Opera

Each of the default buttons on the address bar are listed below with instructions on how to use them:

Rewind

The browser keeps a record of pages you have visited, which is called your "history". Click this button to go back to either the entry page on the Web site you are viewing, or go to the exit page on the previous site (if you are already on the entry page). Hold the cursor down on this button to view the list of pages you can rewind to.

Back

Click this to go back to the previous Web page you viewed. Hold the cursor down on this button to view the history list.

Forward

Click this to go forward to the next Web page you viewed, if you have gone back in your history. Hold the cursor down on this button to view the history list.

Fast forward

Click this to quickly access the next page when there are multiple pages of results, or an ordered series of linked pages. Fast forward looks for any defined links that take you to the next page, for example when you have several pages of search results or are viewing an image in a picture gallery. It looks for certain patterns that indicate a "next" link, so is only useful if there is an identifiable "next" page. Hold the cursor down on this button to view the list of pages it has identified. If you have saved your log in details for the site in the Password Manager, Fast forward can also log you in.

Reload

Click this to update the Web page you are currently viewing. Sometimes an interruption occurs and part of a Web page is lost. Reloading will try to display the Web page again correctly. This button is also useful for updating pages with content that changes rapidly, such as news sites. When the page is reloading, this automatically becomes a Stop button . If the page is taking too long to load, often because it is heavily loaded with images, you can stop the loading process by clicking the Stop button.

Home

Click this to return to your Home page. This is useful if you have lost your way while surfing the Web, and saves you from clicking the back button repeatedly to return to your Home page. For more details on choosing your own Home page, see Choose your own Home page.

Password Manager

Click the Password Manager icon to automatically complete your login, password and personal information on different sites. For more details, see Using the Password Manager.

Searching with Opera is quick and easy, as you have a range of options to choose from.

Use a search engine in the search field

The search field is to the right of the address field in the address bar. Click in that field, type the term you want to search for, and press Enter. Search results display in the active tab. Use the drop-down menu to change search engines.

Search directly in the address field

There are a set of search keywords you can use to search directly in the address bar. Just type a search keyword for the search engine you want to use — for example "g" for "Google" — then the term you want to search. For a full list of default keywords, on the menu bar, select Tools > Preferences > Search.

You can also add your own preferred search engines and keywords. For more details, see Add your own search engine.

View search results

If you want to view a search result without losing the search results page, right-click the result link and select "Open in Background Tab". The Web page displays on a new tab while you are still viewing the search results page. If you have several pages of search results, you can also use the Fast forward button to make Opera automatically go to the next page in the search result listings.

Search for previously visited Web sites

In the address field, you can search your typed history, that is, addresses that you have typed explicitly in this field, as opposed to addresses that were visited via a link. To search your typed history, click the drop-down arrow on the right side of the address field, and select a Web site from the list.

Search for text in previously viewed Web pages

In the address bar, you can search for text that appeared in previously visited pages. This is very useful if you cannot remember the name of the site, but you know what you were looking for. Just start typing a word in the address field, and items from the text of previously visited sites that match appear dynamically in a list. Each letter you type narrows these search results. Then you select the site that you want to view. To see an example of this, go to Quick Find in Opera Tips.

Search text within a Web page

You can also search for a term in the page you are viewing. You can go to the search field and select "Find in page" from the drop-down menu. A quicker way, however, is to use the Finding text field.

1. Press period (.) on your keyboard. The Finding text field displays at the bottom on the window.
2. Quickly type in the term. All incidences of the term are highlighted on the Web page.

To see an example, go to Find as you type in Opera Tips.

Tip: To search within the text of the links on the page, press comma (,) instead.

Search from a Web page

When viewing a Web page, you can start a search using a word or phrase in the text. Just highlight and right-click the word or phrase, select a search engine, dictionary, or encyclopedia from the context menu and complete the search.

Using tabs for each Web page you want to view is called "tabbed browsing". Below are a few ways you can use tabs to make browsing easier.

Open a new tab

Click the New Tab icon to the right of the last open tab.

