes one window [OK]

Hint: Close closes one tab/window; quit closes all [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing close() with quit()
• Thinking close() ends the WebDriver session
• Assuming close() clears cookies

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to close all browser windows and end the WebDriver session in Selenium Python?

easy

A. driver.quit()

B. driver.stop()

C. driver.exit()

D. driver.close()

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the method to end WebDriver session

   The method quit() is used to close all browser windows and end the WebDriver session properly.

2. Step 2: Verify syntax correctness

   driver.quit() is the correct syntax; other options like exit() or stop() do not exist in Selenium WebDriver API.

3. Final Answer:

   driver.quit() -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Use quit() to close all windows [OK]

Hint: Use driver.quit() to close all windows and end session [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using driver.close() to end session
• Using non-existent methods like exit() or stop()
• Missing parentheses in method call

3. Consider the following Selenium Python code snippet:

from selenium import webdriver

driver = webdriver.Chrome()
driver.get('https://example.com')
driver.close()
print(driver.title)

What will happen when this code runs?

medium

A. Prints the page title successfully

B. Raises an error because the browser window is closed before accessing title

C. Prints an empty string

D. The browser stays open and prints the title

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze the effect of driver.close()

   The close() method closes the current browser window, so after this call, the window is no longer available.

2. Step 2: Accessing driver.title after closing window

   Trying to get the title after closing the window causes a WebDriverException because the session still exists but the window is closed.

3. Final Answer:

   Raises an error because the browser window is closed before accessing title -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Accessing title after close() causes error [OK]

Hint: Don't access page after close() without reopening [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming title prints after close()
• Thinking close() ends session (it doesn't)
• Ignoring exceptions after window close

4. You have this Selenium Python code:

driver = webdriver.Firefox()
driver.get('https://example.com')
driver.close()
driver.quit()

What is the problem with this code?

medium

A. Calling close() before quit() is redundant but safe

B. close() should be replaced with quit() only

C. Calling quit() after close() causes an error

D. The code will open two browser windows

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the effect of close() and quit()

   close() closes the current window; quit() closes all windows and ends the session.

2. Step 2: Analyze calling close() before quit()

   Calling close() first closes one window, then quit() closes any remaining windows and ends the session. This is redundant but does not cause errors.

3. Final Answer:

   Calling close() before quit() is redundant but safe -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   close() then quit() is safe but redundant [OK]

Hint: quit() alone suffices; close() before quit() is safe but extra [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking quit() after close() causes error
• Believing close() replaces quit()
• Expecting multiple windows opened

5. You want to write a Selenium test that opens two tabs, performs actions on both, then closes only the second tab while keeping the first tab open. Which method should you use to close the second tab without ending the WebDriver session?

hard

A. driver.stop()

B. driver.quit()

C. driver.close()

D. driver.exit()

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the requirement to close only one tab

   To close only the second tab and keep the first open, you must close the current window or tab without ending the session.

2. Step 2: Choose the correct method

   close() closes the current window or tab only, while quit() closes all windows and ends the session. Methods stop() and exit() do not exist in Selenium.

3. Final Answer:

   driver.close() -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Use close() to close one tab, quit() closes all [OK]

Hint: Use close() to close one tab, quit() closes all tabs [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using quit() which closes all tabs
• Using non-existent methods like stop() or exit()
• Confusing close() with quit()