---
title: Browser Mode | Guide
outline: deep
---

# Browser Mode {#browser-mode}

This page provides information about the browser mode feature in the Vitest API, which allows you to run your tests in the browser natively, providing access to browser globals like window and document.

::: tip
If you are looking for documentation for `expect`, `vi` or any general API like test projects or type testing, refer to the ["Getting Started" guide](/guide/).
:::

<img alt="Vitest UI" img-light src="/ui-browser-1-light.png">
<img alt="Vitest UI" img-dark src="/ui-browser-1-dark.png">

## Installation

For easier setup, you can use `vitest init browser` command to install required dependencies and create browser configuration.

::: code-group
```bash [npm]
npx vitest init browser
```
```bash [yarn]
yarn exec vitest init browser
```
```bash [pnpm]
pnpx vitest init browser
```
```bash [bun]
bunx vitest init browser
```
:::

### Manual Installation

You can also install packages manually. Vitest always requires a provider to be defined. You can chose either [`preview`](/config/browser/preview), [`playwright`](/config/browser/playwright) or [`webdriverio`](/config/browser/webdriverio).

If you want to just preview how your tests look, you can use the `preview` provider:

::: code-group
```bash [npm]
npm install -D vitest @vitest/browser-preview
```
```bash [yarn]
yarn add -D vitest @vitest/browser-preview
```
```bash [pnpm]
pnpm add -D vitest @vitest/browser-preview
```
```bash [bun]
bun add -D vitest @vitest/browser-preview
```
:::

::: warning
However, to run tests in CI you need to install either [`playwright`](https://npmx.dev/package/playwright) or [`webdriverio`](https://npmx.dev/package/webdriverio). We also recommend switching to either one of them for testing locally instead of using the default `preview` provider since it relies on simulating events instead of using Chrome DevTools Protocol.

If you don't already use one of these tools, we recommend starting with Playwright because it supports parallel execution, which makes your tests run faster.

::: tabs key:provider
== Playwright
[Playwright](https://npmx.dev/package/playwright) is a framework for Web Testing and Automation.

::: code-group
```bash [npm]
npm install -D vitest @vitest/browser-playwright
```
```bash [yarn]
yarn add -D vitest @vitest/browser-playwright
```
```bash [pnpm]
pnpm add -D vitest @vitest/browser-playwright
```
```bash [bun]
bun add -D vitest @vitest/browser-playwright
```
== WebdriverIO

[WebdriverIO](https://npmx.dev/package/webdriverio) allows you to run tests locally using the WebDriver protocol.

::: code-group
```bash [npm]
npm install -D vitest @vitest/browser-webdriverio
```
```bash [yarn]
yarn add -D vitest @vitest/browser-webdriverio
```
```bash [pnpm]
pnpm add -D vitest @vitest/browser-webdriverio
```
```bash [bun]
bun add -D vitest @vitest/browser-webdriverio
```
:::

## Configuration

To activate browser mode in your Vitest configuration, set the `browser.enabled` field to `true` in your Vitest configuration file. Here is an example configuration using the browser field:

```ts [vitest.config.ts]
import { defineConfig } from 'vitest/config'
import { playwright } from '@vitest/browser-playwright'

export default defineConfig({
  test: {
    browser: {
      provider: playwright(),
      enabled: true,
      // at least one instance is required
      instances: [
        { browser: 'chromium' },
      ],
    },
  }
})
```

::: info
Vitest assigns port `63315` to avoid conflicts with the development server, allowing you to run both in parallel. You can change that with the [`api`](/config/api) option.
:::

If you have not used Vite before, make sure you have your framework's plugin installed and specified in the config. Some frameworks might require extra configuration to work - check their Vite related documentation to be sure.

