Working with Cookies

Manage browser cookies to test authentication, sessions, and preferences.

Concept

Cookies store session data, authentication tokens, and user preferences. Selenium lets you add, read, and delete cookies to simulate different user states without logging in repeatedly.

Skip login forms by injecting authentication cookies directly.
Test scenarios with different cookie states (e.g., logged in vs. guest).
Clean up cookies to ensure test isolation.

Cookie Operations

getCookies(): Get all cookies for the domain.
getCookieNamed(name): Get a specific cookie.
addCookie(cookie): Add a new cookie.
deleteCookieNamed(name): Remove a cookie.
deleteAllCookies(): Clear all cookies.

Common Use Cases

Bypass login by setting session cookies.
Test different user roles or preferences.
Verify cookie expiry and secure flags.
Clean sessions between tests for isolation.

Domain Restriction

You can only add cookies for the current domain. Navigate to your target site with driver.get() before adding cookies.

Interactive Practice

Cookie Inspector

Use Selenium to add test cookies, then reload to verify they appear!

Java Code Example

CookieManager.java

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
// 1. Print initial cookies
for (Cookie c : driver.manage().getCookies()) {
    System.out.println("Cookie -> " + c.getName() + ": " + c.getValue());
}

// 2. Add sample cookies
Cookie cookie1 = new Cookie("test1", "cookie1");
driver.manage().addCookie(cookie1);

// 3. Refresh so the page can read the new cookies
driver.navigate().refresh();

// 4. Click the "Reload Cookie Status" button in the UI
driver.findElement(By.id("reloadCookieStatusBtn")).click();

// 5. Delete one cookie by name
driver.manage().deleteCookieNamed("test1");

// 6. Delete all cookies
driver.manage().deleteAllCookies();

driver.quit();

Code Breakdown

driver.manage().getCookies(): Returns a Set<Cookie> for all cookies on the current domain.
new Cookie("test1", "cookie1"): Creates a simple cookie. No expiry is set, so it becomes a session cookie.
driver.manage().addCookie(cookie1): Adds the cookie to the browser for the current page's domain.
driver.navigate().refresh(): Reloads the page so the web app can now see the updated cookies.
driver.manage().deleteAllCookies(): Removes all cookies for the current domain, giving you a clean session.

Pro Tip

Navigate First

Always open the target domain with driver.get() before adding cookies—WebDriver won't accept cookies for a different host.

Refresh After Changes

After adding or deleting cookies, use refresh() so the application can read the latest cookie state.

Keep Tests Isolated

Use deleteAllCookies() at the start or end of your tests to avoid "dirty" sessions leaking between test cases.