Close a tab

click the Close tab icon at the left of the tab. Tip: You can also just press Shift and click the tab.

Display visual tabs to show a thumbnail of the Web site

In the center of the tab bar baseline, there are three dots that mark the drag handle. You can expand the tabs to display them as larger thumbnails by either middle or double clicking the drag handle. Middle or double click again to collapse them back into plain tabs. You can also drag the handle with your mouse to display the thumbnails to a size of your choice.

Switch between tabs

Simply click the tab you want to view.

View the tab context menu

Right-click the tab for options to close all tabs or to close all except for the one you are currently viewing.

Cycle through open tabs using keyboard shortcuts

In Windows, press Ctrl and then press Tab. For Mac, press Option and then press Tab. A list of all open tabs displays. Press tab to cycle through the list and when the tab you want is highlighted, take your finger off Ctrl/Option to display it.

Rearrange tabs

Select the tab you want to move and drag it to the new postion.

Disable tabs and open pages in new windows

Go to Tools > Preferences > Advanced > Tabs and check "Open windows instead of tabs".

Bookmarks are saved links to Web pages you wish to return to again.

To save a Web page as a bookmark:

1. Display the Web page in the active tab, and on the menu bar, go to Bookmarks > Bookmark page. The bookmark dialog displays.
2. Select the folder you want to save the bookmark in, if relevant. If you want to save the bookmark in a new folder, click "New Folder..." to create one.
3. Assign a nickname for the bookmark, if you want one. This is a quick way to load the page by just typing the nicname in the address field. To assign a nickname, click the Details button. Type a short nickname that is easy for you to remember and click "OK". To see an example of this, go to Bookmark nicknames in Opera Tips.
4. Click "OK".

You can also import your bookmarks (saved favorite sites) from other browsers. For more information, see Import bookmarks and other data.

Apart from reading the text and viewing graphics, images, or videos on a Web page, there are a few other features you can use to improve your browsing experience. The following topics explain some of these features.

Use links

Links on a Web page usually show as underlined text in a different color to the text on the rest of the page. When you select a link, by either clicking with your mouse or selecting with your keyboard, another Web page displays. In Opera, there are a few other options provided in a context menu. You can:

• Open a link in a new tab and display that tab — right-click the link and select "Open in New Tab".
• Open a link in a new tab but keep displaying the Web page you are viewing — right-click the link and select "Open in Background Tab".
• Save a bookmark of the link address — right-click the link and select "Bookmark link".

To keep the current list of links in the Links panel even if you go to another page, click the Lock button. To remove the lock, click "Lock" again. To view the links in the Links panel as a page in a new tab with full addresses displayed, go to Tools > Links.

Select text and options

You can select text to copy and paste into a document or notes, or complete a search. To select text, you can:

• Highlight the text using your mouse or keyboard
• Double-click with your mouse to select a word
• Triple-click to select a full sentence
• Click four times to select an entire paragraph

Options for selected text

When you right-click any selected text, the text context menu displays, providing the following options:

• Copy — This copies the selected text.
• Copy to Note — This copies the text directly into a note.
• Search — This searches for the word or phrase in the Web using the default search engine.
• Search with — This searches for the word or phrase with a chosen search engine.
• Dictionary — This searches for the word or phrase in the Mirriam-Webster dictionary.
• Encyclopedia — This searches for the word or phrase in Wikipedia.
• Translate — This translates the word or phrase (limited selection of translations available).
• Send by Mail — This automatically composeses an e-mail message using the text.

Options for Web pages

When you right-click a part of a Web page where there are no links, images, or forms, the page context menu displays, which includes the following options:

• Reload Every » — This allows you to set an automatic reload frequency, which is very useful for sites with constantly changing content, such as news sites.
• Copy address — This copies the Web site address so that you can paste it into a document or note.
• Send Link by Mail — This automatically composes an e-mail message with the address of the current page.

Print from the Web

If your system is correctly configured and connected to a printer and you want to print a Web page, right-click the page and select "Print", or on the menu bar, go to File > Print. To see how a Web page will appear when printed, go to File > Print preview.