Chapter 8. Going online with Internet Explorer 11

In this section:

• Exploring the Internet Explorer 11 app

• Navigating among websites

• Searching on a page

• Searching with Suggestions

• Creating tabs

• Clearing your history

• Marking and accessing a favorite

• Pinning a site to the Start screen

• Starting a new InPrivate session

• Switch to Internet Explorer on the desktop

• Explore the Internet Explorer desktop app

Internet Explorer is Microsoft’s web browser. You use a browser to navigate around the Internet, the worldwide network of computers that makes up the World Wide Web.

Windows 8.1 includes a tile on the Start screen for the new Internet Explorer 11 app (IE 11). This app is optimized for the Windows 8.1 interface, including the ability to use it with a touchscreen computing device. The main paradigm for the new design is to show as much content as possible on the screen at any time (eliminating the clutter associated with toolbars and menus). This is a great feature, but a new one, so it’ll take a little getting used to. Thus, the majority of this section is to show you how to navigate inside this new interface. After you have experienced the IE11 app, you’ll explore the traditional Internet Explorer desktop app, which is still available and can be used when the IE 11 app doesn’t suffice.

Exploring the Internet Explorer 11 app

The biggest difference between the new Internet Explorer 11 app you’ll learn about here and the traditional Internet Explorer application you might be used to is that there are no tools (such as menus and toolbars) on the screen. For example, most of the time you’ll have to display the address bar to use it; it isn’t always available and taking up space on the screen. You can show the Address bar and tabs with a right-click though, and hide them again just as easily. This is what helps keep the Internet Explorer app so streamlined, and what makes it perfect for use on smaller screens.

Open Internet Explorer 11

1. Press the Windows logo key on your keyboard to go to the Start screen.

2. Click the Internet Explorer tile.

   

Tip

If you open Internet Explorer from the Start screen, you open the same version of Internet Explorer as you would if you clicked the IE button on the desktop taskbar, but it’s a different mode. The IE11 app is optimized for tablets and touchscreens and for those who prefer an uncluttered web browser. The one you’ll find on the desktop taskbar offers the traditional look and feel of IE.

Use the address bar

1. With Internet Explorer 11 open, right-click an empty area of a webpage (one that does not have a picture or text on it).

2. Click inside the address bar that appears, and begin to type a URL, such as www.bing.com or http://www.microsoft.com.

3. Press Enter on the keyboard to go to the address you’ve typed, or click an entry under Suggestions.

   

Tip

When you right-click in step 1, you might see more than the address bar. You might see thumbnails of other webpages you have open. You can click one of these to go to that webpage quickly.

Tip

Although there are still some exceptions, accessing most websites by using your browser no longer requires that you type the http:// or www before their names, so in the examples here, you can simply type bing.com or microsoft.com in the address bar.

Navigating among websites

When you are browsing the Internet, you will want to move from one website or webpage to another. You can do this in several ways: you can enter a URL in the address bar as covered in the previous task; move backward or forward to a previously visited site; or click a hyperlink (text or an image that is programmed to send you to another location on the Internet when you click it). You can also click options if they appear above the address bar, such as items in your search history, links to websites that are popular now, links to sites you visit often, and so on.

Move among websites

1. With Internet Explorer 11 open, use the address bar to go to www.bing.com.

   

2. In the Bing search box, type Internet Explorer 11.

3. Click the first entry in the list that appears, or, press Enter on the keyboard.

   

4. Click the entry that is titled Internet Explorer – Microsoft Windows – Microsoft Home Page (or something similar that points you to Microsoft’s webpages).

   

5. Move your mouse to the left side of the screen, and click the Back button to go to the previously viewed site.

   

Try This

After clicking inside the address bar, click the x that appears on the right end of it. This will delete what is currently shown there, which will make it foolproof for typing a new URL.

Tip

Just as there is a back arrow on the left side of the webpage to return to a previously viewed page, there is also a front-facing arrow on the right side to return you to where you just were.

Follow links

1. Open the web page windows.microsoft.com.

2. Click a link on the page to follow it.

   

3. To return to the page from which you followed the link, move your mouse cursor to the left side of the screen and click the Back button.

