Selenium WebDriver Setup Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

An Ultimate step-by-step guide for beginners to setup Selenium WebDriver quickly.

After understanding Selenium architecture and its components, the next step is setting up Selenium WebDriver. A proper Selenium WebDriver setup is essential for creating and running automation scripts efficiently. In this guide, you will learn how to set up Selenium WebDriver using Java, Maven, and IntelliJ IDEA. By the end of this tutorial, you will execute your first Selenium automation script.

Prerequisites

Before starting Selenium WebDriver setup, ensure you have:

• Java JDK installed (Java 11 or higher recommended)
• IntelliJ IDEA or Eclipse IDE
• Maven installed
• Internet connection for dependency downloads

You can verify Java installation by running:

java -version

Example output:

java version "17.0.9"

Step 1: Install IntelliJ IDEA

IntelliJ IDEA is one of the most popular IDEs for Selenium automation.

Download IntelliJ IDEA

Download Community Edition and install it.

After installation:

1. Open IntelliJ IDEA.
2. Select New Project.
3. Choose Maven as the project type.

Step 2: Create a Maven Project

A Maven project helps manage dependencies automatically.

Project structure:

SeleniumDemo
│
├── src
│    ├── main
│    └── test
│
├── pom.xml
│
└── target

Maven uses the pom.xml file to download required libraries.

Step 3: Add Selenium Dependency

Open the pom.xml file and add the Selenium dependency:

<dependencies>
    <dependency>
        <groupId>org.seleniumhq.selenium</groupId>
        <artifactId>selenium-java</artifactId>
        <version>4.34.0</version>
    </dependency>
</dependencies>

Save the file.

Maven automatically downloads the required Selenium libraries.

Step 4: Create Your First Test Class

Inside the src/test/java folder, create:

FirstTest.java

Example:

public class FirstTest {
}

Step 5: Launch Chrome Browser

Import Selenium packages:

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

Initialize ChromeDriver:

WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();

Selenium Manager in Selenium 4 automatically downloads and manages the ChromeDriver.

Step 6: Open a Website

Use the get() method:

driver.get("https://www.google.com");

Complete example:

import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;
public class FirstTest {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
        driver.get("https://www.google.com");
    }
}

When executed, Chrome opens and navigates to Google.

Step 7: Maximize Browser Window

To maximize the browser:

driver.manage().window().maximize();

Example:

driver.get("https://www.google.com");
driver.manage().window().maximize();

Step 8: Get Page Title

Retrieve page title:

String title = driver.getTitle();
System.out.println(title);

Output:

Google

Step 9: Close Browser

Close the browser after execution:

driver.quit();

Complete example:

import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;
public class FirstTest {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
        driver.get("https://www.google.com");
        driver.manage().window().maximize();
        System.out.println(driver.getTitle());
        driver.quit();
    }
}

Project Structure Example

A typical Selenium project structure looks like:

SeleniumFramework
│
├── src
│    ├── main
│    └── test
│
├── pom.xml
├── target
└── test-output

As your framework grows, you can organize:

• Pages
• Tests
• Utilities
• Reports
• Configuration files

How Selenium Manager Simplifies Driver Setup

Before Selenium 4, users manually downloaded:

• ChromeDriver
• GeckoDriver
• EdgeDriver

And configured:

System.setProperty("webdriver.chrome.driver",
"C:\\drivers\\chromedriver.exe");

With Selenium Manager, this step is no longer necessary.

Simply write:

WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();

Selenium automatically manages compatible browser drivers.

Common Setup Errors

Java Not Installed

Error:

java command not found

Solution:

Install JDK and configure the PATH variable.

Maven Dependency Not Downloaded

Solution:

Refresh Maven project:

Right Click Project
↓
Maven
↓
Reload Project

Browser Version Mismatch

Update Chrome browser and Selenium dependencies.

Missing Imports

Press:

Alt + Enter

IntelliJ automatically imports missing classes.

Best Practices

Follow these best practices:

• Use Maven for dependency management.
• Use Java 11 or above.
• Prefer Selenium 4.
• Keep browser versions updated.
• Close browsers using driver.quit().
• Organize code into packages.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ChromeDriver installation required in Selenium 4?

No.

Selenium Manager automatically downloads and manages browser drivers.

Which IDE is best for Selenium?

IntelliJ IDEA and Eclipse are the most commonly used IDEs.

Is Maven mandatory?

No.

But Maven simplifies dependency management and is highly recommended.

Which Java version should I use?

Java 11 or Java 17 are recommended.

Can I use Selenium WebDriver with Python?

Yes.

Selenium supports Java, Python, JavaScript, C#, and Ruby.

Conclusion

Setting up Selenium WebDriver is straightforward with Selenium 4 and Selenium Manager. By installing Java, creating a Maven project, and adding Selenium dependencies, you can quickly start automating web applications.

Now that your environment is ready, the next step is learning how Selenium locators work to identify web elements effectively.

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