Learning how to browse the Web faster and more easily

If you learn just a few basic things about browsing the Web, such as how to use the buttons on the Internet Explorer toolbar, you'll find that browsing the Web is easier and faster.

To start browsing the Web, click any link on your home page, which is the page that appears when you start Internet Explorer. You can see whether an item on a page is a link by moving the mouse pointer over the item. If the pointer changes to a hand, the item is a link. A link can be a picture, a 3-D image, or colored text (usually underlined).

Now you're ready to find a Web site on your own.

To open a Web page or folder, or to run a program

To go to a Web page, type the Internet address—for example, www.microsoft.com—in the Address bar, and then click the Go button.
To run a program from the Address bar, type the program name, and then click the Go button.
If you know the complete path and file name, you can type them—for example:

C:\MSOffice\Winword\Winword.exe.
To browse through folders from the Address bar, type the drive and folder name, and then click the Go button—for example:
C: or C:\My Documents

To link to Web pages you recently visited

To return to the last page you viewed, click the Back button.
To view a page you viewed before clicking the Back button, click the Forward button.
To see a list of the last few pages you visited, click the small down arrow beside the Back or Forward button.

To link to a specific Web page

To return to the page that appears each time you start Internet Explorer, click the Home button.
To select a Web page from your list of favorites, click the Favorites button.
To select a Web page from the list of those you visited recently, click the History button. The History list also displays previously viewed files and folders on your computer.

What to do if a Web page isn't working

If a page you are trying to view is taking too long to open, click the Stop button.
If you get a message that a Web page cannot be displayed, or you want to make sure you have the latest version of the page, click the Refresh button.