Web Browsers Explained

What a Web Browser Actually Is

Let us start with the plainest possible answer, then build from there.

A web browser is a program on your phone, tablet, or computer that lets you visit websites. When you tap the Chrome, Safari, Edge, or Firefox icon, you are opening a browser. Inside it, you type an address, tap a search result, or follow a link, and the browser fetches that page and displays it on your screen.

Browser, Internet, and Search Engine

These three words get mixed together constantly. They are three different things working as a team.

So when someone says, "I opened Google to look something up," they likely opened their browser first, and Google is the search engine that loaded inside it. The browser is the vehicle. The search engine is one of many places that vehicle can take you.

Meet the Big Four Browsers

Nearly everyone in the United States uses one of four browsers. Here is a plain, honest look at each.

None of these four is secretly bad or secretly best. They all do the core job well: showing you websites safely and reasonably fast. The differences are mostly in convenience and how each connects to other things you already use, which the next few pages cover.

Google Chrome

Chrome is the most widely used browser in the world, and for many people it is the familiar colorful pinwheel icon on their screen.

• Works the same way across Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android, which makes it easy if you switch devices often.
• Signs in with a free Google account, which can sync your bookmarks and passwords between your phone and computer.
• Works closely with Google services such as Gmail, Google Maps, and Google Search.
• Free to download and use, and updates itself automatically in the background.

Apple Safari

Safari is the browser built into every iPhone, iPad, and Mac. You have almost certainly used it even if you were not sure what it was called.

• Comes preinstalled on Apple devices and cannot be removed, only set aside in favor of another default.
• Known for strong battery efficiency on iPhone and iPad, which can mean a bit more time between charges.
• Syncs bookmarks, passwords, and open tabs between your iPhone, iPad, and Mac automatically if you use the same Apple ID.
• Not available on Windows or Android; it is an Apple-only browser.

Microsoft Edge

Edge is the browser built into Windows computers, recognizable by its blue wave-shaped icon.

• Comes preinstalled on every Windows computer and opens automatically the first time you go online on a new PC.
• Built using much of the same underlying technology as Chrome, so most websites look and behave the same in either one.
• Includes a built-in reading tool and a feature that can read web pages aloud, which some readers find helpful.
• Signs in with a free Microsoft account to sync bookmarks and passwords across devices.

Mozilla Firefox

Firefox is made by Mozilla, a nonprofit organization, which sets it apart from the other three.

• Not owned by a large advertising or device company, which appeals to people who prefer that separation.
• Available as a free download on nearly every kind of device, including Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android.
• Includes strong built-in tracking protection turned on by default, aimed at limiting how much websites can watch your activity.
• Must be downloaded and installed separately; it does not come built into any major device.

Choosing and Setting Your Default Browser

Your default browser is the one that opens automatically when you tap a link in a text message, email, or app. You can change it in a couple of minutes.

• Install the browser you want from the App Store, if it is not already there.
• Open Settings, scroll down and tap the browser's name, such as Chrome or Firefox.
• Tap Default Browser App and choose it from the list.

Tabs: Your Browser's Best Friend

A tab lets you keep several web pages open at once in a single browser window, instead of closing one page to open another.

Picture a tab like a page in a book you can flip to instantly. You might have your email open in one tab, a recipe in another, and a news article in a third, all within the same browser, switching between them with a tap or click.

• To open a new tab, look for a small plus sign, usually near the top of the browser window.
• To switch tabs on a phone, tap the square icon showing a number, which lists all your open tabs.
• To close a tab, tap the small X on it, or swipe it away on a phone.

Bookmarks and Favorites

A bookmark saves a website so you can return to it instantly, without remembering or retyping the address.

Every browser calls this something slightly different. Chrome and Edge both say bookmarks. Safari calls them favorites or bookmarks. Firefox also says bookmarks. The idea is the same everywhere: a saved shortcut to a page you visit often.

• Look for a star icon in the address bar to save the page you are currently viewing.
• Find your saved list under a menu usually shown as three dots or three lines, then Bookmarks or Favorites.
• Organize favorites into folders if you build up a long list, such as one folder for recipes and another for banking.

The Address Bar (the Omnibox)

The long bar across the top of your browser does two jobs at once, which is genuinely handy once you know it.

You can type a website address directly, such as weather.gov, and press Enter to go straight there. Or you can type plain words, such as post office hours near me, and the browser will send that to your search engine and show you results. There is no wrong way to use it; the browser figures out which you meant.

• A small padlock icon usually appears at the left of the address, meaning the connection to that site is encrypted and private.
• The address itself tells you where you really are. Read it before typing a password, especially after clicking a link.
• Typing directly in this bar is safer than clicking a link from an email or text when you are unsure of it.

