Opera

You can set Opera as your default browser so that Opera automatically opens when you request any information from the Internet. Note that you can have several browsers installed on your computer. Unlike Opera, some browsers may try to take control and set themselves up as your default browser. The steps to follow are different for each operating system, listed below.

Windows

The second time you run Opera, it displays a dialog asking if you want Opera to be your default browser. Click "OK" to confirm.

If you have cancelled this dialog previously, follow these steps to set Opera as the default browser:

1. Go to Tools > Preferences > Advanced > Programs.
2. Check the "Check if Opera is default browser on startup" option.
3. The next time you start Opera, answer "Yes" when the dialog asks you if you want Opera to be the default browser on your computer.

Mac OS X

To set Opera as your default browser on your Mac, follow these steps:

1. Open Safari, which is the default browser on any Mac computer (open "Finder" and look under "Applications").
2. In the Safari menu, select Preferences > General.
3. In the Default web browser drop-down, select "Opera".

Unix

For the two major desktop environments, the easiest ways of changing the default system Web browser to Opera are:

Gnome

1. In Gnome's system menu, select Preferences > Preferred Applications.
2. On the Web browser tab, replace the name of the current default browser with "Opera".
3. Important: Leave the "%s" in the browser name field so that files are launched by other applications directly.

KDE

1. Open KDE's control center.
2. Go to KDE Components > File Associations.
3. Add Opera as the default application for the file types you want to launch directly in the browser, for example text/html.

By default, you will be notified if there is an available update for the browser. You can also set the browser to update itself automatically when new releases become available, or not to check for updates at all. To set this, go to Tools > Preferences > Advanced > Security and select an option in the Auto-update field.

You can import bookmarks (favorites), contacts, and e-mail from other programs like Internet Explorer, Firefox, Outlook Express and older versions of Opera.

To import bookmarks:

1. Add or choose an active folder in the Opera panel (F4) where you want your imported bookmarks to display.
2. Go to File > Import and export; File > Import (or Import bookmarks).
3. Select the program you want to import from in the list.
4. Browse to find the folder where the bookmarks are located.
5. Click "OK" to confirm.

To import mail and contacts, see the Opera Mail tutorial.

You can tailor Speed Dial to suit your needs by either changing the number of dials displayed or the background. Speed Dial displays 9 dials by default but you can change this number to suit you. You can cut down the number to a minimum of 4, or increase the number to 25.

To change the number of dials:

1. In the lower-right corner of your Speed Dial, click "Configure Speed Dial".
2. Under "Layout of your speed dials:" select the dial layout that suits you best.
3. Click "OK".

To change the Speed Dial background:

1. In the Speed Dial page, click "Configure Speed Dial".
2. In the Background image section, check "Enable background image".
3. Choose how you want to display the background image from Best fit, Center, Stretch, or Tile.
4. Click "Choose" to locate the image you want to use.
5. Click "OK".

If you do not want your Speed Dial to automatically display on a new tab, you can hide it. In the Speed Dial page, click "Configure Speed Dialv and check "Hide Speed Dial". To re-display your Speed Dial, click "Show Speed Dial" in the bottom right corner of a blank tab.

To synchronize your Speed Dial on on all your computers and devices, so that they are available wherever you go, on the Speed Dial, click the Synchronize Opera link at the bottom. For more information, see Opera Link.

To set your favorite page as the Home page:

1. Go to Preferences > General.
2. Type the Web address of your desired page or, if your current tab displays this page, just click "Use Current".
3. Click "OK" to confirm. The Web page is set as your Home page and displays when you click the Home button.

You can set different tasks to be performed automatically when you exit, or close, Opera. The more common tasks are outlined below.

Save all the tabs from this session

Go to Preferences > General > Startup > Continue from last time.

Display a confirmation dialog before exit

Go to Preferences > Advanced > Browsing > Confirm exit.

Delete stored documents

Go to Preferences > Advanced > History > Empty on exit.

Delete stored cookies

Go to Preferences > Advanced > Cookies > Delete new cookies when exiting Opera.

Opera has a default list of search engines ready for you to use, but you can also add a search engine that you like to use and give it a search keyword. To add a new search engine:

1. Display the Web page for the search engine.
2. In the search field for that search engine (not Opera's search field), right-click or focus the cursor.
3. Select "Create search".
4. Type a keyword for this search engine and click "OK".

Alternatively, you can go to Preferences > Search, click the Add button and fill in the details of the search engine.

To see a quick example, go to Custom Searches in Opera Tips.

When you have mastered the basic features of the Opera browser, find out how much more you can change settings to really personalize it so that it fits you like a glove in the Personalize Opera tutorial.