1. Install Firefox
2. Quickly find words/phrases on a page
3. Learn some keyboard shortcuts in Firefox
4. Use tabs for browsing
5. Learn about more efficient search-engine use
6. Download Goodies for Firefox
1. Install Firefox
Click here
to download the program. It is FREE and easy to install! If you
would like
detailed instructions on how to install Firefox, click here. Once you are done
installing
Firefox, you will be given the option to return to this page.
2. Quickly find words/phrases on a page
Many Web pages have a lot of text and it can be difficult to find what
you are looking for on them. Firefox has a feature that allows you to
start typing text and jumps to that text immediately on the page you are
visiting. Let's say you get to a page and you want to see where you can
read about "most recent updates". You start by typing "m" and immediately
the first word on the page that starts with an "m" will be highlighted.
Next you type "o" and the first word on the page that starts with "mo"
will be highlighted. You finish by typing "most recent updates" and if
that phrase appears on the page it will be highlighted for you
immediately.
In order to have this work, you have to check a box in the Advanced settings of Firefox. Don't worry, it's very easy.
Start Firefox. Click on the Tools menu and choose Options.
The following window will appear:
Click on the Advanced tab, the last option on the left highlighted with
the red circle in this image:
Look under Accessibility and check the box next to "Begin finding when
you begin typing". It is highlighted in this image:
Click OK. You are all set with this feature. Next time you want to
jump right to a word or phrase on a page, just start typing it out.
3. Learn some keyboard shortcuts in
Firefox
Using the mouse can be hard on your wrist and is less efficient than
pressing keys on the keyboard. Firefox has numerous keyboard
shortcuts that are helpful. Here are a few to get you started.
- Pressing the Control key (CTRL) and T at the same time will put
your
cursor in the location bar. Then you are immediately ready to type the
address of a Web page.
- Pressing CTRL+K (Control key and the letter k) puts the cursor in the
search box immediately. You are ready to start typing your search query.
- Pressing CTRL+R (Control key and the letter r) refreshes the page so
you can see any recent changes to it. (This may be especially relevant
while browsing news sites or blogs.)
- Pressing the Shift key and the Backspace key at the same time will
take you back to the last page you were browsing. This is equivalent to
the Back button.
- If you are using tabbed browsing then you can go from one tabbed
window to the next by pressing CTRL-Tab.
See more keyboard shortcuts here.
4. Use tabs for browsing
In Firefox, you can use tabs for accessing additional Web sites instead
of opening new windows. The toolbar on the bottom of your screen can get
cluttered quickly with numerous windows of programs running on your
computer. Save space by opening new sites in new tabs instead of windows.
When clicking on a link on a page, right click and choose "open in new
tab" instead of "open in new window". (See the Firefox Extensions page for
the Tab Mix extension that gives you additional options for using tabs in
Firefox.)
5. Learn about more efficient search-engine use
There are lots of ways in which you can improve your search engine
use. You can start by reading this brief guide on efficient Web searching.
6. Download Goodies for Firefox
Optimize your Firefox browser with all sorts of nifty features that
will let you surf the Web even more efficiently. Click here for
some pointers.
Questions?
Questions? Comments? Send a note to help05@webuse.info.
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