History and Private Browsing

Your browser quietly keeps a list of pages you have visited, called your history. There is also a mode that skips that list entirely.

History is useful because it lets you find a page you visited last week even if you forgot to bookmark it. Every browser has a History section, usually under the same three-dot or three-line menu as bookmarks, and you can clear it at any time.

• Private browsing, called Incognito in Chrome or Private Browsing in Safari, Edge, and Firefox, opens a window that does not save history or saved form entries after you close it.
• It does not make you invisible to the websites you visit, your employer's network, or your internet provider.
• It is handy for things like shopping for a gift on a shared family computer.

Extensions and Add-ons

An extension is a small add-on program that adds a feature to your browser, such as a coupon finder or an ad blocker. Handle them with a bit of caution.

Extensions are installed through your browser's own store, such as the Chrome Web Store, the Firefox add-ons site, or the Edge Add-ons store. A helpful one can genuinely improve your browsing. But because they can see much of what you do in the browser, it pays to be selective.

• Only install extensions from your browser's official store, never from a pop-up or a link in an email.
• Check that the extension has a large number of users and recent, positive reviews before installing.
• Remove any extension you do not remember installing or no longer use.

Pop-ups, Permissions, and Notifications

Websites sometimes ask your browser for permission to do things, like sending notifications or opening a pop-up window. You are always allowed to say no.

A permission request usually appears as a small box asking whether a site can send notifications, use your location, or access your camera or microphone. Say yes only for sites you trust and where the request makes sense, such as a map site asking for your location.

• If a site asks to send notifications and you are not sure why, tap Block or Don't Allow.
• You can review and change any permission later in your browser's Settings under Site Settings or Permissions.
• Most modern browsers block unwanted pop-up windows automatically.

Autofill and Saved Passwords

Most browsers can remember your passwords and fill in forms for you, which saves real time once you know how it works.

When you log into a site, your browser may offer to save the password. Accept it, and next time it fills the password in automatically. The same feature can remember your name, address, and payment card for online forms, which it calls autofill.

• Find your saved passwords under Settings, then Passwords, in any of the four browsers.
• A saved password is protected by your device's screen lock, so keep a passcode or fingerprint lock on your phone and computer.
• You can turn autofill for payment cards off entirely if you prefer to type them by hand each time.

Keeping Your Browser Updated

Every browser receives regular updates, and letting them happen is one of the simplest things you can do to stay safe online.

Updates usually happen quietly in the background. You may notice a small colored dot on the menu icon, or a message that appears next time you restart the browser. These updates patch security weaknesses that criminals look for, so it is worth not putting them off.

• Restart your browser every so often, rather than leaving it open for weeks at a time, so waiting updates can finish.
• In any browser, you can check your version under Settings, then About, which also triggers a manual update check.
• Keep your phone or computer's operating system updated too, since browsers rely on it for some security.

Fake Update and Tech-Support Pop-ups

One of the more common tricks online is a pop-up designed to frighten you into calling a number or downloading something you did not ask for.

You might see a full-screen message claiming your browser is out of date, or that your computer is infected, urging you to call a phone number or download an urgent update. These are almost always fake, built to panic you into acting fast without thinking.

• Real browser and computer updates never arrive as a scary pop-up with a phone number to call.
• Do not call any number shown in a pop-up warning, and do not download anything it tells you to.
• Close the tab or window. If it will not close, restart the browser or the device entirely.

You Have Got This

If you have read this far, you know more about web browsers than most people who use one every single day. Let us gather the big ideas.

That foundation will carry you through nearly anything you run into online. Everything else is detail you can pick up as you go, or hand to someone like me.

• A browser is the app you use to view websites: Chrome, Safari, Edge, and Firefox are the four you will meet most.
• None of the four is wrong. The one already on your device is a fine place to start.
• Tabs, bookmarks, and the address bar are the everyday tools worth getting comfortable with.
• Keep your browser updated, be careful with extensions, and never trust a scary pop-up demanding a phone call.

What's in the 27-page PDF

• What a web browser is, and how it differs from the internet itself
• A plain look at Chrome, Safari, Edge, and Firefox
• How to choose one and set it as your default
• Tabs, bookmarks, the address bar, and other everyday tools
• Extensions, pop-ups, and a few scams to watch for
• A cheat sheet and word list you can keep handy

Why I wrote this

I write these as printable handouts because a guide you can keep in a drawer beats a web page you have to find again. No jargon, no judgment, no rushing. If you'd rather have someone sit beside you and go through it together, that's a flat $99 first visit with the 30-day follow-up included — serving Portage County from Atwater, Ohio. — Bill