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To set up Selenium in Microsoft Visual Studio, add the Selenium.WebDriver NuGet package to a C#/.NET project, then run a short program that starts a browser, visits a page, and quits. Selenium’s bindings use Selenium Manager by default for browser and driver management, so a separate manual driver download is not normally the first step.

What you need

  • Microsoft Visual Studio with a C#/.NET project, such as a Console App.
  • A working .NET SDK for the project.
  • A supported browser installed on the machine if you plan to launch it locally. This walkthrough uses Chrome.

This is for Microsoft Visual Studio, not Visual Studio Code. The Selenium package and .NET code apply to .NET projects; Visual Studio Code has separate editor setup.

Install Selenium in your Visual Studio project

Option 1: Use NuGet Package Manager

  1. In Visual Studio, select the project that will run the automation.
  2. Open NuGet Package Manager for that project and search for Selenium.WebDriver.
  3. Install the package and allow NuGet to restore dependencies.

Confirm the package was added to the intended project before building. Selenium’s official install guide documents the NuGet route and other supported installation forms: Selenium library installation.

Option 2: Use the .NET CLI

Open a terminal in the directory containing the project file and run:

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dotnet add package Selenium.WebDriver

This adds the package reference to that project. The CLI is convenient for repeatable setup; NuGet Package Manager is convenient when you are already working in Visual Studio.

Option 3: Add a PackageReference

Selenium also documents adding a package reference directly to an SDK-style project file. The version below reflects the Selenium downloads page listing when checked on October 3, 2026; use the current version listed by Selenium if it has changed:

<ItemGroup>
  <PackageReference Include="Selenium.WebDriver" Version="4.49.0" />
</ItemGroup>

Selenium lists .NET/C# 4.49.0 as stable, released September 9, 2026. Check the official downloads page for current versions rather than treating this version as permanent.

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Run a first Selenium browser session

For a simple smoke test, place this in the project’s entry point. It opens Chrome, fills in Selenium’s sample web form, submits it, prints the result, and closes the browser.

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using OpenQA.Selenium;
using OpenQA.Selenium.Chrome;

using var driver = new ChromeDriver();
driver.Navigate().GoToUrl("https://www.selenium.dev/selenium/web/web-form.html");

var textBox = driver.FindElement(By.Name("my-text"));
textBox.SendKeys("Selenium in Visual Studio");
driver.FindElement(By.TagName("button")).Click();

var message = driver.FindElement(By.Id("message")).Text;
Console.WriteLine(message);

driver.Quit();

The namespaces and interaction pattern follow Selenium’s official C# first-script example. In a longer-running program, ensure the driver is closed even if an operation throws; disposing the driver with a using declaration helps with cleanup.

How browser and driver setup works

Selenium Manager is included in Selenium’s normal driver workflow. Selenium describes it as a command-line tool for automated driver and browser management, and its bindings use it by default. For many standard local setups, creating new ChromeDriver() is enough to let Selenium resolve the driver without a separate manual download.

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If startup fails, check the installed browser, machine permissions, network restrictions, and the exact exception text. Managed or restricted machines may prevent downloads or browser launches; Selenium Manager’s default behavior does not guarantee that every environment can access what it needs.

Move from a smoke test to a test suite

A one-off console program is useful for confirming that package installation and browser startup work. For repeatable checks, put automation in a .NET test project and use a test runner so cases, setup, teardown, and assertions are organized. Selenium’s .NET guidance discusses test organization and names Visual Studio as an IDE option; it does not make a particular test framework mandatory for a first script. The organizing guide also notes that portions are incomplete, so consult the chosen framework’s own current documentation for framework-specific setup: Selenium test organization.

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Troubleshooting

Visual Studio cannot find Selenium namespaces

Check that Selenium.WebDriver is installed in the project containing the code, then restore NuGet packages and rebuild. Installing the package into a different project in the solution will not make its namespaces available here.

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Chrome does not start

Confirm Chrome is installed and can be launched under the same user account as Visual Studio. Review the complete exception for a driver-resolution, browser-launch, permission, or network error. Selenium Manager handles browser and driver management by default, but network policies or restricted permissions can still block that process.

The browser opens but an element is not found

Verify that the page loaded the expected content and that the locator matches the current page. An element may not exist yet when code searches immediately; for dynamic pages, use an explicit wait for the relevant condition rather than relying on a fixed short delay.

The program leaves a browser process running

Close the driver on every exit path. Call Quit() when the session ends, and use disposal or a try/finally cleanup pattern if later code can fail before the normal shutdown line.

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Or skip the browser setup

If your goal is to capture a page rather than interact with it, ScreenshotNeo can return a screenshot or PDF from one GET request. For example, with cURL:

curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://www.selenium.dev/selenium/web/web-form.html -o shot.webp

See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for parameters and response details. It removes cookie banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture; bot checks, blank pages, and failed loads are never billed; an MCP server lets AI agents take screenshots; and 1,000 screenshots per month are free with no card, with paid plans starting at $5 for 3,000. Learn about ScreenshotNeo or sign up for 1,000 free screenshots a month, with no card.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to download ChromeDriver separately?

Not usually. Selenium’s bindings use Selenium Manager by default to manage browser and driver setup, though environment restrictions can still interfere.

Which Selenium package should I install for a C# project?

Install the NuGet package named Selenium.WebDriver.

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