# How to open and share a Playwright HTML report

Canonical: https://githtml.com/guides/open-share-playwright-html-report
Published: 2026-11-06
Publisher: WaveTech LLC / gitHtml

Keep the whole Playwright HTML report folder, then open it with npx playwright show-report. Sending only index.html can leave out traces, screenshots, or other files the report needs. If a teammate just needs to know what ran and what failed, send a separate static HTML summary with the run scope, the key result, and a pointer to the full report.

## Open the original report with Playwright

Run the HTML reporter in a project that already has Playwright Test installed. The example writes to the default playwright-report folder and leaves opening the report to you. A failed test run can still produce the report; open it in a separate command so a nonzero test exit status does not skip the viewer.

If someone sends you a ZIP, the index.html should be at its top level for show-report to open the archive directly. If the ZIP instead contains a parent folder, extract it and pass the directory containing index.html. Keep the other files alongside that entry point. If the report opens but one attachment fails, check whether the file is missing from the archive or the report points to a separate attachment host.

````sh
PLAYWRIGHT_HTML_OPEN=never npx playwright test --reporter=html
npx playwright show-report playwright-report

# For a ZIP whose top level contains index.html:
npx playwright show-report playwright-report.zip
````

## Keep the evidence with the original report

Someone debugging a failure needs the report's interactive steps and whatever evidence the run captured. A trace, when recorded, can show the sequence of actions, the page at each step, and details like console output and network requests. A screenshot of the report cannot carry that context. Verify that a teammate can open one relevant attachment from the shared copy; seeing the list of tests only proves the report itself opened.

Treat the full bundle as internal by default. A checkout trace can contain request details and a screenshot can show a test account or private page. Inspect attachments and share the report through a channel your team already uses for that evidence.

## Make a separate reading copy for the decision

For a teammate deciding whether to rerun a test or hold a release, write a short HTML page with the scope, result, and next action. For example, a fictional checkout report might say: “Chromium checkout smoke tests only, revision abc1234. The confirmation page did not open after submitting a coupon. Rerun that test after inspecting the coupon request. WebKit and the full checkout suite were outside this run.” Replace those details with what your run actually shows.

A static HTML page with the result in ordinary text is also the copy to put in a GitHub repository for reading in gitHtml. The original Playwright report uses JavaScript for its interface. Keep the summary useful on its own and give authorized readers a run ID or an approved link to the interactive report when they need the details.

1. Name the commit and the projects, browsers, or filters that actually ran.
2. Separate a failed check from anything skipped or outside the run.
3. Name the first useful follow-up and where to find its evidence.
4. Open the summary with JavaScript off and make sure the decision still makes sense.

## Sources and further reading

- [Playwright documentation: HTML reporter](https://playwright.dev/docs/test-reporters#html-reporter)
- [Playwright documentation: Trace viewer](https://playwright.dev/docs/trace-viewer-intro)

## Related guides

- [Read an HTML code coverage report without being misled](https://githtml.com/guides/read-html-code-coverage-reports)
- [Build a single-file HTML document that travels well](https://githtml.com/guides/portable-single-file-html-document)
- [Diagnose a blank HTML page when JavaScript is off](https://githtml.com/guides/blank-html-page-with-javascript-off)
- [Render a Quarto document to one self-contained HTML file](https://githtml.com/guides/render-quarto-to-self-contained-html)

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