If you're looking for Playwright software to download, here's the short answer: Playwright doesn't have a setup.exe or .dmg. It's a free, open-source library from Microsoft that you add to a project with one command. That command also downloads the browsers Playwright controls (Chromium, Firefox and WebKit), so you get everything in about two minutes.
Quick install (JavaScript): install Node.js 20+, open a terminal in an empty folder, run npm init playwright@latest, then npx playwright test. Done.
What Is Playwright Software?
Playwright is an end-to-end testing and browser automation framework. You write tests in JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Java or C#, and Playwright drives real browsers to click, type and check results. It's used for automated testing of web apps, and also for scraping, PDF generation and workflow automation. For the full background, see What Is Playwright?
What's Included in Playwright Software
| Component | What it does |
|---|---|
| Playwright library | The API that controls browsers: goto, click, fill, locators |
| Playwright Test | Test runner with assertions, fixtures, parallel runs, retries and reports |
| Browsers | Patched builds of Chromium, Firefox and WebKit, downloaded on install |
| Codegen | Records your clicks and writes test code (tutorial) |
| UI Mode | Visual runner to watch, pick and debug tests (tutorial) |
| Trace Viewer | Step-by-step replay of a failed run (tutorial) |
| HTML report | Shareable test results with screenshots and traces |
Is Playwright Software Free?
Yes, completely. Playwright is licensed under Apache 2.0: free for personal and commercial use, with no paid edition, seat limits or locked features. The only paid product with the Playwright name is Microsoft's optional cloud service for running tests on hosted browsers. See Is Playwright free? for the details.
System Requirements
- Node.js 20 or newer for the JavaScript/TypeScript version (current Playwright releases require it). Python, Java and .NET versions need their own runtimes.
- Operating system: a recent version of Windows, macOS, or Linux (Debian and Ubuntu are officially supported).
- Disk space: roughly 1 GB for the three browsers.
- Editor: optional, but VS Code with the official extension is the most comfortable setup.
How to Download and Install Playwright
Step 1: Install Node.js
Download the LTS version from nodejs.org and check it in a terminal:
node -v # should print v20 or higher
Step 2: Create a Playwright project
mkdir my-tests && cd my-tests npm init playwright@latest
Answer the prompts: choose JavaScript or TypeScript, keep tests as the folder, add a GitHub Actions workflow if you want CI, and let it install the browsers.
Step 3 (Linux only): system libraries
npx playwright install --with-deps
Stuck on a proxy, a corporate laptop or a permissions error? The detailed install guide covers the common fixes. Can't install anything at all? Try running Playwright online.
The Playwright VS Code Extension
Search for "Playwright Test for VSCode" (published by Microsoft) in the Extensions panel. It adds a Testing sidebar where you can run or debug any test with one click, pick locators by hovering over the page, and record new tests with codegen without leaving the editor.
Installing Playwright for Python, Java or .NET
| Language | Install |
|---|---|
| Python | pip install pytest-playwright then playwright install |
| Java | Add the com.microsoft.playwright dependency in Maven or Gradle |
| .NET | dotnet add package Microsoft.Playwright then run the install script |
Language-specific guides: Python, Java, JavaScript.
Installed? That was the easy part. Most people stall at the next step: turning one example test into a suite their team trusts. See the 2-step plan to get there →
Your First Run
npx playwright test # run the example tests in 3 browsers npx playwright show-report # open the HTML report npx playwright test --ui # open UI Mode npx playwright codegen playwright.dev # record a new test
Then work through the 20 Playwright script examples to learn the API by doing.
Playwright vs Playwright MCP vs Playwright Workspaces
| Name | What it is | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Playwright | The open-source testing framework on this page | Free |
| Playwright MCP Server | Lets AI assistants like Claude drive a browser through Playwright (explained) | Free |
| Playwright Workspaces | Microsoft's Azure cloud service that runs your tests on hosted browsers (details) | Paid by usage |
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I download Playwright software?
There is no separate installer. Playwright is installed from npm (JavaScript/TypeScript), pip (Python), Maven (Java) or NuGet (.NET). For JavaScript, run npm init playwright@latest in an empty folder; it installs the package and downloads the browsers it needs.
Is Playwright software free?
Yes. Playwright is open source under the Apache 2.0 licence and free for personal and commercial use. Microsoft's optional cloud service, Playwright Workspaces in Azure App Testing, is paid by usage, but the framework itself costs nothing.
Does Playwright work on Windows?
Yes. Playwright runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. On Windows, install Node.js, open PowerShell or the VS Code terminal in a project folder, and run npm init playwright@latest.
What are the system requirements for Playwright?
For the JavaScript version you need Node.js 20 or newer on a recent Windows, macOS or Linux release, plus around 1 GB of free disk space for the browsers. On Linux, npx playwright install --with-deps also installs the system libraries the browsers need.
Is Playwright made by Microsoft?
Yes. Playwright is developed and maintained by Microsoft as an open-source project on GitHub. Several members of the team previously built Puppeteer at Google.
Asim Noaman
Senior QA Automation Engineer & AI Testing Specialist
With years of hands-on experience building test automation frameworks for production applications, Asim specializes in combining traditional QA methodologies with cutting-edge AI tools. He has helped teams adopt Playwright and AI-driven testing workflows to ship faster with fewer bugs.
You've Got the Software
Installing Playwright Takes 2 Minutes. Mastering It Is the Valuable Part.
The Playwright + Claude AI course picks up right where this page ends: your first test, then locators, Page Objects, API testing, CI/CD, and AI test generation with the Playwright MCP Server. All in JavaScript, all hands-on.
- Step-by-step videos from install to a CI pipeline
- Claude AI + Playwright MCP Server for writing and fixing tests
- A portfolio framework to show in interviews
- 4.5★ on Udemy, 510+ students, 30-day money-back guarantee
Ready now? Enroll on Udemy · Already know Playwright? Take the practice tests