The internet is the network; the web is one service carried across it. A browser is the application used to visit websites.
Browser parts
The address bar shows the current web address and also accepts search terms. Back and Forward move through browsing history. Refresh reloads the page. Tabs keep several pages open in one window. Bookmarks save links for later.
A padlock indicates an encrypted connection to the shown domain; it does not prove that the site or offer is honest.
Read web addresses
In https://example.com/account, the key domain is example.com. Attackers may use extra words, misspellings, or misleading subdomains. Read from the domain ending toward the left rather than trusting a logo or page design.
Links can lead somewhere different from their visible wording. On a computer, hovering may show the destination before you click.
Search effectively
Use specific nouns and include a model number, error message, location, or year when relevant. Quotation marks can search an exact phrase. Compare several credible sources instead of assuming the first result is best.
Search results can include advertisements. Look for labels and verify the destination domain before downloading software or entering account information.
Downloads and browser data
Downloaded files usually go to Downloads. Open the browser's download list when a file seems missing. Browsers may store history, cookies, cached files, and saved passwords. Private browsing limits what remains in local history but does not make activity invisible to websites, networks, or service providers.
Quick skill check
- Open and close browser tabs
- Identify the main domain in an address
- Distinguish an advertisement from an ordinary result
- Find a downloaded file
- Use precise search terms