Locate links by linkText and partialLinkText

Find hyperlinks using their visible text.

Concept

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to locate links (hyperlinks) using the text that users actually see on the page. These strategies only work with <a> elements.

By.linkText("Exact Text")
By.partialLinkText("Partial")

Both of them look at the visible text between <a> and </a>.

By.linkText("Exact Text")

What it does

Finds an <a> element whose visible text exactly matches the given string.
Example: By.linkText("Selenium Official Page") matches <a>Selenium Official Page</a>.

When to use it

When the link text is short, stable, and known exactly.
Great for navigation links or menu items.

Warning

Case-sensitive and must match the full text. If the text changes (e.g. "Selenium Official Page v2"), your locator will break.

By.partialLinkText("Partial")

What it does

Finds an <a> element whose visible text contains the given substring.
Example: By.partialLinkText("Documentation") matches <a>Selenium WebDriver Documentation</a>.

When to use it

When link text is long or partially dynamic.
When you only care about a key word like "Documentation".

Best Practice

Choose unique partial text. Avoid generic words like "Click" or "Here" that might match multiple links.

Interactive Practice

Current Page: Home

Links demo (linkText & partialLinkText)

Learn more about Selenium:

Selenium Official Page Selenium WebDriver Documentation

Click the links to see how they would work in a real browser!

Java Code Example

LinkTextDemo.java

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WebElement officialPageLink = driver.findElement(By.linkText("Selenium Official Page"));
officialPageLink.click();

WebElement docsLink = driver.findElement(By.partialLinkText("Documentation"));
docsLink.click();

driver.quit();

Code Breakdown

driver.findElement(By.linkText("Selenium Official Page")): Finds the <a> element whose visible text is exactly "Selenium Official Page".
officialPageLink.click(): Clicks the first link, just like a user left-clicking it in the browser.
driver.findElement(By.partialLinkText("Documentation")): Locates an <a> element whose visible text contains the word "Documentation". Matches "Selenium WebDriver Documentation".
docsLink.click(): Clicks the documentation link, navigating or triggering the configured behavior.
driver.quit(): Closes all browser windows opened by Selenium and ends the WebDriver session.

Pro Tip

Prefer linkText

If you know the exact, stable text of the link, By.linkText(...) is more precise and less risky.

Use partialLinkText carefully

Make sure the partial text is unique enough. If you use a common word like "Click", Selenium might match the wrong link.

Watch for text changes

If your UI team often tweaks link labels, consider using more stable locators (like IDs) instead of link text.

Concept

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to locate links (hyperlinks) using the text that users actually see on the page. These strategies only work with <a> elements.

By.linkText("Exact Text")

By.partialLinkText("Partial")

Both of them look at the visible text between <a> and </a>.

By.linkText("Exact Text")

What it does

Finds an <a> element whose visible text exactly matches the given string.
Example: By.linkText("Selenium Official Page") matches <a>Selenium Official Page</a>.

When to use it

When the link text is short, stable, and known exactly.
Great for navigation links or menu items.

Warning

Case-sensitive and must match the full text. If the text changes (e.g. "Selenium Official Page v2"), your locator will break.

By.partialLinkText("Partial")

What it does

Finds an <a> element whose visible text contains the given substring.
Example: By.partialLinkText("Documentation") matches <a>Selenium WebDriver Documentation</a>.

When to use it

When link text is long or partially dynamic.
When you only care about a key word like "Documentation".

Best Practice

Choose unique partial text. Avoid generic words like "Click" or "Here" that might match multiple links.

Java Code Example

LinkTextDemo.java

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WebElement officialPageLink = driver.findElement(By.linkText("Selenium Official Page"));
officialPageLink.click();

WebElement docsLink = driver.findElement(By.partialLinkText("Documentation"));
docsLink.click();

driver.quit();

Code Breakdown

driver.findElement(By.linkText("Selenium Official Page")): Finds the <a> element whose visible text is exactly "Selenium Official Page".
officialPageLink.click(): Clicks the first link, just like a user left-clicking it in the browser.
driver.findElement(By.partialLinkText("Documentation")): Locates an <a> element whose visible text contains the word "Documentation". Matches "Selenium WebDriver Documentation".
docsLink.click(): Clicks the documentation link, navigating or triggering the configured behavior.
driver.quit(): Closes all browser windows opened by Selenium and ends the WebDriver session.

Pro Tip

Prefer linkText

If you know the exact, stable text of the link, By.linkText(...) is more precise and less risky.

Use partialLinkText carefully

Make sure the partial text is unique enough. If you use a common word like "Click", Selenium might match the wrong link.

Watch for text changes

If your UI team often tweaks link labels, consider using more stable locators (like IDs) instead of link text.