SELENIUM WEBDRIVER EXCEPTIONS WITH EXAMPLE
Here are the most important exceptions that QA testers commonly face
while working with Selenium WebDriver.
NoSuchElementException: Thrown when an element with the given
locator is not found in the DOM.
Example: If an element with a specific ID is not present on the page
when trying to interact with it.
TimeoutException: Thrown when a command takes longer than the
specified wait time to complete.
Example: If an element is not found within the time specified in an
explicit wait.
ElementNotVisibleException: Thrown when an element is present
in the DOM but is not visible (not displayed).
Example: Attempting to click on an element that is hidden from view.
StaleElementReferenceException: Thrown when an element is no
longer attached to the DOM.
Example: This occurs when the DOM structure changes and the
previously found element is no longer valid.
NoSuchWindowException: Thrown when trying to switch to a
window that is not available.
Example: When attempting to switch to a window that has been
closed.
SELENIUM WEBDRIVER EXCEPTIONS WITH EXAMPLE
NoSuchFrameException: Thrown when trying to switch to a frame
that does not exist.
Example: Trying to switch to an iframe that is not present on the
page.
InvalidElementStateException: Thrown when performing an action
on an element that is not possible.
Example: Entering text into a disabled text field.
WebDriverException: A general exception that is thrown when
something goes wrong while interacting with WebDriver.
Example: A failure in initializing WebDriver.
JavascriptException: Thrown when there is an issue executing
JavaScript via Selenium’s executeScript method.
Example: Executing an invalid JavaScript function.
ElementClickInterceptedException: Thrown when an element is
clicked, but another element obstructs the click.
Example: A modal dialog is blocking a button from being clicked.
NoAlertPresentException: Thrown when trying to switch to an
alert, but no alert is present.
Example: Attempting to handle a JavaScript alert that hasn’t
appeared yet.
MoveTargetOutOfBoundsException: Thrown when trying to move
the mouse to an area outside the viewable document or screen.
Example: Interacting with elements that are off the visible part of the
webpage.
SELENIUM WEBDRIVER EXCEPTIONS WITH EXAMPLE
SessionNotFoundException: Thrown when attempting to interact
with a browser session that has been closed or not initialized.
Example: When trying to perform actions after closing the browser
window.
InvalidSelectorException: Thrown when a selector used to find an
element is invalid.
Example: Using an incorrect XPath or CSS selector syntax.
ElementNotSelectableException: Thrown when an element is
present but cannot be selected.
Example: Attempting to select an element that is disabled.
NoSuchAttributeException: Thrown when an attribute of an
element is not found.
Example: Trying to access a non-existent attribute of an element.
UnhandledAlertException: Thrown when there is an unhandled
alert present, and the WebDriver is unable to perform any action.
Example: Trying to click an element while an alert box is open.
InvalidArgumentException: Thrown when an invalid argument is
passed to a command.
Example: Providing incorrect parameters to a WebDriver method.
ImeNotAvailableException: Thrown when input method editor
(IME) support is not available.
Example: This can occur in mobile automation when IME is required
but unavailable.
SELENIUM WEBDRIVER EXCEPTIONS WITH EXAMPLE
ImeActivationFailedException: Thrown when activating the IME
engine fails.
Example: Happens when trying to activate an input method editor
on certain devices during mobile testing.
NotFoundException: A general exception class that is the parent of
various specific "not found" exceptions such as
NoSuchElementException, NoSuchFrameException, etc.
Example: It can be used when specific exceptions are not detailed
enough.
NoSuchSessionException: Thrown when WebDriver is used after
the session is closed or does not exist.
Example: If you try to interact with WebDriver after calling
driver.quit.
InvalidCoordinatesException: Thrown when the coordinates
provided to an action (like mouse movement) are invalid.
Example: Providing coordinates outside the bounds of the current
screen.
UnhandledCommandException: Thrown when the requested
command is not recognized by the WebDriver server.
Example: When an invalid or unknown command is sent to the
WebDriver.
NoSuchCookieException: Thrown when trying to access a cookie
that doesn’t exist.
Example: Attempting to retrieve or delete a cookie that is not set in
the browser.
SELENIUM WEBDRIVER EXCEPTIONS WITH EXAMPLE
InsecureCertificateException: Thrown when navigating to a site
with an insecure SSL certificate.
Example: This happens when WebDriver is unable to verify the SSL
certificate of a website.
UnexpectedTagNameException: Thrown when a WebElement is
not of the expected tag type.
Example: Attempting to select an option from a dropdown, but the
WebElement is not a select tag.
InvalidCookieDomainException: Thrown when trying to set a
cookie on a different domain than the current URL.
Example: Trying to add a cookie for a domain that doesn’t match the
current website’s domain.
ScreenshotException: Thrown when WebDriver fails to capture a
screenshot.
Example: This can happen if the browser window is not visible or
minimized.
ElementNotInteractableException: Thrown when an element is
found but is not in a state that can be interacted with.
Example: Trying to click a button that is disabled or off-screen.
UnsupportedCommandException: Thrown when the WebDriver
command is not supported by the browser.
Example: Attempting to use a command that is not implemented by
the current browser driver.
SELENIUM WEBDRIVER EXCEPTIONS WITH EXAMPLE
RemoteDriverServerException: Thrown when an error occurs on
the remote WebDriver server.
Example: This happens when using Selenium Grid or remote
WebDriver and the server encounters an issue.
InvalidSessionIdException: Thrown when the session ID is invalid
or the session has expired.
Example: This happens if you try to interact with a session after it
has been terminated.
UnsupportedOperationException: Thrown when an operation is
not supported.
Example: Attempting to perform an unsupported operation on a
particular WebElement or browser.
NoSuchContextException: Thrown when the context to be switched
to is not available.
Example: When trying to switch between different application
contexts in mobile automation (Appium).
InvalidSelectorException: Thrown when a selector is invalid or
unsupported.
Example: Using an incorrect CSS or XPath selector.
ElementClickInterceptedException: Thrown when an element click
command could not be completed as the click is intercepted by
another element.
Example: Trying to click on an element but another element like an
advertisement or modal is covering it.
SELENIUM WEBDRIVER EXCEPTIONS WITH EXAMPLE
ErrorHandler.UnknownServerException: Thrown when the server
responds with an error that WebDriver doesn't know how to handle.
Example: Encountering an unhandled error from the browser or
WebDriver server.
InvalidArgumentException: Thrown when an argument sent to a
command is invalid.
Example: Passing invalid parameters to a WebDriver method, such
as a negative timeout value.