   

Tip

If you position your mouse cursor over text or graphics and the pointer turns from a small arrow to a hand, it means there is an active link there that you can click. You can also right-click this to access options to copy the link, open the link in a new tab, open the link in a new window, and so on.

Tip

Text links are colored, often (but not always) in blue to help you spot them. After you follow a link, if you return to the page it was displayed on, the link will usually appear in purple rather than blue, indicating that it’s been clicked recently.

Searching on a page

Individual webpages on a website can be quite long. You can use scroll bars in your browser to move down a page, or you can search to find specific contents on a page. In Internet Explorer 11, you can use the Find On Page feature to search for and scroll through all highlighted instances of a search term on the currently active page.

Search for content on a page

1. Use the address bar to navigate to the page you want to search.

2. Right-click an area of the page. (Do not right-click a link or picture, for example.)

3. Click the Page Tools button.

4. Click Find On Page.

   

   Tip

   Sometimes you won’t need to right-click to access options shown in this section, they’ll already be there. If, in Step 2 for example, you already see the Page Tools options, there is no need to right-click.

5. Enter a word or phrase.

6. Click the Previous or Next button to move among the results.

7. Note that the results are highlighted.

   

Tip

When you enter a search term, such as “win,” your results will include all words that contain those letters, such as Windows and winner. To narrow your search to only the word “win,” simply enclose the term with quotation marks.

Try This

Use the Get App For This Site selection from the Page Tools button menu (if it is available) to download any associated app for the website you are currently visiting.

Searching with Suggestions

If you want to search the entire web for a site, page, or document, you can do so in Internet Explorer 11 by typing a search term in the address bar or by using a search engine such as Bing or Google. You can go to a particular search engine by entering its URL, such as www.bing.com, in the address bar and pressing Enter. You can also type a search term in the address bar and choose a webpage in the Suggestions section that appears.

Search from Suggestions

1. With Internet Explorer 11 open, right-click an empty place on the screen (and not on a link or image).

2. Enter a search term, such as Windows Phone, in the address bar.

3. Click one of the options in Suggestions.

   

Tip

If you don’t want to select from the list of suggestions, just press Enter on the keyboard after you’ve typed your search terms in the address bar. Web results will appear and you can choose from those.

See Also

To learn how to search the Internet using the Search charm, the Search Pane, and other options, refer to Chapter 6.

Creating tabs

Tabbed browsing is a feature that allows you to have several websites open at once so that you can move back and forth among them with a single click. In Internet Explorer 11, the tab feature has been reinvented. Tabs aren’t displayed on screen; instead, you display tabs by right-clicking the screen. With the Tabs view open, you can then open new tabs, close tabs, and access tab tools.

Create new tabs

1. With Internet Explorer open, right-click an empty area of the screen (where there is no active link or image).

2. Click the New Tab button.

   

3. You can either:

   1. Click inside the address bar and type a URL for a website, or

   2. Click an item from the Frequent thumbnails.

      

4. If you type the URL, you might be offered a list of suggestions. If so, you can click one if desired.

   

Tip

To open a link available from a web page on a new tab, instead of clicking the link, right-click it and choose the Open Link In New Tab command.

Clearing your history

After you’ve browsed the internet for a while, you might want to clear your history so that others who also use your computer (and your user account) can’t see the sites you’ve recently visited. You might also want the list of sites in your History list to be empty so that you aren’t prompted in any way to visit previously viewed sites as you search.

Clear your history

1. With Internet Explorer open, use the key combination Windows Logo key + I.

2. Click Options.

   

3. Scroll to locate History, and click Select.

   

4. Select what items to clear.

5. Click Delete.

6. Click the Back arrow to return to Options, if desired, and browse other options, or, click outside of the History pane to close it.

   

Tip

When you opt to clear your web history, you have several options, not all of which are self-explanatory. Cached images are saved to your computer so that when you access those same images from the same page, they’ll load faster the next time (meaning they will load from your computer rather than from the webpage itself). Cookies are small text files that are used to personalize your web experience by remembering your name, past searches, or preferences. Form data is data you have entered into web forms, such as name and address.

