You don't need the http:// portion of a web page
When entering an Internet address
you do not need to type http:// or even www. in the address. For
example, if you wanted to visit google.com you could just type .com and press enter. To make things even quicker, if you
are visiting a .com address you can type google.com and then press Ctrl + Enter to type out the full http://www.google.com.com address.
Quickly move between the fields of a web page
If you are filling out an online form, e-mail, or
other text field you can quickly move between each of the fields by
pressing the Tab key or Shift + Tab to move back a field.
For example, in the example form below you can click in the "First Name"
field type anything and press tab to switch to the next field.
Tip: This tip also
applies to the buttons, if you press tab and the web developer has
designed correctly the button should be selected and allows you to press
the space bar or enter to push the button.
Tip:
With a drop-down box that lists dozens of options you can press the
first letter to scroll down to that letter. For example, click the drop
down box below and then press "u" to quickly scroll to Utah.
Know your Internet browser shortcuts
There
are dozens of different shortcut keys that can be used with Internet
browsers. Below are a few of our top suggested Internet browser
shortcuts.
- Press Alt + D to move the cursor into the address bar.
- Hold down the Ctrl key and press the + or - to increase and decrease the size of text. Ctrl + 0 will reset the text.
- Press the backspace key or press Alt key + left arrow to go back a page.
- Press F5 to refresh or reload a web page.
- Press F11 to make the Internet browser screen full screen. Press F11 again to return to the normal view.
- Press Ctrl + B to open your Internet bookmarks.
- Press Ctrl + F to open the find box to search for text within the web page you are reading.
Protect yourself and avoid bad websites
- How can I protect myself while online?
- Avoid Internet phishing.
- Protecting children from harmful material and people on the Internet.
Take advantage of tabbed browsing
Take full advantage of tabbed browsing
on all Internet browsers. While reading any web page if you come across
a link that interests you open the link in a new tab so it doesn not
interrupt your reading. A new tab can be opened by holding down the Ctrl key and clicking the link or if you have a mouse with a wheel press down on the wheel to use it as a middle mouse button to open the link in a new tab.
Use Internet search engines to their full potential
Get the most out of every search result. If you
are not finding what you want try surrounding the text in quotes. For
example, searching for 'computer help' without quotes returns results
with "computer" and "help" anywhere on the page. However, if you search
for "computer help" with the quotes it only return pages with
"computer" and "help" next to each other.
Tip: In every search box you can press enter instead of using the mouse to click the Search button.
- Top 10 unknown Google tricks
Try alternative browsers
Most computer users use the default browser that
comes included with the computer, with Microsoft Windows this is
Internet Explorer. There are many great alternative browsers that are
all free to download and use and may have features your current browser
does not include. Below are a few of our favorites, try one or try them
all.
- Google Chrome
- Mozilla Firefox
- Opera
Install plugins and add-ons
All of the above alternative browsers also have a
large community of volunteers who develop add-ons and plugins that can
be added into the browser. Each of these browsers has hundreds of
thousands of these add-ons that can do such things like the current
weather in your browser window, changing its color, and adding
additional functionality.
- Top 10 Firefox add-ons
Make sure your browser and its plugins are up-to-date
An Internet browser can have many plugins that give it additional functionality. For example, Adobe Flash
is a great way to bring movies and other animated content to the
Internet. Keeping these plugins up-to-date is vital for your computer
stability and also security. Using the below tool you can quickly verify
if your plugins are up-to-date and get links to where to download the
latest updates.
- Computer Hope system information tool
Use online services
There are hundreds of free online services that
can help make using your computer easier, more productive, and more
enjoyable. See our top 10 online services for a listing of our favorites.
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