Handling Multiple Windows in Playwright

At first glance, handling multiple tabs in Playwright feels like it should just work. It supports modern browsers and exposes powerful APIs, so why do tests break the moment a new tab opens? That question comes up quickly once real user flows enter the picture—social logins, file downloads, and PDF previews all rely on multiple tabs.

This article explains why Playwright seems to struggle with multiple windows and tabs, how its design actually works, and how to handle multi-tab scenarios correctly in real test flows.

What are Multiple Tabs and Windows in Playwright?

In Playwright, multiple tabs and windows are not treated as separate “windows” in the traditional sense. Instead, each tab or window is represented as a Page object created within a browser context. This design is intentional and fundamentally different from tools that rely on window handles.

Key concepts to understand:

• A browser context represents an isolated session (cookies, storage, permissions)
• Each tab or popup is a new Page within the same context
• Playwright does not “switch” between windows; it controls pages directly
• New tabs are usually detected through events, not polling or index-based access

This model avoids many classic window-handling problems, but it also means tests must be written with an event-driven mindset. Once that mental model is clear, multi-tab automation becomes more predictable and less error-prone.

Why Multi-Tab Automation Matters?

In real-world applications, user interactions often lead to new tabs or windows opening. For example:

• Imagine testing a SaaS platform where clicking on the “Terms and Conditions” opens a document in a new tab.
• Simulating a Google OAuth login that redirects to a different window and then back.
• Opening detailed views or external resources in new tabs.

These are everyday flows that real users experience—and if your test automation doesn’t support them, you’re flying blind in critical areas of your product.

In these cases, failing to validate multi-tab functionality can lead to regression issues, especially when browser context switching isn’t handled correctly. That’s why the ability to manage multiple tabs is more than just a nice-to-have—it’s an essential part of automation.

Common Multi-Tab Scenarios in Playwright Tests

Multi-tab behavior appears more often than expected in modern web applications, especially where security, external integrations, or user workflows are involved.

Common scenarios include:

• Clicking a link that opens a new tab using target=”_blank”
• Authentication flows that redirect to third-party login pages
• Payment or checkout steps opening external gateways
• Help links or legal documents opening in separate tabs
• Popups triggered by user actions such as downloads or previews

In these scenarios, Playwright does not automatically move control to the new tab. The test must explicitly wait for the new Page to be created and then interact with it. Failing to do this correctly often leads to flaky tests or missed assertions.

Understanding these patterns upfront helps design tests that handle new tabs intentionally instead of reacting to them after failures occur.

Reasons why Playwright might not handle Multiple Tabs/Windows

While Playwright does support multiple tabs, the implementation can trip up new users. Here are the main reasons why Playwright might appear to struggle with this feature:

• Implicit Context Management: Each new tab is actually a new Page object in Playwright. If you’re not explicitly waiting for the event that creates it, your test won’t be aware that a new tab has opened.
• Missing Event Handling: Tabs opened via target=”_blank” or JavaScript often require event listeners like context.waitForEvent(‘page’). Failing to add these listeners results in lost or untracked pages.
• Race Conditions: If the page is accessed before it’s fully loaded or initialized, your script may throw errors or perform actions on the wrong tab.
• Lack of Context Switching: Even when the tab is captured, forgetting to switch context (e.g., not interacting with the correct Page object) leads to misleading test results.

In short, Playwright can handle multiple tabs, but it demands deliberate event handling and state management. Understanding these nuances is essential to effectively manage multiple tabs in Playwright.

How to handle Multiple Windows or Tabs in Playwright?

Playwright allows you to manage new tabs/windows through the BrowserContext object. Here’s how to do it properly.

Problem Scenario

1. Open https://www.bstackdemo.com/.
2. Open the orders link in a new tab.
3. Move to the tab and sign in.
4. Verify the empty order list

Steps

1. Listen for New Page Events: When an action is expected to open a new tab, use context.waitForEvent(‘page’) to capture the new Page instance.
2. Open a new tab: Perform the Action to trigger, opening of the orders page in a new tab.
3. Switch Between Pages: Use page.bringToFront() to switch focus to the new tab if necessary.
4. Perform Actions on the New Page: Once the new page is captured, it will prompt to sign in. Sign in the application and verify the empty order list.

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Implementation:

Here is the code to help implement handling multiple windows in Playwright.

typescript:

await page.goto('https://www.bstackdemo.com/');




const ordersLink = awaitpage.getByRole('link', { name: 'Orders' }); 




// wait for the new page event

const pagePromise = context.waitForEvent('page');




//perform action to open new tab

await ordersLink.click({ modifiers: ['ControlOrMeta'] })




//capture new page

const newPage = await pagePromise;




// change focus to new tab

await newPage.waitForLoadState();

await newPage.bringToFront();



//sign in to application

await newPage.locator('#username').click();

await newPage.getByText('demouser', { exact: true }).click();

await newPage.locator('#password').click();

await newPage.getByText('testingisfun99', { exact: true }).click();

await newPage.locator('#login-btn').click();




//Assert empty orders list
await expect(newPage.locator('.orders-listing h2')).toHaveText("No orders found");

Code Walkthrough

• The context.waitForEvent(‘page’) line ensures Playwright waits until the new tab is opened.
• Once the tab opens, it’s assigned to newPage and can be interacted with like any other Page object.

Output

This way, you can open, track, and validate content across multiple tabs seamlessly.

Multi-window flows cause 60% of UI failures

Popups & new tabs behave differently on browsers. Catch these Playwright issues with BrowserStack.

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Best Practices for Multi-Tab Automation in Playwright

Multi-tab automation is reliable when it follows Playwright’s execution model instead of fighting it.

Recommended best practices include:

• Always wait for the new page event before interacting with a tab
• Keep references to both parent and child pages explicit and readable
• Avoid relying on page order or array indexes to identify tabs
• Perform assertions only after the new tab reaches a stable state
• Close child tabs deliberately to avoid state leakage across tests
• Keep multi-tab logic scoped to specific tests rather than shared hooks

Anti-patterns to avoid:

• Assuming the new tab is immediately available
• Trying to “switch” tabs instead of controlling pages directly
• Reusing page references across unrelated tests
• Ignoring timing and race conditions around popup creation

Following these practices ensures multi-tab tests remain stable as applications grow and browser behavior evolves.

Why test Playwright Tests on Real Devices?

Testing in simulated environments doesn’t always capture the nuances of real device behavior. That’s where BrowserStack Automate comes in.

With BrowserStack, you can:

• Run Playwright scripts across a wide range of real Android and iOS devices.
• Validate how multi-tab workflows perform on actual hardware.
• Catch real-world bugs caused by differences in rendering engines, device memory, or input handling.
• Seamlessly integrate Playwright with your CI/CD pipeline to run tests in parallel on thousands of device/browser combinations.

Whether you’re testing login flows, payment popups, or document previews, multi-tab automation on real devices helps you catch bugs you’d otherwise miss.

Try BrowserStack Automate

Conclusion

Playwright does support multiple tabs and windows, but it requires a bit of elbow grease. By understanding how the framework handles browser contexts and events, and using proper event-driven patterns, you can build reliable multi-tab automation flows.

For truly robust testing, pair Playwright with a real device testing service like BrowserStack. That way, your automation isn’t just functional. It’s real-world ready.

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