Use Selenium’s tag-name locator with the HTML tag, without angle brackets. In Python, for example: driver.find_element(By.TAG_NAME, "a") finds one anchor element. Use the plural method, find_elements, when you need all matching elements.
Find an element by tag name
Pass the tag as a string to the tag-name locator. The tag must be the name used in the page’s HTML, such as a, input, button, or tr—not a value in angle brackets.
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Python
from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By
element = driver.find_element(By.TAG_NAME, "a")The current Selenium Python API reference also demonstrates locating a div with By.TAG_NAME.
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WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.tagName("a"));C#
driver.FindElement(By.TagName("a"));Selenium’s locator documentation shows these language-specific forms. A tag-name locator matches the element type; it does not identify an element by its class, ID, text, or other attribute.
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Find all elements with a tag
Use the plural finder to collect all matching elements. For example, in Python:
inputs = driver.find_elements(By.TAG_NAME, "input")
for input_element in inputs:
print(input_element.get_attribute("type"))The singular finder returns one matching element; the plural finder returns a collection. If no elements match, the plural finder returns an empty list rather than reporting a missing-element error. See Selenium’s documentation on finding elements.
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Choose a locator that identifies the right element
Tag-name lookup is useful when the element type itself is what you need, or when you intentionally want a collection such as all links or inputs. It can be too broad for selecting one particular control: pages commonly contain many elements with the same tag. Selenium cautions that tag name can be a dangerous locator strategy.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems- One specific element: Prefer a unique, consistently predictable ID when the page provides one. This is Selenium’s general locator guidance.
- A known section: Find the parent first, then search inside it to narrow the matches.
- Every element of a type: Use the plural finder and inspect the returned elements or apply further criteria.
For example, to find an input within a particular form in Python:
form = driver.find_element(By.ID, "contact-form")
email_input = form.find_element(By.TAG_NAME, "input")Replace contact-form with the actual unique ID in your page. Selenium documents searching within a parent element as a way to scope a lookup: element finders and scoped searches.
Common problems and fixes
- No element found with the singular finder: Check that the tag exists in the current page and that you used its name without angle brackets. If the element is not present yet, wait for the page or relevant content to load before locating it.
- The plural finder returns an empty list: Selenium found no elements matching that tag at lookup time. Confirm the current page and tag, and account for content that loads dynamically.
- You get the wrong element: A tag-only locator may match several nodes. Use a unique ID or locate a known parent and search within it.
- A collection contains more elements than expected: That is normal when the tag is shared across the page. Inspect attributes or narrow the search context instead of assuming the first match is the intended one.
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Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Frequently Asked Questions
Does Selenium’s tag-name locator include angle brackets?
No. Pass the tag string, such as `”button”`, not `”
Quick Recap
What does Selenium return when `find_elements` has no matches?
It returns an empty list.
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