How to Search With Internet Explorer

One of the most important and basic functions of an Internet browser is its search capability. With Internet Explorer, a widely used Web browser, conducting a search is extremely simple and the technique can be learned in a matter of minutes.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Internet Explorer
• Internet connection
• Computer

Search the Web With Internet Explorer

1. Click on the Internet Explorer icon to open the program.

2. In the address field at the top of the screen, type in the URL of your favorite search engine. Some popular search engines are Yahoo, Lycos and Google (see Resources below). Find the search field on your search engine's main page.

3. Type in words that will help the search engine find what it is you are looking for. You could enter the actual name of a Web site if you know it. If not, enter key words that describe what you want to find.

4. Hit the 'Enter' button on your keyboard when you are done typing your key words.

5. Browse your results. You will be presented with a list of Web sites containing the key words you entered. The items on this list will have short descriptions accompanying them. Read these descriptions to decide if any of the results interest you. Click on the choice that interests you most. You will be taken directly to that page.

6. Refine your search. If you want to return only results that include an exact phrase, enclose that phrase in quotes. If you don't want a certain word to turn up in your results, type it into the search bar along with your search term, but place a minus (-) sign in front of it.

7. Perform an advanced search. On Google, for instance, you'll see a small link for 'Advanced Search' on its main page. Advanced searches let you find Web sites in particular languages or Web sites updated within a given time frame. You can also perform searches within the text of books, searches of products for sale online, image-only searches and address searches among many others.

Tips & Warnings

• Should you require further assistance with how to search with Internet Explorer, take a moment and visit its encyclopedic FAQs page (see Resources below).
• Internet Explorer is full of useful security features. One of its best is its rock-solid pop-up blocker. The program comes with the pop-up blocker already turned on, so you can be free of pop-ups right from the start.
• These instructions utilize Internet Explorer 7.0. If you have a different version of Internet Explorer, some of the steps below could be different on your version.