
The internet is a huge part of our daily lives. Whether you’re communicating with family over Zoom, checking what your friends are up to on Facebook or buying your weekly groceries, you no doubt use an Internet browser most days of the week – either on your computer, tablet or smartphone.
Internet browsers have a host of cool tricks and functions that make the browsing experience more pleasurable and straightforward. To make the most of these features, you need to understand what they are and how they work.
One such feature is the use of multiple browsing tabs. Tabs enable you to open multiple websites in one browser, without cluttering your desktop with too many browser pages. Being able to use tabs can enhance your browsing experience and make using the internet much easier.
Every leading browser has options for tabbed browsing – even smartphones and tablets.
Tabs are hugely popular – and have a great range of benefits. It’s estimated that the average person has between 2 -3 tabs open at any one point.
Of course, to take advantage of tabs, you need to know how to use them. So, below, we’ll dive into what browser tabs are, why you should use them and how to get started.
What’s a Browser Tab?
With multiple browser tabs open, you can have multiple websites open at the same time within one browser. Each open website will appear as a “tab” at the top of your browser window. You can use your mouse, keyboard-shortcut or finger to switch between your open tabs/websites.
Why is Using Multiple Tabs Beneficial?
Have you ever signed into a website and then been asked to check your email for a verification code, which you’ll need to enter on that page.
In this instance, you may have wondered if there’s a way to check your email without losing the page you’re on. This is where browser tabs come in.
With multiple tabs, you can keep your current page while opening a new tab to check your email.
Other use cases for browser tabs include:
- When you are writing an email and want to look up a synonym of a word
- When you have two email accounts and want to switch between the two
- When you’re reviewing your stock portfolio and want to research information about a company without exiting your account
- When you’re researching airline flights and are comparing providers for the best deals
- When you’re multi-tasking – reading the news, ordering groceries etc.
- When you want to click a link on a page without losing the webpage you’re on