::: code-group
```ts [react]
import { defineConfig } from 'vitest/config'
import react from '@vitejs/plugin-react'
import { playwright } from '@vitest/browser-playwright'

export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [react()],
  test: {
    browser: {
      enabled: true,
      provider: playwright(),
      instances: [
        { browser: 'chromium' },
      ],
    }
  }
})
```
```ts [vue]
import { defineConfig } from 'vitest/config'
import { playwright } from '@vitest/browser-playwright'
import vue from '@vitejs/plugin-vue'

export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [vue()],
  test: {
    browser: {
      enabled: true,
      provider: playwright(),
      instances: [
        { browser: 'chromium' },
      ],
    }
  }
})
```
```ts [svelte]
import { defineConfig } from 'vitest/config'
import { svelte } from '@sveltejs/vite-plugin-svelte'
import { playwright } from '@vitest/browser-playwright'

export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [svelte()],
  test: {
    browser: {
      enabled: true,
      provider: playwright(),
      instances: [
        { browser: 'chromium' },
      ],
    }
  }
})
```
```ts [solid]
import { defineConfig } from 'vitest/config'
import solidPlugin from 'vite-plugin-solid'
import { playwright } from '@vitest/browser-playwright'

export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [solidPlugin()],
  test: {
    browser: {
      enabled: true,
      provider: playwright(),
      instances: [
        { browser: 'chromium' },
      ],
    }
  }
})
```
```ts [marko]
import { defineConfig } from 'vitest/config'
import marko from '@marko/vite'
import { playwright } from '@vitest/browser-playwright'

export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [marko()],
  test: {
    browser: {
      enabled: true,
      provider: playwright(),
      instances: [
        { browser: 'chromium' },
      ],
    }
  }
})
```
```ts [qwik]
import { defineConfig } from 'vitest/config'
import { qwikVite } from '@builder.io/qwik/optimizer'
import { playwright } from '@vitest/browser-playwright'

// optional, run the tests in SSR mode
import { testSSR } from 'vitest-browser-qwik/ssr-plugin'

export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [testSSR(), qwikVite()],
  test: {
    browser: {
      enabled: true,
      provider: playwright(),
      instances: [{ browser: 'chromium' }]
    },
  },
})
```
:::

If you need to run some tests using Node-based runner, you can define a [`projects`](/guide/projects) option with separate configurations for different testing strategies:

{#projects-config}

```ts [vitest.config.ts]
import { defineConfig } from 'vitest/config'
import { playwright } from '@vitest/browser-playwright'

export default defineConfig({
  test: {
    projects: [
      {
        test: {
          // an example of file based convention,
          // you don't have to follow it
          include: [
            'tests/unit/**/*.{test,spec}.ts',
            'tests/**/*.unit.{test,spec}.ts',
          ],
          name: 'unit',
          environment: 'node',
        },
      },
      {
        test: {
          // an example of file based convention,
          // you don't have to follow it
          include: [
            'tests/browser/**/*.{test,spec}.ts',
            'tests/**/*.browser.{test,spec}.ts',
          ],
          name: 'browser',
          browser: {
            enabled: true,
            provider: playwright(),
            instances: [
              { browser: 'chromium' },
            ],
          },
        },
      },
    ],
  },
})
```

## Browser Option Types

The browser option in Vitest depends on the provider. Vitest will fail, if you pass `--browser` and don't specify its name in the config file. Available options:

- `webdriverio` supports these browsers:
  - `firefox`
  - `chrome`
  - `edge`
  - `safari`
- `playwright` supports these browsers:
  - `firefox`
  - `webkit`
  - `chromium`

## Browser Compatibility

Vitest uses [Vite dev server](https://vitejs.dev/guide/#browser-support) to run your tests, so we only support features specified in the [`esbuild.target`](https://vitejs.dev/config/shared-options.html#esbuild) option (`esnext` by default).

