Browser Basics

What is a Web Browser?

A web browser is a software program used to access the World Wide Web (WWW). You are using a web browser right now to look at this page. There are lots of different web browsers, but the three most popular ones are:


Internet Explorer	Netscape Communicator	Safari (Mac OS X only)

In TDA, you will use Internet Explorer the most.

What is the browser’s address bar?

The address bar is where you type the address of the web site you want to visit. The address bar looks like the example below.

Commonly, the address is referred to as a URL. URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator. To learn more about the parts of a URL, click here.

What are the buttons at the top of my browser window?

Look at the top of your browser window. You will see a number of buttons. These buttons help you navigate the web. The most useful buttons are listed below

	Returns you to the last page you were looking at.
	Returns you to a page you have backed up from.
	Takes you to a home page specified in the browser Preferences.
	Stops the browser from loading the current page.
	If a web page does not load properly, press this button.
	Lets you print the web page you are currently viewing in your browser's window.

What is Bookmarking?

"Bookmarking" saves you the trouble of having to remember those long URLs (web addresses). It allows you to record addresses of websites you want to revisit. In Internet Explorer you will "bookmark" websites to the Favorites section of your browser. Here are instructions for both Mac and PC users to bookmark a website to your Favorites.

Mac Users

1. Go to the web page you want to add to your Favorites.
2. Click on the Favorites menu and select “Add Page to Favorites” to include the web page in your Favorites list.

PC Users

1. Go to the web page you want to add to your Favorites.
2. Click on the Favorites button at the top of your browser and select “Add Page to Favorites” to include the web page in your Favorites list.

Once a page is added to Favorites, it’s easy to return to it. Simply click on the Favorites menu and click on the site name. The web site should appear in your browser’s window.