How to Install Selenium WebDriver on Windows

Selenium WebDriver is a powerful tool for automating web browsers. It allows developers and testers to simulate user interactions with web applications. On Windows, installing Selenium WebDriver enables the automation of web tasks, ranging from simple actions like clicking buttons and entering text, to more complex procedures such as navigating through websites and handling pop-ups. 

By automating these tasks, Selenium WebDriver helps in identifying issues early in the development cycle, saving time and improving the quality of the software. Additionally, it supports various programming languages such as Java, Python, Ruby, C#, JavaScript, etc., making it a versatile choice for many development teams.

In this tutorial, we will teach you how to install Selenium WebDriver on a Windows system.

Installing Selenium WebDriver on Windows

Selenium WebDriver is an essential tool to automate web browser interactions. It supports several programming languages such as Java, Python, Ruby, C#, and JavaScript. In our guide, we will use Java and configure it with Selenium on Windows. 

To install Selenium WebDriver on the Windows system, follow the steps below: 

Step 1: Install Java Development Kit (JDK)

Before installing Selenium WebDriver, ensure that Java is installed on your system. Selenium requires JDK to run the test scripts. If Java is not installed, download and install the JDK from Oracle’s official website.

First of all, download the JDK from the official Oracle website by pressing the Download link in the Windows section:

After downloading the installer, run it and click the “Next” button to install JDK:

Optional: During the installation, you can set the JAVA_HOME environment variable to point to the JDK installation directory.

Verify the installation by opening a Command Prompt and typing the below command:

java -version

It displays the installed Java version:

Step 2: Install Eclipse IDE

Eclipse is a popular integrated development environment (IDE) that supports Java and other programming languages. To install Eclipse IDE on Windows, follow the below instructions:

First, navigate to the Eclipse official website and download the Eclipse by pressing the “Download” button:

It pops up on the new page. Now, hit the “Download x86_64” button:

Note: While downloading Eclipse from the official website, ensure you select the correct version for your Windows architecture (32-bit or 64-bit).

Now, navigate to the Download folder and extract the downloaded package. After that, run the Eclipse installer. During the installation, pick the “Eclipse IDE for Java Developers” option:

The installation takes some time and after installation, launch Eclipse by pressing the “LAUNCH” button:

Now, select a workspace directory. You can change it by pressing the “Browse” button and hit the “Launch” button:

Step 3: Download Selenium WebDriver Java Client

With Java and Eclipse set up, you can now install Selenium WebDriver. For this, navigate to the official Selenium website and download the Selenium WebDriver Java client:

Let’s download the Selenium WebDriver Java client from the official Selenium website:

After that, extract the downloaded ZIP file to a directory on the system as below:

Step 4: Configure Eclipse with WebDriver

Now, open Eclipse and set up a new Java project. After that, add the Selenium WebDriver JAR files you downloaded earlier to the library:

To configure Eclipse with WebDriver, set up Java Project by clicking the “Create a new Java project” option or New Project from the File tab:

In the new interface, fill the “Project name” section by specifying the name as “Java_New_Project”. In addition, you can pick the folder where you want to save the project files via the “Use default location” checkbox. Finally, press the “Finish” button:

After that, create a Java class by pressing the right-click on the project name and selecting New > Class:

You may give the class whatever name you like, such as Ultahost_class. In addition, you need to add the package name such as new_package. After specifying names, press the “Finish” button:

Now, right-click on the project, go to Build Path > Configure Build Path as below:

It moves to the new interface, now, click on “Add External JARs” under the Libraries tab. It navigates to the directory where you extracted Selenium WebDriver and selects all JAR files. Finally, click Open to add the JARs to your project as below:

After adding all JARs to the project, click the “Apply and Close” button:

To verify the successful installation of Selenium WebDriver, you can navigate to the main project and see the JRE System Library and Referenced Libraries on the left-side panel as below:

Note: To install Selenium WebDriver for Python on Windows, you’ll need to ensure that Python is already installed on your system. You can download the most recent version of Python through the official website of Python. Once Python is set up, you can install Selenium using pip, by running the following command in your command prompt:

pip install selenium

By following these steps, you have a functional Selenium WebDriver setup on your Windows machine. 

Conclusion

To install Selenium WebDriver on Windows, you’ll need to follow these steps: First, ensure that you have the latest version of Java installed on your system. Next, download and install an IDE like Eclipse, which helps you write and execute your tests. Then, visit the Selenium official website and download the WebDriver for the language you intend to use, such as Java, Python, or C#. After downloading, add the WebDriver to your project’s build path. Finally, you can write your test scripts and run them using the WebDriver.

FAQ