Selenium WebDriver: Understanding the close() Method in Java

The close() method is an essential part of Selenium WebDriver’s API in Java, specifically designed for closing the current browser window or tab that is in focus during test automation. Mastery of this method helps manage browser sessions reliably, especially when dealing with multiple windows or tabs.

What Does close() Do?

• Closes the Current Window in Focus: When invoked, close() shuts only the browser window or tab currently controlled by WebDriver.
• Session Remains Active: If multiple windows exist, the WebDriver session continues for remaining open windows or tabs.
• Single Window Behavior: If close() is called on the final open window or tab, it effectively ends the browser session, similar to the quit() method.

Syntax

driver.close();

• Here, driver refers to your active WebDriver instance.

Complete Code Example

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

public class CloseExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.setProperty("webdriver.chrome.driver", "/path/to/chromedriver");
        WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
        driver.get("https://www.example.com");

        // Close the current browser window
        driver.close();
    }
}

Result: Only the browser window currently controlled by WebDriver closes. The WebDriver session persists if other windows remain open.

Working with Multiple Windows

When automating interactions across multiple windows or tabs, close() is used after switching WebDriver’s control to the intended window using switchTo().window(windowHandle):

// Switch to a specific window first
driver.switchTo().window(windowHandle);
driver.close(); // Closes the focused window only

This allows precise control over which window gets closed, leaving others unaffected.

close() vs quit() Methods: Key Differences

Feature	close()	quit()
Closes current window/tab only	Yes	No, closes all windows/tabs
Closes all browser windows/tabs	No	Yes
Ends WebDriver session	No (unless last window is closed)	Yes
Common use	Close popups, child windows	End of test suite or script

Typical Use Cases

• Closing popups or child windows while retaining the main browser session.
• Sequentially closing test-created windows without terminating the entire browser session.
• Cleaning up after specific interactions in a multi-window flow.

Best Practices

• Switch to the correct window before calling close() to avoid unintentional closure.
• Use quit() for complete cleanup at the end of your test suite, as it releases all browser resources.
• Be aware that calling close() on the last open window will terminate the WebDriver session.