Get and assert the current URL in Playwright

Read page.url() synchronously, use retrying URL assertions, and handle query parameters, frames, and popups.

Guance Editorial Team 2026-10-27 3 min read Updated 2026-10-27

Illustration of software development and testing

page.url() synchronously returns the current main-frame URL. You do not need await. To verify a navigation outcome, use await expect(page).toHaveURL(...), which retries until the URL matches. A matching URL does not, by itself, prove that the destination's application data has loaded.

Read the current URL

const { test, expect } = require('@playwright/test');

test('URL after login', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('https://example.com/login');
  // Perform your application's login steps here.
  console.log(page.url());
});

Replace the example URL and login steps with your application's flow. The returned string is a snapshot taken at that moment.

Assert a navigation outcome

// Exact URL.
await expect(page).toHaveURL('https://example.com/dashboard');

// Match a path while allowing additional URL content.
await expect(page).toHaveURL(/\/dashboard/);

// A dynamic path segment. String arguments are not glob patterns.
await expect(page).toHaveURL(/\/user\/[^/]+\/profile(?:[?#].*)?$/);

If you read page.url() before the URL changes, you get the previous address. A retrying assertion expresses the expected destination without relying on that timing. Choose a pattern narrow enough to exclude unintended destinations.

Parse query parameters

const url = new URL(page.url());
console.log(url.pathname);                // For example, /dashboard.
console.log(url.searchParams.get('tab')); // settings for ?tab=settings.

Wait for a URL before reading it

await page.getByRole('link', { name: 'Docs' }).click();
await page.waitForURL(/\/docs/);
console.log(page.url());

Wait separately for the application's readiness condition when URL matching is insufficient, such as a dashboard populated by a later API request.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get an iframe's URL?

page.url() refers to the main frame. Use page.frameLocator('#iframe-id') to locate elements inside an iframe. To read the frame's URL, find the corresponding Frame through methods such as page.frames() and call frame.url().

Do hash-based SPA routes work?

Yes. The fragment is part of the URL, so toHaveURL(/#\/users/) can match it. waitForURL() also handles hash changes without requiring a new document to load.

What about a new tab or popup?

Listen for context.on('page') or register page.waitForEvent('popup') before the triggering action. Each resulting Page has its own .url(); reading one does not read the other.