Tutorial: Record Your First Test
Install the ContextQA Recorder, capture a real browser workflow as test steps, and run the recorded test — building a complete web test case without writing code or describing a single step.
Who is this for? New users and testers who want to create their first web test by clicking through their application. You install the ContextQA Recorder, record a live browser workflow, and run the test — no code and no written steps required.
Recording is the fastest way to turn an existing workflow into an automated test. You interact with your application the way a user would — signing in, navigating, filling forms — and the ContextQA Recorder captures every click, text entry, and navigation as an editable test step. This is ideal for click-heavy flows where describing each step would take longer than performing it.
In this tutorial you will:
Install the ContextQA Recorder Chrome extension
Start a recording session against a live URL
Capture a real workflow as test steps
Save the recorded test and run it
End result: A complete web test case, built entirely from your recorded browser actions, that runs against a real browser and captures screenshots, video, and network logs on every execution.
Prerequisites
A ContextQA account with at least one workspace (sign up)
A plan with the Record & Play feature enabled (recording requires a paid plan)
Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge
The URL of a web application you can interact with, and one workflow to record (for example, signing in or running a search)
Familiarity with core concepts — specifically test cases and steps
Recording works for web applications only. To automate mobile apps, see Creating mobile tests. To create web tests by describing them in plain English instead, see the Quickstart guide.
Step 1: Install the ContextQA Recorder
The recorder runs as a Chrome extension that captures your browser actions and streams them into ContextQA as test steps.
In the left sidebar, select Test Cases.
Click the + button and select Record & Play.
If the extension is not installed, the panel shows a ContextQA Chrome Extension Required card. Click Install ContextQA Extension to open the ContextQA Test Automation extension in the Chrome Web Store.
On the Chrome Web Store page, click Add to Chrome, then confirm the installation.
Enable the extension in incognito mode so it can capture actions in private windows. Open
chrome://extensions, find ContextQA Test Automation, click Details, and turn on Allow in Incognito.Return to ContextQA and select I already have the extension installed → to recheck for the extension.
Verify it worked: The Record & Play panel shows a green ContextQA Extension detected banner with the message "You're ready to start recording test actions." If you still see the installation card, close and reopen the creation panel to trigger a fresh detection.
The extension is free, installs in seconds, and works with both Chrome and Microsoft Edge (Edge uses the same Chrome Web Store listing).
Step 2: Configure the recording session
With the extension detected, tell ContextQA which page to open and what must happen before recording starts.
In the Target URL field, enter the starting URL for your workflow. For example:
(Optional) Under Prerequisites, select one or more existing test cases that must run before this one — for example, a test that puts the application into a logged-in state. Leave this empty if your recording starts from a clean session.
Review the What happens next note. It confirms that clicking Start Recording opens your URL in a new tab with the recorder active.
Verify it worked: The Target URL field shows a valid URL with no error message, and the Start Recording button is enabled. If the button stays disabled, check that the URL starts with http:// or https://.
Step 3: Record your workflow
Now capture the actual workflow. Every interaction you perform in the new tab becomes a test step.
Click Start Recording. ContextQA opens your target URL in a new browser tab with the recorder active.
Interact with your application exactly as a user would. For a login flow, for example:
Enter an email address in the email field.
Enter a password in the password field.
Click the Sign in button.
Wait for the dashboard or landing page to load.
Continue through the rest of the workflow you want to test. The recorder captures each click, text entry, and navigation as a discrete step in real time.
When you finish the workflow, click the ContextQA Recorder icon in your browser toolbar and select Stop to end the session and save.
Verify it worked: ContextQA closes the recording tab and returns you to the test case, where each action you performed appears as a numbered step in the Test Steps Editor.
Record deliberate actions. The recorder captures everything you do, including accidental clicks and dead-end navigations. Move through the workflow at a steady pace and avoid clicking outside your intended flow. You can delete or reorder any captured step afterward in the Test Steps Editor.
Step 4: Review, name, and run the test
Recorded steps are ordinary ContextQA steps — you can edit them, add assertions, and run the test like any other.
Give the test case a descriptive name, such as
Sign in — recorded.Review the captured steps in order. Each step shows the action performed and the element it targeted.
Add a verification step to confirm the workflow succeeded. Click Add Step, then describe what to check — for example, "Verify the dashboard heading is visible".
Remove any accidental steps by selecting the step and clicking the delete icon.
Click Run in the top toolbar, select an execution environment, and click Run again.
When execution finishes, click View Detailed Report to review the results.
Verify it worked: The execution report shows each step with a pass or fail indicator, a screenshot, and captured network and console logs. A passing run confirms your recorded workflow is now a repeatable automated test.
All steps pass
The recorded workflow runs cleanly end to end
A navigation step fails
The starting URL or a link changed — update the step's target
A click or input step fails
The element moved or was renamed — AI self-healing repairs most of these automatically
Summary
You built a web test case entirely from recorded browser actions:
Installed the ContextQA Recorder Chrome extension and confirmed ContextQA detected it
Configured a recording session with a target URL and optional prerequisites
Recorded a live workflow, capturing each interaction as an editable test step
Named, reviewed, and ran the test, then inspected the per-step evidence
Recording gives you a working test in the time it takes to click through a flow once — a strong starting point you can refine with assertions, data, and reusable steps.
Next steps
Add assertions: Strengthen the test by verifying outcomes at key points. See the Test Steps Editor.
Make the test data-driven: Run the same recorded flow across many input sets. See Tutorial: Data-driven testing.
Extract reusable steps: Turn the recorded sign-in sequence into a step group you can share across tests. See Tutorial: Creating and reusing step groups.
Handle tricky flows: Configure a knowledge base so the test agent can dismiss cookie banners or handle multi-factor authentication during recording and playback.
Run in CI/CD: Add the test to a plan and trigger it from your pipeline. See GitHub Actions.
Related pages
Creating test cases — all four authoring methods, including Record & Play, AI assistance, import, and manual creation
Test Steps Editor — edit, reorder, and enrich recorded steps
Debugging test cases — diagnose and fix steps that fail on playback
AI self-healing — how ContextQA repairs recorded steps when the UI changes
Running tests — execution options for test cases, suites, and plans
Record your first test in minutes — no code required. Start Free Trial → — Or Book a Demo → to see recording with your own application.
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