How can users change the default timeout for assertions in Playwright?

The Answer

The assertion timeout (how long Web-First assertions retry) defaults to 5 seconds. You can change it globally in `playwright.config.ts` or per-assertion.

Deep Dive Explanation

Never set timeouts too high as a workaround for slow apps — it inflates test execution time. Instead, investigate WHY the element is slow to appear (API delay? animation?) and address the root cause. Use per-assertion overrides only for known slow operations like file processing or email delivery.

example.spec.ts

// 1. Global: playwright.config.ts
export default defineConfig({
  expect: {
    timeout: 10000, // All assertions wait up to 10s
  },
});

// 2. Per-assertion override
await expect(page.locator('.slow-widget')).toBeVisible({ timeout: 30000 });

// 3. Change default globally at runtime
expect.configure({ timeout: 15000 });

// 4. Reset to default
expect.configure({ timeout: 5000 });