How to Perform Double-Click in Playwright Java

If you are learning how to double-click in Playwright Java, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know. Double-click actions are often used in modern web applications to perform specific tasks such as opening folders, editing fields, or triggering hidden functionalities. Understanding how to automate these interactions in Playwright Java is essential for creating reliable and realistic end-to-end tests.

In this tutorial, you will learn different ways to perform a double-click action using Playwright’s Locator API and mouse actions. You will also see complete Java code examples, troubleshooting tips, and best practices to ensure your automation scripts work smoothly across browsers. By the end, you will have a solid understanding of when and how to use double-click operations effectively in Playwright Java test automation.

• Understanding Double-Click Behaviour in Web Automation
• Prerequisites for Using Playwright Java
  • Setting Up Playwright in Java
  • Importing the Right Classes and Launching the Browser
• Basic Double-Click Using Locator.dblclick()
• Using Mouse Actions for Double-Click (Alternative Method)
• Locating Elements Correctly for the Double-Click Action
  • Summary & Next Steps

Understanding Double-Click Behaviour in Web Automation

In web automation, a double-click is an action that simulates quickly clicking the left mouse button twice on an element. This behavior is commonly used in interactive web interfaces to trigger specific responses that a single click cannot perform. For example, a double-click might open a file, activate an edit mode, or expand a collapsible section.

When automating browser interactions, performing a double-click accurately is important because some applications depend on it for user workflows. A single click might only select an item, while a double-click could open or edit it. By learning how to replicate this behavior in Playwright Java, you can ensure your automated tests behave exactly like real users.

You might need to automate a double-click when testing features such as:

• Opening folders or files in a file manager interface.
• Activating inline edit fields on forms or tables.
• Expanding elements that require a double-click to reveal hidden content.
• Triggering custom JavaScript events that respond only to a double-click.

Understanding these scenarios helps you build more precise and realistic automation scripts that match real-world user interactions.

Prerequisites for Using Playwright Java

Before you start automating a double-click action in Playwright Java, make sure your test environment is properly configured. Playwright provides a rich set of APIs for browser automation, but you need to set up the project and import the right dependencies before writing any code.

Setting Up Playwright in Java

To begin, you should have a Playwright Java project created and configured with Maven. This includes adding the Playwright dependency to your pom.xml, initializing the Playwright instance, and launching a browser. If you are new to Playwright setup, you can follow this step-by-step installation guide:

Install Playwright Java (Maven + Eclipse Setup)

Importing the Right Classes and Launching the Browser

Once Playwright is installed, import the required classes in your Java file:

import com.microsoft.playwright.*;

Next, create a Playwright instance, launch a browser, and open a new page context:

Playwright playwright = Playwright.create();
Browser browser = playwright.chromium().launch(new BrowserType.LaunchOptions().setHeadless(false));
Page page = browser.newPage();
page.navigate("your site url");

At this stage, you have everything ready to interact with web elements. The browser window will open, and you can now perform user actions such as clicking, typing, hovering, and, of course, double-clicking on elements using Playwright Java.

Basic Double-Click Using Locator.dblclick()

The simplest way to perform a double-click action in Playwright Java is by using the Locator interface and its built-in dblclick() method. This method directly targets the element you want to interact with and performs a double-click just like a real user would.

In most cases, you will first locate the element using Playwright’s locator methods, such as page.locator() or page.getByText(), and then call dblclick() on that element. This approach is preferred because Playwright automatically waits for the element to be visible, enabled, and ready for interaction.

Here’s a Playwright Java dblclick example that demonstrates a simple double-click scenario and verifies the expected outcome:

package com.examples.test;

import com.microsoft.playwright.*;

public class DoubleClickExample {
	public static void main(String[] args) {
		try (Playwright playwright = Playwright.create()) {
			Browser browser = playwright.chromium().launch(new BrowserType.LaunchOptions().setHeadless(false));
			Page page = browser.newPage();

			// Navigate to a sample page that handles double-click events
			page.navigate("https://only-testing-blog.blogspot.com/2025/04/playwright-practice-page.html");

			page.dblclick("#doubleClickBtn");

			// Verify that text is updated after double-click
			String output = page.locator("#doubleClickOutput").textContent();
			if (output.contains("Double clicked!")) {
				System.out.println("Test Passed: Double-click action updated text to 'Double clicked!'.");
			} else {
				System.out.println("Test Failed: Text was not updated as expected.");
			}

			browser.close();
		}
	}
}

In the above Playwright double click example Java, the script:

• Launches a Chromium browser
• Opens a demo page that responds to a double-click event
• Locates the button and performs a double-click using locator.dblclick()
• Validates that the text changes to “Double clicked!” after the double-click

This example not only acts but also verifies the result, making it a complete and reliable demonstration of how to automate and test a double-click in Playwright Java.

Using Mouse Actions for Double-Click (Alternative Method)

Sometimes, the locator.dblclick() method might not work as expected in dynamic web pages or when elements are partially hidden behind other components. In such cases, using Playwright Java mouse actions provides more control and reliability. With this approach, you can manually move the mouse to exact coordinates and perform a double-click action at the desired location.

