Understanding Your Web Browser Part III
This is the third article in a series titled Understanding Your Web Browser.
Part Two in the series appeared in my August post; Part One appeared in May.
There are so many features in web browsers that it's tough for this writer to pick what to share. Here I'll focus on two that my clients seem to appreciate knowing more about.
I'll use Firefox in Windows as a reference. Other browsers like Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge have similar features, which are accessed by different menus and clicks points.
History - a.k.a. your web tracks
Let's start with the feature called "browsing history." Websites you visit with your browser, whether intentionally or not, are recorded in the History function. To view your "web tracks" in Firefox, click the menu at upper right with three horizontal lines, then Library, then History. You will immediately see Recent History.
At the bottom of the menu you can see all history, which includes today, yesterday, the last 7 days, and this month. You can control how much if any history the browser retains under the Privacy & Security settings in Firefox under options from that menu with the three horizontal bars.
The benefits to seeing your browser history are obvious; but be mindful: anyone with access to your browser can see it too. You can clear individual or multiple sites in this record by selecting the "all history" at the bottom of the menu, then choosing one or more item to delete.
Extensions: wanted and unwanted
Firefox extensions, also called add-ons, are programs that can be installed into the browser to change its functionality. Examples include blocking ads from being displayed, using form fillers, employing third-party security functions (like AVG, Norton), etc. In a previous article, for instance, I mentioned an extension called Ad Blocker Plus.
It's important to state that I have helped many clients remove unwanted extensions in their browsers. These can get installed without a person clearly understanding why. One annoying type of extension I've had to remove redirects all searches to a website created by the company that made the extension. The intention is to spy on your searches, then feed you ads linked to their partners based on your activity.
To view extensions, and remove ones you don't want, in Firefox click the menu at upper right, then Add-ons. You are now in the Manage your Extensions section. You can disable or remove any you don't want, then restart the browser.
In general, the fewer extensions you have the faster the browser runs.
Thanks for reading!
-Sam
