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How to Run Selenium Tests with JavaScript Disabled

Use Firefox’s Selenium Options API to set javascript.enabled to false for a test session, then assert the page’s specific no-script behavior.
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To test a page with JavaScript disabled in an automated Selenium test, use Firefox and set its `javascript.enabled` preference to `false` before building the WebDriver session. This disables JavaScript executed by the page, not JavaScript in your Node.js test runner.

Disable page JavaScript in a Selenium Firefox session

Selenium’s Firefox Options API lets you set browser preferences for the session. Mozilla identifies `javascript.enabled` as the preference that controls JavaScript. Create the options before calling `build()`:

const { Builder, Browser } = require('selenium-webdriver');
const firefox = require('selenium-webdriver/firefox');

async function runTest() {
  const options = new firefox.Options()
    .setPreference('javascript.enabled', false);

  const driver = await new Builder()
    .forBrowser(Browser.FIREFOX)
    .setFirefoxOptions(options)
    .build();

  try {
    await driver.get('https://example.com');

    // Replace this with an assertion for the no-script behavior
    // that matters on the page under test.
    const title = await driver.getTitle();
    if (!title) {
      throw new Error('Expected the page to have a title');
    }
  } finally {
    await driver.quit();
  }
}

runTest().catch((error) => {
  console.error(error);
  process.exitCode = 1;
});

The title check only demonstrates where an assertion belongs; it does not prove that a particular page behaves correctly without scripts. Assert a page-specific outcome, such as whether script-dependent content or controls are absent, or whether a fallback message is present. The Selenium and Firefox APIs document the preference setup, not a universal assertion for every site.

Install Selenium and meet the runtime requirements

  1. Install the JavaScript binding with npm install selenium-webdriver. The Selenium JavaScript API documentation currently lists Node.js 22 or newer as a requirement; check it again when setting up, because requirements can change.

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  2. Install Firefox. Selenium Manager handles browser-driver installation according to the JavaScript API documentation.

  3. Save the example as a JavaScript file and run it with Node.js. The browser preference affects the Firefox session, not Node.js itself.

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Why the Firefox setup is session-specific

Set the preference when creating the WebDriver session, before build(). Selenium’s Firefox Options API documents setPreference, and its Firefox WebDriver documentation describes the isolated profile used by FirefoxDriver. Avoid using a long-lived personal browser profile for this test; WebDriver’s profile handling is intended to keep session configuration separate.

What about Chrome?

The official Chrome instructions document a manual check: open DevTools, open the Command Menu, choose “Disable JavaScript,” and reload the page. JavaScript stays disabled in that tab while DevTools remains open. This is useful for inspecting a page by hand, but the cited instructions do not establish this as an automated WebDriver startup setting. See Chrome DevTools: Disable JavaScript.

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Do not assume that a generic javascriptEnabled: false capability is a standard way to disable page JavaScript in current Chrome and Firefox WebDriver sessions. Browser options are browser-specific, and the available Selenium capabilities reference does not substantiate that setting for these real browsers. See the Selenium capabilities documentation and the Firefox options documentation linked above.

Run the session on a remote Selenium server

The Selenium JavaScript API supports setting a server URL on the Builder. For example, add .usingServer('http://selenium-host:4444') to the Builder chain before .build(), while retaining .setFirefoxOptions(options). Use the actual URL of your Selenium server.

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The Firefox API notes that custom profiles are packaged and transferred when creating sessions. A custom browser binary, however, must already exist on the remote host. Check the Selenium server’s browser availability and configuration if the session fails to start.

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Troubleshooting

Or skip the browser setup

If your goal is a screenshot rather than a Selenium assertion, ScreenshotNeo provides a website screenshot API and MCP server. It removes cookie banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture; bot checks, blank pages, and failed loads are never billed. AI agents can take screenshots through its MCP server, and the Free plan includes 1,000 screenshots a month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000.

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One-call cURL example (replace the URL with the page you want to capture):

curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://example.com -o shot.webp

See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options. ScreenshotNeo captures screenshots; it does not replace a Selenium test that verifies a page’s behavior with JavaScript disabled. Learn about ScreenshotNeo or sign up for 1,000 free screenshots a month with no card.

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