# About browsing the Web

You can browse the Web — or visit Web pages — in several ways. You can visit a Web page by typing its address, also called a URL (Uniform Resource Locator), in the Address box. You can also go to a Web page by clicking a link — special text or a picture that lets you jump to another Web page or another place on the same page. (When you move your pointer over a link, your pointer changes to .) To move between Web pages, click Back or Forward on the Button Bar.

If you visit one Web page more than others, you can make it your home page. Your home page is the Web page that appears each time you start Microsoft Internet Explorer and when you click Home on the Button Bar.

Related topics

Visiting a Web page

Following a link

Returning to a Web page you just visited

Returning to your home page

About Internet addresses

About searching the Web

Visit a Web page

- In the Address box, type the address — www.microsoft.com, for example — of the Web page you want to visit, and then press RETURN.

| When you type a Web page address in the Address box, you do not have to type http:// before the address.
| If a page is taking too long to appear, click Stop.
| If you receive a message that a Web page cannot be displayed, or if you want to make sure you’re viewing the latest version of the page, click Refresh.

Related topics

Following a link

About Internet addresses

Returning to a Web page you just visited

Opening a new window

About favorite pages

About searching the Web

Follow a link

1. Point to the link you want to follow.
2. When your pointer changes to , click the link.

| To return to the previous Web page, click Back.
| To open a linked Web page in a new window, point to the link, hold down the mouse button, and then click Open Link in New Window on the contextual menu.

Related topics

Visiting a Web page

Returning to a Web page you just visited

About Page Holder

Return to a Web page you just visited

- On the Button Bar, do one of the following:
  - To return to the last page you visited, click Back.
  - To return to the page you visited before clicking Back, click Forward.
  - To return to one of the last few pages you visited, point to Back or Forward, hold down the mouse button, and then click the page you want.

Related topics

About the History list

Returning to your home page

About favorite pages

Return to your home page

- On the Button Bar, click Home.

Related topics

Adding a button to the Button Bar

Changing your home page

Returning to a Web page you just visited

Change your home page

1. On the Explorer menu, click Preferences.
2. Under Web Browser, click Browser Display.
3. In the Home Page area, do one of the following:
   - To specify a new home page, in the Address box, type the address of the Web page you want.
   - To use the default home page, click Use Default.
   - To have no home page, click Use None.
4. To display your home page each time you open a new window, select the Automatically go to this Home Page when opening a new window check box.

Related topics

Returning to your home page

About favorite pages

Send a Web page address in an e-mail message

1. Go to the Web page whose address you want to send.
2. On the Button Bar, point to Mail, hold down the mouse button, and then click Send Link on the pop-up menu.

| To send and receive e-mail messages, you need an e-mail account.

Related topics

Adding a button to the Button Bar

Copying a Web page address

Open a new window

- On the File menu, click New Window.

| To open the destination of a link in a new window, point to the link, hold down the mouse button, and then click Open Link in New Window on the contextual menu.
| To open the contents of a frame in a new window, click anywhere in the frame, hold down the mouse button, and then click Open Frame in New Window on the contextual menu.

## About Internet addresses

Each file on the Internet has a unique address, also called a URL (Uniform Resource Locator). You go to a file on the Internet, such as a Web page, by entering or following a link to one of these unique addresses. In Microsoft Internet Explorer, you can see a file’s Internet address in the Address box. For example, if you’re viewing the Microsoft home page, the address http://www.microsoft.com/ appears in the Address box.

An Internet address typically includes four elements:

- Protocol
- Server type
- Server name, which is often the name of the organization that maintains the Web site
- Suffix, which identifies the type of organization that maintains the Web site

Because many Internet addresses include these parts, you can often tell a lot about a Web site from the site’s address. For example, the address http://www.microsoft.com/ provides the following information:

http:// | The address uses Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).
www. | The address points to a server on the World Wide Web.
microsoft | The Web server is maintained by Microsoft Corporation.
.com | The site is maintained by a commercial institution.

In addition to “http://”, you might see other common protocols as you browse the Web. Some of these protocols are: “https://” for Web pages on secure Web sites; “ftp://” (File Transfer Protocol) for files on FTP servers; “mailto:” for e-mail addresses; “news:” for newsgroup addresses; and “file:” for files on local or shared hard disks.

Related topics

About browsing the Web