Using the web

Understand web browsers

Make sense of browsers, search engines, addresses and tabs, with familiar browser examples.

7 minutes

Browse the web safely

Read website addresses, recognise misleading links and choose an independent route before sharing information.

10 minutes

Understand the internet

Separate your computer, home network and internet connection.

Find useful information on the web

Choose helpful search words and judge the results before opening them.

Download a file and find it again

Follow a document from a website to its saved location on your computer.

Complete and check an online form

Understand fields, choices, validation and the difference between typing and submitting.

Choose a file to upload

Send the intended saved file to a website and check the upload result.

Go straight to the address bar: Ctrl + L

The address bar is where you enter a website address or begin a web search. Reaching it directly is useful when you already know where you want to go next.

Open another browser tab: Ctrl + T

A new tab gives you another place to browse while keeping your current page open. It is useful when you want to look up something else and return to what you were reading.

Close the page you have finished: Ctrl + W

Closing a browser tab removes one open page from your workspace. This helps clear away pages you have finished with while keeping the other tabs available.

Bring back a closed browser tab: Ctrl + Shift + T

A page closed by mistake can often be brought back without searching for it again. Reopening restores a recently closed tab so you can continue browsing.

Move between your open tabs: Ctrl + Tab

Switching tabs changes which already-open page you are looking at. It is useful for comparing information without closing pages or loading them again.

Return to pages you visited: Alt + Left arrow

A tab can remember a sequence of pages you have visited. Back and Forward help you return along that sequence without entering the addresses again.

Ask the current page to load again: Ctrl + R

Reloading asks the browser to load the current page again. It can help when a page has not finished displaying properly or when you want to check for updated information.

Keep a website address for later: Ctrl + D

A bookmark keeps a website address so you can return later without remembering or searching for it. Edge calls bookmarks favourites. Keeping an address is different from downloading the page's contents.

Find your recent browser downloads: Ctrl + J

The browser's Downloads list helps you find items transferred through that browser. It can show a recent file and its progress, so you do not have to remember every file name or download time.

Make a webpage easier to read: Ctrl + Plus (+)

Browser zoom changes how large a webpage appears on your screen. It can make small text and pictures easier to see without editing the website itself.