By default, Vite targets browsers which support the native [ES Modules](https://caniuse.com/es6-module), native [ESM dynamic import](https://caniuse.com/es6-module-dynamic-import), and [`import.meta`](https://caniuse.com/mdn-javascript_operators_import_meta). On top of that, we utilize [`BroadcastChannel`](https://caniuse.com/?search=BroadcastChannel) to communicate between iframes:

- Chrome >=87
- Firefox >=78
- Safari >=15.4
- Edge >=88

## Running Tests

When you specify a browser name in the browser option, Vitest will try to run the specified browser using `preview` by default, and then run the tests there. If you don't want to use `preview`, you can configure the custom browser provider by using `browser.provider` option.

To specify a browser using the CLI, use the `--browser` flag followed by the browser name, like this:

```sh
npx vitest --browser=chromium
```

Or you can provide browser options to CLI with dot notation:

```sh
npx vitest --browser.headless
```

::: warning
Since Vitest 3.2, if you don't have the `browser` option in your config but specify the `--browser` flag, Vitest will fail because it can't assume that config is meant for the browser and not Node.js tests.
:::

By default, Vitest will automatically open the browser UI for development. Your tests will run inside an iframe in the center. You can configure the viewport by selecting the preferred dimensions, calling `page.viewport` inside the test, or setting default values in [the config](/config/browser/viewport).

For an alternative debugging model that captures DOM snapshots for every test instead of showing a live iframe, see [Trace View](/guide/browser/trace-view).

## Headless

Headless mode is another option available in the browser mode. In headless mode, the browser runs in the background without a user interface, which makes it useful for running automated tests. The headless option in Vitest can be set to a boolean value to enable or disable headless mode.

When using headless mode, Vitest won't open the UI automatically. If you want to continue using the UI but have tests run headlessly, you can install the [`@vitest/ui`](/guide/ui) package and pass the `--ui` flag when running Vitest.

Here's an example configuration enabling headless mode:

```ts [vitest.config.ts]
import { defineConfig } from 'vitest/config'
import { playwright } from '@vitest/browser-playwright'

export default defineConfig({
  test: {
    browser: {
      provider: playwright(),
      enabled: true,
      headless: true,
    },
  }
})
```

You can also set headless mode using the `--browser.headless` flag in the CLI, like this:

```sh
npx vitest --browser.headless
```

In this case, Vitest will run in headless mode using the Chrome browser.

::: warning
Headless mode is not available by default. You need to use either [`playwright`](https://npmx.dev/package/playwright) or [`webdriverio`](https://npmx.dev/package/webdriverio) providers to enable this feature.
:::

## Examples

By default, you don't need any external packages to work with the Browser Mode:

```js [example.test.js]
import { expect, test } from 'vitest'
import { page } from 'vitest/browser'
import { render } from './my-render-function.js'

test('properly handles form inputs', async () => {
  render() // mount DOM elements

  // Asserts initial state.
  await expect.element(page.getByText('Hi, my name is Alice')).toBeInTheDocument()

  // Get the input DOM node by querying the associated label.
  const usernameInput = page.getByLabelText(/username/i)

  // Type the name into the input. This already validates that the input
  // is filled correctly, no need to check the value manually.
  await usernameInput.fill('Bob')

  await expect.element(page.getByText('Hi, my name is Bob')).toBeInTheDocument()
})
```

However, Vitest also provides packages to render components for several popular frameworks out of the box:

- [`vitest-browser-vue`](https://github.com/vitest-dev/vitest-browser-vue) to render [vue](https://vuejs.org) components
- [`vitest-browser-svelte`](https://github.com/vitest-dev/vitest-browser-svelte) to render [svelte](https://svelte.dev) components
- [`vitest-browser-react`](https://github.com/vitest-dev/vitest-browser-react) to render [react](https://react.dev) components
- [`vitest-browser-angular`](https://github.com/vitest-community/vitest-browser-angular) to render [Angular](https://angular.dev) components

Community packages are available for other frameworks:

- [`vitest-browser-lit`](https://github.com/EskiMojo14/vitest-browser-lit) to render [lit](https://lit.dev) components
- [`vitest-browser-preact`](https://github.com/JoviDeCroock/vitest-browser-preact) to render [preact](https://preactjs.com) components
- [`vitest-browser-qwik`](https://github.com/QwikDev/vitest-browser-qwik) to render [qwik](https://qwik.dev) components

If your framework is not represented, feel free to create your own package - it is a simple wrapper around the framework renderer and `page.elementLocator` API. We will add a link to it on this page. Make sure it has a name starting with `vitest-browser-`.