Marking and accessing a favorite

If you visit a website often, you can mark it as a favorite so that you can access it easily later. Favorites you mark appear in a list of thumbnails. You click a thumbnail to go directly to the website represented by the link.

Mark and access a favorite

1. Navigate to the site you want to mark as a favorite.

2. Right-click an empty area of the screen (where there are no links or images).

3. Click the Favorites button.

   

4. Click the Add To Favorites button.

5. If desired or applicable, edit the name.

6. If you’ve previously created folders, choose the appropriate folder: otherwise, leave All selected.

7. Click Add.

   

8. Click an empty area of the webpage to hide the toolbar.

9. Right-click an empty area to show the toolbar.

10. Click the Favorites icon.

    

11. Scroll right to locate the recently created favorite.

    

Try This

With the Favorites bar showing, right-click any thumbnail and click Edit or Remove to change it. If the Tab bar is showing instead, click the x at the bottom of any thumbnail to close the tab.

Pinning a site to the Start screen

You can pin a site to your Start screen so that you can get to it quickly. For example, if you use a search engine regularly or if you use a cloud player to play your music selections, you might want to be able to access that site on your Start screen. After it’s pinned, you can click the tile for that site and go to it instantly by using Internet Explorer 11.

Pin a site

1. Go to the site that you want to pin to the Start screen.

   

2. Right-click an empty area of the screen (where there are no links or images).

3. Click the Favorites button at the bottom of the screen.

   

4. Click the Pin Site button that appears above the Favorites thumbnails.

5. If desired, edit the name.

6. Click Pin To Start.

   

Tip

When you pin a website to the Start screen, it will appear on the far right side of the screen. If you visit the site often, you might want to move it farther left so that it’s easier to access.

Starting a new InPrivate session

If you want to browse the web without leaving any trace of where you’ve been, including making sure that those sites do not appear in the History list, you will need to start an InPrivate session. When you do, nothing is saved to your computer regarding your web session.

Start a new InPrivate session

1. With Internet Explorer open, right-click an empty area of the screen where there are no links or images.

2. Click the three dots (ellipsis).

3. Click New InPrivate Tab.

   

4. Browse to the desired website.

   

Tip

If you are concerned about privacy, you might want to browse “in private” all the time to keep websites from saving information about your visits, including saving text files to your computer called cookies. Cookies, although generally harmless and mostly helpful, can identify you when you visit a site again to offer you a more personalized web experience, and you might not want that.

Tip

If everyone who uses your computer has their own account and each logs off when they are finished using it, there should be no reason to worry why another user would access your web sessions or history.

Switching to the Internet Explorer desktop app

Sometimes, the Internet Explorer 11 app doesn’t do what you want it to do. For example, it might not play certain video files. If you run across any problem while in the app, you can switch to Internet Explorer on the desktop.

Switch to Internet Explorer on the desktop

1. Navigate to any website.

2. Right-click an empty area of the screen where there are no links or images.

3. Click the Page Tools button.

4. Click View In The Desktop.

   

Tip

Internet Explorer 11, the app, doesn’t support all content. When content won’t play or appear correctly on the screen, switch to Internet Explorer on the desktop.

Tip

If you’ve used Internet Explorer in the past, Internet Explorer on the desktop will look and feel familiar to you.

Overview of the Internet Explorer desktop app

When you display Internet Explorer 11 on the desktop, you see a more traditional browser window with an address bar, tabs, and the ability to display additional toolbars. Like the IE 11 app, you’ll have access to tabs and an address bar too.

Explore the Internet Explorer desktop app

1. Switch to the Internet Explorer Desktop app as detailed in the previous task.

2. Right-click the empty area above the address bar.

3. Click Menu Bar. (If time allows, explore the menus.)

   

4. Click the empty tab at the end of the tabs to open a new tab.

   

   Tip

   Press the Alt key on the keyboard to show the Menu bar only when you need it, if you don’t want to keep it enabled all the time.

5. Click the Favorites star to open the Favorites Center. Notice that the favorites you created earlier in this section appear here.

   

6. Type an address in the Address bar, and press Enter on the keyboard.