Python Selenium: quit() Method

The quit() method in Python Selenium is used to close all browser windows and terminate the WebDriver session. It helps in properly freeing up resources.

What is the quit() Method in Python Selenium?

The quit() method ends the entire WebDriver session by closing all browser windows that were opened during the session. It is different from close().

The close() method only shuts the active browser window, while quit() shuts down all open browser instances.

Why Use quit() Method?

Using quit() is crucial to avoid memory leaks and ensure that resources like memory and network connections are released. This is especially important for large test suites.

If you only use close(), other open windows remain, potentially causing resource exhaustion over time.

How to Use quit() Method

To use the quit() method, ensure that you have initialized a WebDriver session. Here’s a simple example:

from selenium import webdriver

driver = webdriver.Chrome()
driver.get("https://example.com")

# Perform any actions needed
driver.quit()

In this example, the browser session starts, navigates to "https://example.com", and then terminates with quit().

When to Use quit() Over close()

Use quit() when you want to terminate all browser sessions and fully exit Selenium. It's ideal at the end of scripts or test cases.

If you want to keep other browser windows open, you can use the close() method instead.

Common Scenarios with quit() Method

Using quit() is useful in scenarios like automated testing where multiple browser instances run and need to be shut down after test completion.

It helps in maintaining a clean state and ensuring no browser processes run in the background, especially when running tests on remote servers.

Related Methods

For navigating back and forth in the browser, check out the Python Selenium: forward() Method and Python Selenium: back() Method.

To open a new page, use the Python Selenium: get() Method or to maximize the browser window, use Python Selenium: maximize_window().

Conclusion

The quit() method in Python Selenium is essential for properly closing all browser windows and releasing resources. It is a best practice for efficient browser automation.

Learn more about Selenium WebDriver from the official Selenium documentation.