Besides rendering components and locating elements, you will also need to make assertions. Vitest forks the [`@testing-library/jest-dom`](https://github.com/testing-library/jest-dom) library to provide a wide range of DOM assertions out of the box. Read more at the [Assertions API](/api/browser/assertions).

```ts
import { expect } from 'vitest'
import { page } from 'vitest/browser'
// element is rendered correctly
await expect.element(page.getByText('Hello World')).toBeInTheDocument()
```

Vitest exposes a [Context API](/api/browser/context) with a small set of utilities that might be useful to you in tests. For example, if you need to make an interaction, like clicking an element or typing text into an input, you can use `userEvent` from `vitest/browser`. Read more at the [Interactivity API](/api/browser/interactivity).

```ts
import { page, userEvent } from 'vitest/browser'
await userEvent.fill(page.getByLabelText(/username/i), 'Alice')
// or just locator.fill
await page.getByLabelText(/username/i).fill('Alice')
```

::: code-group
```ts [vue]
import { render } from 'vitest-browser-vue'
import Component from './Component.vue'

test('properly handles v-model', async () => {
  const screen = await render(Component)

  // Asserts initial state.
  await expect.element(screen.getByText('Hi, my name is Alice')).toBeInTheDocument()

  // Get the input DOM node by querying the associated label.
  const usernameInput = screen.getByLabelText(/username/i)

  // Type the name into the input. This already validates that the input
  // is filled correctly, no need to check the value manually.
  await usernameInput.fill('Bob')

  await expect.element(screen.getByText('Hi, my name is Bob')).toBeInTheDocument()
})
```
```ts [svelte]
import { render } from 'vitest-browser-svelte'
import { expect, test } from 'vitest'

import Greeter from './greeter.svelte'

test('greeting appears on click', async () => {
  const screen = await render(Greeter, { name: 'World' })

  const button = screen.getByRole('button')
  await button.click()
  const greeting = screen.getByText(/hello world/iu)

  await expect.element(greeting).toBeInTheDocument()
})
```
```tsx [react]
import { render } from 'vitest-browser-react'
import Fetch from './fetch'

test('loads and displays greeting', async () => {
  // Render a React element into the DOM
  const screen = render(<Fetch url="/greeting" />)

  await screen.getByText('Load Greeting').click()
  // wait before throwing an error if it cannot find an element
  const heading = screen.getByRole('heading')

  // assert that the alert message is correct
  await expect.element(heading).toHaveTextContent('hello there')
  await expect.element(screen.getByRole('button')).toBeDisabled()
})
```
```ts [lit]
import { render } from 'vitest-browser-lit'
import { html } from 'lit'
import './greeter-button'

test('greeting appears on click', async () => {
  const screen = render(html`<greeter-button name="World"></greeter-button>`)

  const button = screen.getByRole('button')
  await button.click()
  const greeting = screen.getByText(/hello world/iu)

  await expect.element(greeting).toBeInTheDocument()
})
```
```tsx [preact]
import { render } from 'vitest-browser-preact'
import { createElement } from 'preact'
import Greeting from '.Greeting'

test('greeting appears on click', async () => {
  const screen = render(<Greeting />)

  const button = screen.getByRole('button')
  await button.click()
  const greeting = screen.getByText(/hello world/iu)

  await expect.element(greeting).toBeInTheDocument()
})
```
```tsx [qwik]
import { render } from 'vitest-browser-qwik'
import Greeting from './greeting'

test('greeting appears on click', async () => {
  // renderSSR and renderHook are also available
  const screen = render(<Greeting />)

  const button = screen.getByRole('button')
  await button.click()
  const greeting = screen.getByText(/hello world/iu)

  await expect.element(greeting).toBeInTheDocument()
})
```
:::

Vitest doesn't support all frameworks out of the box, but you can use external tools to run tests with these frameworks. We also encourage the community to create their own `vitest-browser` wrappers - if you have one, feel free to add it to the examples above.

