Use page.goBack() to visit the previous browser-history entry and page.goForward() to visit the next one. Both methods return a promise; they resolve with the main resource response, return null for same-page navigation, and throw if no entry exists in the requested direction.
Go back or forward in the active tab
Call the method on the Puppeteer Page whose history you want to traverse:
const response = await page.goBack();
const nextResponse = await page.goForward();In normal use, choose one direction per action: call goBack() to move to the prior entry, or goForward() to move to the next. The calls above are sequential, so the second traverses forward after the first completes. Both methods accept optional navigation wait settings. See the Page.goBack() reference and the Page.goForward() reference.
Handle the result and unavailable history
The promise resolves to the main resource response when traversal loads a document. For same-page navigation, it resolves to null. If the page has no previous entry for goBack(), or no next entry for goForward(), the method throws. Handle that possibility when the starting history position is uncertain:
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try {
const response = await page.goBack();
if (response === null) {
console.log('History changed without a new document response.');
} else {
console.log('Returned to the previous history entry.');
}
} catch (error) {
console.log('There was no previous history entry to visit.');
}Use the corresponding message or recovery action for goForward() when there may be no forward entry.
Choose when Puppeteer considers navigation complete
Both methods accept WaitForOptions. The documented defaults are a 30,000-millisecond timeout and waitUntil: 'load'. You can set the wait condition and timeout for an individual traversal:
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await page.goBack({
waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded',
timeout: 10000,
});waitUntil may be a lifecycle event name or an array of lifecycle event names. With an array, the wait completes only after all specified events have fired. Select the condition that matches what your next step needs: for example, domcontentloaded does not require waiting for the full load event. A timeout bounds the wait; it does not guarantee that the requested history entry exists.
To change the default navigation timeout for the page, use page.setDefaultNavigationTimeout(timeout). The method’s timeout option is documented in WaitForOptions; the page-level setting is documented at Page.setDefaultNavigationTimeout().
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Coordinate history traversal with other actions
If you need to observe navigation alongside an action that triggers it, start the wait and action together. Starting a separate waitForNavigation() after the action can miss a fast navigation. For a history traversal, use the same coordination pattern:
const [response] = await Promise.all([
page.waitForNavigation({ waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded' }),
page.goBack({ waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded' }),
]);Here both waits are started before traversal is triggered. Since goBack() itself already waits for navigation, a separate waitForNavigation() is usually unnecessary unless your code specifically needs that additional observation. A same-page traversal can yield null, so do not assume that a response object will always be present. Puppeteer documents the race and concurrent-wait pattern in its Page.waitForNavigation() reference.
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Understand single-page app history changes
Puppeteer treats a URL change caused by the History API as navigation, even when the browser does not fetch a new document. This matters for single-page applications: a back or forward action can update the URL and app state without producing a traditional document response. Account for the possibility of a null result and wait for the relevant application state separately if the next test step depends on rendered content.
Troubleshoot common failures
- The call throws because no history entry exists: The active tab has no prior or next entry in that direction. Confirm the page was navigated to another entry first, or treat the missing entry as an expected branch.
- The wait times out: Check whether the selected lifecycle condition is appropriate for the page. A page that does not reach the requested condition within the configured timeout will not complete that wait; choose a suitable
waitUntiland timeout for the task. - The response is
null: This is documented for same-page navigation; it does not by itself mean the call failed. Check the resulting URL or application state if needed. - A separate navigation wait misses the change: Set up
waitForNavigation()before calling the action, usingPromise.all()as shown above. - The method behaves differently from the installed version’s documentation: Match the API reference to the Puppeteer version in your project. The current Page reference identifies version 25.12.0, while the cited
goForward()reference is under the/next/documentation path.
Or skip the browser setup
If your goal is to capture a page rather than automate browser-history controls, ScreenshotNeo provides a one-request screenshot API. For example, this cURL call saves a WebP screenshot of Stripe:
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