Below is a list of commonly-used tech terms. To learn about the term, click on it.
Refers to the open area in a web browser that allows the user to type in information. It identifies the user's location on the web and allows access to different websites. All address bars are located at the top of the browser window.
A feature found in the upper left edge of the address bar that takes a user back to their previous location. For instance, in an Internet browser, clicking the back button takes you back to the last web page you visited. If you want to return to the page, you came back from you can use the forward button (found next to the back arrow) after using the back button.
Bookmarks are shortcuts to web pages and URLs you visit regularly.
Think of the fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel where Gretel dropped breadcrumbs along their path to help them get back. On our website breadcrumbs are a string of pages in the order we have visited with the page we are currently on in gray. If you want to just go back to the previous page, you can click on the blue next to the gray as shown below:
A list of choices that appears when there is a chevron symbol beside a word.
Also known as the front page or main page. This is the starting point on most websites.
On the Internet, a link is more appropriately referred to as a hyperlink and is what connects web pages to other web pages. A new link in the text of a sentence on the Internet is in blue and underlined. To open that link, move the cursor to the word or words in blue and underlined, and click on it.
These are the links at the top of the page to help you find what you’re looking for. The navigation links are usually in the header or just below it. When a site is viewed on a mobile device, the navigation becomes an icon with 3 stacked lines since space is limited on a mobile device. Tapping the mobile navigation icon usually triggers a vertical or horizontal toggle menu.
A bar on the bottom or side of the window to scroll through a page. Scrolling or scroll is the act of moving the visual portions of a window up, down, left, or right, to see additional information on the window. Scrolling can occur one line at a time or one page at a time, depending on your settings and how you're scrolling.
A program that searches for and identifies items in a database that correspond to keyword specified by the user. Often browser and search engine are used interchangeable, even though they are different but intertwined. That is, a search engine requires a web browser, and a search engine cannot deliver results without a browser. Example search engines are Google, DuckDuckGo, Dogpile, Microsoft Bing, HotBot, Yahoo! Search.
The clickable area at the top of a window that shows another page or area. When a tab is clicked, the tab's contents are shown, and any other open tab is hidden. To open an additional window, click on the plus (+) next to the open tab. In a browser, tabs allow you to load multiple websites and quickly switch between them, without each of them needing a separate window.
The taskbar is an element of an operating system located at the bottom of the screen. It lets you locate and launch programs through Start and the Start menu or view any currently open program. For Apple users, the taskbar is also called the Dock.
The standard title bar has a minimize (usually yellow), maximize (usually green), and close (usually red) button, usually in the top-left corner of a program's window.
Toolbar is also called bar or standard toolbar, is a row of buttons, often near the top of an application window, that controls software functions. The boxes are below the menu bar and often contain images corresponding with the function they control.
The address of a web page. URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator.
A web browser, often referred to as a “browser” is a software application used for accessing information on the Web. Some of the most popular web browsers include Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, DuckDuckGo and Opera.
A document that is viewed in a browser. A web page can be accessed by entering a URL address into a browser's address bar.
A rectangular section of the computer's display that shows the program currently being used. For example,the browser window that you are using to view this web page is a window. Windows allow a user to work with multiple programs or view multiple programs at once. Almost all windows allow you to minimize (make smaller) and maximize them, allowing you to hide and view a program temporarily.