In the first case you need a locator, in the second case your locator found too many elements.
You do need to be interested in the exact elements (even if it can be any element on page), how will you else locate them and assert if the text is visible ?
You should find an element on the page by using the text as locator, and check if its present, thereby knowing the text is on page e.g.
UPDATE
comments are correct and i found that there's more correct ways to implement this, you should do as following instead - above reasoning still persists.
const element = await expect(page.getByText('QUEUED')).toBeVisible();
so you should care about finding a element regardless of what element it is, as long as you'r trying to verify its presence on the page.
Answer from robskaar on Stack OverflowPlaywright
playwright.dev › locators
Locators | Playwright
Use the page.getByText() method to locate an element in a list by its text content and then click on it.
Playwright
playwright.dev › locator
Locator | Playwright
// Set custom test id attribute from @playwright/test config: import { defineConfig } from '@playwright/test'; export default defineConfig({ use: { testIdAttribute: 'data-pw' }, }); ... Allows locating elements that contain given text.
playwright - Unable to click on any element using GetByText - Stack Overflow
I am using playwright with c# .net. When I tried to click on element using getByRole or xpath, It is working fine. When I tried using getByText or getByTitle neither it is giving error nor it is cl... More on stackoverflow.com
What is the method to locate and extract text from a specific HTML element using Playwright?
"This question/answer pair provides a detailed explanation on how to use Playwright's `getByText()` method to extract text from specific HTML elements like ` ` or ``." More on ray.run
1
0
July 20, 2023typescript - How to check for some text on a webpage using playwright? - Stack Overflow
As others have said you should use .getByText(). To the best of my knowledge playwright does not have an assertion that can do freetext/regex matching against a whole page so this is the only way. More on stackoverflow.com
Playwright selecting element with text= or hastext with exact match - Stack Overflow
Without sufficient context, this is intended as a supplement to the existing (already very good) answers for future reference, since the question is the canonical for "selecting by text" in Playwright. That said, one could use getByText as a drop-in with this answer. More on stackoverflow.com
Videos
18:01
Playwright Tutorial #9 - getByText() | getByLabel ...
01:15
Handling Visibility in Playwright: getByText vs. getByRole - YouTube
07:13
Playwright getByTitle() and getByText() Locators Explained ...
11:06
13. Mastering getByText() Locator in Playwright – Multiple ...
S#5: getByText & getByLabel Built-in Locators in Playwright ...
Medium
medium.com › @liubotester › understanding-getbytext-and-why-it-can-surprise-you-b4c889511fbb
How getByText works in Playwright and why it can surprise you | by Liubotester | Medium
June 11, 2025 - 1️⃣ Override Page.prototype.getByText() in globalSetup so every page.getByText() call automatically uses { exact: true }. This is a technically elegant, global fix — but may be confusing to those used to Playwright’s default behavior.
Momentic
momentic.ai › blog › playwright-locators-guide
Playwright Locators Guide: getByRole, getByText, getByLabel, CSS & XPath | Momentic
October 22, 2025 - This guide will explore the entire spectrum of Playwright locators, from the highly recommended user-facing selectors like getByRole to the necessary fallbacks of CSS and XPath, empowering you to build a test automation suite that is not just functional but truly reliable.
Playwright
playwright.dev › page
Page | Playwright
// Set custom test id attribute from @playwright/test config: import { defineConfig } from '@playwright/test'; export default defineConfig({ use: { testIdAttribute: 'data-pw' }, }); ... Allows locating elements that contain given text.
DEV Community
dev.to › playwright › handling-visibility-in-playwright-getbytext-vs-getbyrole-2ni6
Handling Visibility in Playwright: getByText vs. getByRole - DEV Community
March 18, 2025 - getByRole inherently filters out hidden elements, whereas getByText and other locators do not, which can lead to unintended interactions. If you're using getByText or other locators, remember to explicitly filter for visibility when needed.
Stack Overflow
stackoverflow.com › questions › 76778747 › unable-to-click-on-any-element-using-getbytext
playwright - Unable to click on any element using GetByText - Stack Overflow
I am using playwright with c# .net. When I tried to click on element using getByRole or xpath, It is working fine. When I tried using getByText or getByTitle neither it is giving error nor it is cl...
QA Wiki
ray.run › rayrun › questions › what is the method to locate and extract text from a specific html element using playwright?
What is the method to locate and extract text from a specific HTML element using Playwright?
