A web browser is software used to visit and view websites. You're using one right now to read this page. Popular browsers include Google Chrome, Safari, and Firefox.

What is a Web Browser?

All browsers work in a similar way. In this guide, we’ll show how to browse websites, use tabs, create bookmarks, and more. We’ll use Chrome as an example, but the steps apply to other browsers too.


URLs and the Address Bar

Each website has a unique address called a URL. You type the URL in the address bar and press Enter to go to the site.
Example: Typing www.bbc.com/travel will take you to the BBC Travel page.

What Is a Web Browser?


Links

Blue or underlined words on a page are often links. Clicking a link takes you to another page. Your mouse pointer turns into a hand when you hover over a link.

Hey, I am a link ! Click me!

Images can also be links. Just click them to move to a different page.

What Is a Web Browser?


Navigation Buttons

  • Back and Forward: Go to pages you visited earlier.

What Is a Web Browser?

  • Refresh: Reloads the current page if something isn’t working.

What Is a Web Browser?



Tabbed Browsing

Browsers let you open pages in separate tabs instead of new windows.

  • Right-click a link and choose Open link in new tab.

What Is a Web Browser?

  • Click the X on a tab to close it.

What Is a Web Browser?

  • Click the + to open a new tab.

What Is a Web Browser?



Bookmarks and History

Bookmarks help save websites you want to visit later.
Click the Star icon to bookmark a page.

Your browser also keeps track of visited pages.
Open your browser’s menu and select History to view them.



Downloading Files

Some links download files instead of opening a page.
Right-click the link and choose Save link as to download the file directly.


Saving Images

To save an image, right-click it and choose Save image as. Choose where to save it on your device.

What Is a Web Browser?


Plug-ins

Plug-ins help your browser open special content like videos or PDFs.
Common ones include Adobe Reader and Flash. If a plug-in is missing or outdated, your browser may ask you to update or install it.

URLs and the address bar