The page.mouse() API lets you move the pointer, click, double-click, or even drag elements with precision. This method is especially useful when dealing with complex UIs, canvas elements, or when you need coordinate-based control.

Here’s a practical Playwright double-click example in Java using mouse actions on the practice page button:

package com.examples.test;

import com.microsoft.playwright.*;
import com.microsoft.playwright.options.BoundingBox;
import com.microsoft.playwright.options.WaitForSelectorState;

public class MouseDoubleClickFix1 {
	public static void main(String[] args) {
		try (Playwright playwright = Playwright.create()) {
			Browser browser = playwright.chromium().launch(new BrowserType.LaunchOptions().setHeadless(false));
			Page page = browser.newPage();
			page.navigate("https://only-testing-blog.blogspot.com/2025/04/playwright-practice-page.html");

			Locator button = page.locator("#doubleClickBtn");
			// ensure visible and stable
			button.waitFor(new Locator.WaitForOptions().setState(WaitForSelectorState.VISIBLE));
			button.scrollIntoViewIfNeeded();

			BoundingBox box = button.boundingBox();
			if (box == null) {
				System.out.println("Could not get bounding box. Element might be inside an iframe.");
			} else {
				double x = box.x + box.width / 2;
				double y = box.y + box.height / 2;

				// Move pointer first (helps with some dynamic UIs) then dblclick
				page.mouse().dblclick(x, y);

				// verify
				Locator output = page.locator("#doubleClickOutput");
				output.waitFor();
				String text = output.textContent();
				System.out.println("Message after double-click: " + text);
			}

			browser.close();
		}
	}
}

In this example, the scrollIntoViewIfNeeded() method plays a crucial role by ensuring that the target button is visible within the browser viewport before performing the double-click. This reduces the chances of failures caused by hidden or off-screen elements.

Using Playwright Java mouse actions like page.mouse().dblclick(x, y) is highly effective when you need fine-grained control over interactions, particularly in advanced UI automation scenarios.

Locating Elements Correctly for the Double-Click Action

Before performing a double-click in Playwright Java, it’s essential to ensure that your locator accurately identifies the target element. A precise locator improves test reliability and minimizes flaky behavior, especially in dynamic or complex web pages.

Playwright provides several locator strategies such as CSS selectors, XPath, text-based locators, and role-based locators. Each method serves a unique purpose depending on how your page is structured:

• CSS Selector: Best for identifying elements using IDs, classes, or attributes.
  Example: Locator button = page.locator("#doubleClickBtn");
  • You can explore more examples of CSS selectors in Playwright Java in this detailed guide: Playwright Java CSS Selector.
• XPath: Useful when elements don’t have stable CSS attributes or are deeply nested in the DOM.
  Example: Locator button = page.locator("//button[@id='doubleClickBtn']");
  • Learn more in this complete tutorial: Playwright Java XPath Locator.
• Role-Based Locator: Helps identify elements based on their ARIA roles, which makes your tests more accessible and readable.
  Example: Locator button = page.getByRole(AriaRole.BUTTON, new Page.GetByRoleOptions().setName("Double Click Me"));
  • For an in-depth explanation, visit: getByRole in Playwright Java.
• Text Locator: Ideal for selecting elements based on their visible text content.
  Example: Locator button = page.getByText("Double Click Me");
  • Learn how to use this method effectively in: Selector by Text in Playwright Java.

When automating a Playwright Java locator double-click, follow these best practices:

1. Use stable attributes like id, name, or data-testid for long-term reliability.
2. Avoid complex XPath expressions since they can break easily when the DOM changes.
3. Ensure element visibility using scrollIntoViewIfNeeded() before performing the double-click.
4. Wait for visibility or stability using: button.waitFor(new Locator.WaitForOptions().setState(WaitForSelectorState.VISIBLE));
5. Handle dynamic or hidden elements by waiting for transitions, loaders, or animations to complete before interaction.

Following these locator strategies and synchronization techniques ensures your Playwright Java double-click tests run smoothly and interact with the correct elements every time.

Summary & Next Steps

In this tutorial, you learned how to double-click in Playwright Java using different approaches. We explored how the locator.dblclick() method simplifies element interaction and how Playwright Java mouse actions provide more precision when dealing with dynamic or complex UIs. You also learned best practices for choosing reliable locators and ensuring elements are visible before performing a double-click.

By combining these methods, you can automate advanced user interactions such as editing fields, opening folders, or triggering custom events that depend on a double-click.

Now that you understand double-click actions, try experimenting with other mouse-based operations like drag and drop, hover, or right-click in Playwright Java to expand your automation skills.

You can continue learning with this related guide:
How to Click on Element in Playwright Java

Practicing these techniques will help you create more robust, user-realistic, and maintainable Playwright Java automation tests.

Aravind QA Automation Engineer & Technical Blogger

Aravind is a QA Automation Engineer and technical blogger specializing in Playwright, Selenium, and AI in software testing. He shares practical tutorials to help QA professionals improve their automation skills.

See Full Bio

Selenium Testing Playwright automation Software quality assurance Codeless test automation JMeter performance testing Appium mobile automation Excel for test data management End-to-end testing