A web browser is a tool you use to access the internet. In order to make the most out
of the internet, it's important to understand the basics of using a web browser.
There are many different web browsers, including Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Internet Explorer.
All of them allow you to view websites, but they each have a different look and feel,
so picking one will depend mostly on your personal preference. Right now I'm using Chrome.
When you open your browser, at the top of the window you'll see the address bar. This
is where you'll type the web address of the page that you want to visit. If you've been
to a website before, your browser may suggest it, or even automatically complete the address
for you. If you see the address you're looking for in the suggestions, you can just click
it, or press Enter when you're done typing.
Most of the time, you're going to go from one page to another by clicking on links.
To go back to the page you were just on, you can click the back button. To return to the
first page, click the forward button.
If you see a link you want to click, but you don't want to navigate away from the page
you're on, you can open the link in a new tab. Just right click the link, and select
open in new tab. This opens the page behind the current page, so it doesn't take you away
from the original site.
You can also create a new tab by clicking here - and then typing in the address or name
of any site you want to visit. To close a tab, just click the X.
If you're on a website that you know you'll want to visit again later, or a website that
you go to frequently, you can bookmark it. Most browsers have a button right next to
the address bar that lets you easily bookmark any site.
(crossfade to new window) Once you've bookmarked a page, you'll be able
to go to it again. In Chrome, you'll click the settings button, select bookmarks, and
then select the website you're looking for from the list.
Even if you don't bookmark a site, there's still a way to find it again later. Your browser
keeps track of all the sites you visit in a feature called history. All browsers allow
you to access your history, in Chrome you can access this by clicking the settings button.
You can then click on a site to go to it.
(read as an aside) As you may remember from before, you can begin typing in the address
bar and your browser will make suggestions. These suggestions come from your history and
bookmarks.
The locations of these buttons and other options may vary a little depending on which browser
you're using, but you should be able to perform all of the same actions, no matter which browser
you decide to use.