For unsupported frameworks, we recommend using `testing-library` packages:

- [`@solidjs/testing-library`](https://testing-library.com/docs/solid-testing-library/intro) to render [solid](https://www.solidjs.com) components
- [`@marko/testing-library`](https://testing-library.com/docs/marko-testing-library/intro) to render [marko](https://markojs.com) components

You can also see more examples in [`browser-examples`](https://github.com/vitest-tests/browser-examples) repository.

::: warning
`testing-library` provides a package `@testing-library/user-event`. We do not recommend using it directly because it simulates events instead of actually triggering them - instead, use [`userEvent`](/api/browser/interactivity) imported from `vitest/browser` that uses Chrome DevTools Protocol or Webdriver (depending on the provider) under the hood.
:::

::: code-group
```tsx [solid]
// based on @testing-library/solid API
// https://testing-library.com/docs/solid-testing-library/api

import { render } from '@testing-library/solid'

it('uses params', async () => {
  const App = () => (
    <>
      <Route
        path="/ids/:id"
        component={() => (
          <p>
            Id:
            {useParams()?.id}
          </p>
        )}
      />
      <Route path="/" component={() => <p>Start</p>} />
    </>
  )
  const { baseElement } = render(() => <App />, { location: 'ids/1234' })
  const screen = page.elementLocator(baseElement)

  await expect.screen(screen.getByText('Id: 1234')).toBeInTheDocument()
})
```
```ts [marko]
// based on @testing-library/marko API
// https://testing-library.com/docs/marko-testing-library/api

import { render, screen } from '@marko/testing-library'
import Greeting from './greeting.marko'

test('renders a message', async () => {
  const { baseElement } = await render(Greeting, { name: 'Marko' })
  const screen = page.elementLocator(baseElement)
  await expect.element(screen.getByText(/Marko/)).toBeInTheDocument()
  expect(container.firstChild).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
    <h1>Hello, Marko!</h1>
  `)
})
```
:::

## Limitations

### Thread Blocking Dialogs

When using Vitest Browser, it's important to note that thread blocking dialogs like `alert` or `confirm` cannot be used natively. This is because they block the web page, which means Vitest cannot continue communicating with the page, causing the execution to hang.

In such situations, Vitest provides default mocks with default returned values for these APIs. This ensures that if the user accidentally uses synchronous popup web APIs, the execution would not hang. However, it's still recommended for the user to mock these web APIs for a better experience. Read more in [Mocking](/guide/mocking).

### Spying on Module Exports

Browser Mode uses the browser's native ESM support to serve modules. The module namespace object is sealed and can't be reconfigured, unlike in Node.js tests where Vitest can patch the Module Runner. This means you can't call `vi.spyOn` on an imported object:

```ts
import { vi } from 'vitest'
import * as module from './module.js'

vi.spyOn(module, 'method') // ❌ throws an error
```

To bypass this limitation, Vitest supports `{ spy: true }` option in `vi.mock('./module.js')`. This will automatically spy on every export in the module without replacing them with fake ones.

```ts
import { vi } from 'vitest'
import * as module from './module.js'

vi.mock('./module.js', { spy: true })

vi.mocked(module.method).mockImplementation(() => {
  // ...
})
```

However, the only way to mock exported _variables_ is to export a method that will change the internal value:

::: code-group
```js [module.js]
export let MODE = 'test'
export function changeMode(newMode) {
  MODE = newMode
}
```
```js [module.test.ts]
import { expect } from 'vitest'
import { changeMode, MODE } from './module.js'

changeMode('production')
expect(MODE).toBe('production')
```
:::
