How to Automate File Upload and Download in Selenium and Pla

Introduction

File upload and download are common test scenarios that often trip up beginners. Key points:

File upload — use sendKeys with the absolute file path on <input type="file"> (no clicking dialog)
File download — configure the browser to download to a specific folder, then verify the file exists
Playwright makes downloads especially easy with built-in download event handling

Key Methods Summary

Action	Selenium (Java)	Playwright (JS)	Playwright (Python)
Upload file	`element.sendKeys("/path/file.txt")`	`locator.setInputFiles("path")`	`locator.set_input_files("path")`
Start download	click download button	`page.waitForEvent("download")`	`page.expect_download()`
Save download	browser profile path	`download.saveAs("path")`	`download.save_as("path")`
Get filename	check file system	`download.suggestedFilename()`	`download.suggested_filename`
Verify file	`Files.exists(path)`	`fs.existsSync(path)`	`os.path.exists(path)`

1. Upload a file using sendKeys

Selenium (Java)

WebElement uploadInput = driver.findElement(By.id("fileUploadInput"));
uploadInput.sendKeys("/absolute/path/to/test-file.txt");
 
// Verify file name is shown
String fileName = driver.findElement(By.id("uploadedFileName")).getText();
assertEquals("test-file.txt", fileName);

Playwright (JS)

await page.locator("#fileUploadInput").setInputFiles("./test-file.txt");
await expect(page.locator("#uploadedFileName")).toHaveText("test-file.txt");

Playwright (Python)

page.locator("#fileUploadInput").set_input_files("./test-file.txt")
expect(page.locator("#uploadedFileName")).to_have_text("test-file.txt")

2. Upload multiple files

Selenium (Java)

// For multiple file inputs, send multiple paths separated by newline
WebElement input = driver.findElement(By.id("multiFileInput"));
input.sendKeys("/path/file1.txt\n/path/file2.txt");

Playwright (JS)

await page.locator("#multiFileInput").setInputFiles([
  "./file1.txt",
  "./file2.txt"
]);

Playwright (Python)

page.locator("#multiFileInput").set_input_files(["./file1.txt", "./file2.txt"])

3. Clear a selected file

Selenium (Java)

// Selenium cannot clear a file input directly — reload or use JS
JavascriptExecutor js = (JavascriptExecutor) driver;
js.executeScript("arguments[0].value = '';", driver.findElement(By.id("fileUploadInput")));

Playwright (JS)

await page.locator("#fileUploadInput").setInputFiles([]);

Playwright (Python)

page.locator("#fileUploadInput").set_input_files([])

4. Download a file and verify it

Selenium (Java)

// Configure Chrome to download to a specific folder
ChromeOptions options = new ChromeOptions();
Map<String, Object> prefs = new HashMap<>();
prefs.put("download.default_directory", "/path/to/downloads");
options.setExperimentalOption("prefs", prefs);
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver(options);
 
// Click download button
driver.findElement(By.id("downloadBtn")).click();
 
// Wait and verify the file exists
Thread.sleep(3000); // use explicit wait in real tests
File downloadedFile = new File("/path/to/downloads/report.csv");
assertTrue(downloadedFile.exists());

Playwright (JS)

// Playwright handles downloads natively
const [download] = await Promise.all([
  page.waitForEvent("download"),
  page.locator("#downloadBtn").click(),
]);
 
// Save to a specific path
await download.saveAs("./downloads/" + download.suggestedFilename());
 
// Verify filename
console.log("Downloaded:", download.suggestedFilename());
expect(download.suggestedFilename()).toContain("report");

Playwright (Python)

with page.expect_download() as download_info:
    page.locator("#downloadBtn").click()
download = download_info.value
 
# Save the file
download.save_as(f"./downloads/{download.suggested_filename}")
 
# Verify filename
print("Downloaded:", download.suggested_filename)
assert "report" in download.suggested_filename

5. Verify uploaded file is accepted (success message)

Selenium (Java)

driver.findElement(By.id("fileUploadInput")).sendKeys("/path/to/image.png");
driver.findElement(By.id("uploadSubmitBtn")).click();
 
WebElement success = driver.findElement(By.id("uploadSuccess"));
assertTrue(success.isDisplayed());
assertEquals("File uploaded successfully!", success.getText());

Playwright (JS)

await page.locator("#fileUploadInput").setInputFiles("./image.png");
await page.locator("#uploadSubmitBtn").click();
await expect(page.locator("#uploadSuccess")).toHaveText("File uploaded successfully!");

Playwright (Python)

page.locator("#fileUploadInput").set_input_files("./image.png")
page.locator("#uploadSubmitBtn").click()
expect(page.locator("#uploadSuccess")).to_have_text("File uploaded successfully!")

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