July 20, 2023 - You can use Playwright's page.getByText() method to extract text from specific HTML elements like <div> or <span>. This method locates an element based on its text content.
Top answer 1 of 5
15
In the first case you need a locator, in the second case your locator found too many elements.
You do need to be interested in the exact elements (even if it can be any element on page), how will you else locate them and assert if the text is visible ?
You should find an element on the page by using the text as locator, and check if its present, thereby knowing the text is on page e.g.
UPDATE
comments are correct and i found that there's more correct ways to implement this, you should do as following instead - above reasoning still persists.
const element = await expect(page.getByText('QUEUED')).toBeVisible();
so you should care about finding a element regardless of what element it is, as long as you'r trying to verify its presence on the page.
2 of 5
3
You can check the text anywhere on the page like this:
await expect(
page.getByRole('main').filter({hasText: "Lorem ipsum, bla, bla, bla"}),
).toBeTruthy();
Playwright
playwright.dev › other locators
Other locators | Playwright .NET
var parent = page.GetByText("Hello").Locator("xpath=..");
Playwright
playwright.dev › locatorassertions
LocatorAssertions | Playwright
// A specific element is visible. await expect(page.getByText('Welcome')).toBeVisible(); // At least one item in the list is visible. await expect(page.getByTestId('todo-item').first()).toBeVisible(); // At least one of the two elements is visible, ...
Playwright
playwright.dev › other locators
Other locators | Playwright
const parent = page.getByText('Hello').locator('xpath=..');
Playwright
playwright.dev › migrating from testing library
Migrating from Testing Library | Playwright
// Testing Library const messages = screen.getByTestId('messages'); const helloMessage = within(messages).getByText('hello'); // Playwright const messages = component.getByTestId('messages'); const helloMessage = messages.getByText('hello');
Testmu
testmu.ai › testmu ai › blog › how to use playwright locators: a detailed guide | testmu ai
How to Use Playwright Locators: A Detailed Guide | TestMu AI (Formerly LambdaTest)
January 13, 2026 - These are the built-in locators that Playwright supports: page.getByRole(): Locates elements by explicit and implicit accessibility attributes. page.getByText(): Locates elements by their text content.
DEV Community
dev.to › playwright › playwright-now-has-new-getby-apis-1iad
Playwright now has new getBy* APIs - DEV Community
October 31, 2022 - Now Playwright has this guidance in the shape and form of these beautiful 7 methods. A designated API on how you create locators complete with type checking. If you use these methods exclusively then you will have really reliable and good tests. page.getByRole(role, options) page.getByLabel(label, options) page.getByPlaceholder(placeholder, options) page.getByText(text, options) page.getByAltText(altText, options) page.getByTitle(title, options) page.getByTestId(testId) The number one recommendation is to use the getByRole query first.
Playwright
playwright.dev › actions
Actions | Playwright
// Hit Enter await page.getByText('Submit').press('Enter'); // Dispatch Control+Right await page.getByRole('textbox').press('Control+ArrowRight'); // Press $ sign on keyboard await page.getByRole('textbox').press('$');
Top answer 1 of 5
12
text body can be escaped with single or double quotes to search for a text node with exact content
pageNumberButton(page, table_id, page_number) {
page.locator(`[aria-controls=${table_id}]`)
.filter({ has: page.locator(`text="${page_number}"`) });
}
2 of 5
11
I found an option. Create a regex object and pass that in for hasText.
pageNumberButton(page, table_id, page_number) {
const regexNumber = new RegExp(`^${page_number}$`);
page.locator(`[aria-controls=${table_id}]`, {hasText: regexNumber});
}`
GitHub
github.com › microsoft › playwright › issues › 19235
[Feature] Add global setting to make getByText default to exact: true · Issue #19235 · microsoft/playwright
December 2, 2022 - The default behaviour in Testing Library is { exact: true }, while Playwright defaults to { exact: false }. Naturally this is bound to catch people out. It would be useful to have at least a global setting to change the default to { exac...
Author jpveooys
Playwright
playwright.dev › elementhandle
ElementHandle | Playwright
const locator = page.getByText('Submit'); // ...
BrowserStack
browserstack.com › home › guide › how to get the text of an element using the playwright in 2026
How to get the text of an element using the Playwright in 2026 | BrowserStack
November 18, 2025 - Some of the commonly used locators include: getByRole: Locates elements by their role in the page, such as a button, link, or heading. getByText: Locates elements based on their visible text.