Browse the web with Internet Explorer

Surfing the web has never been better. Surface comes with two versions of Internet Explorer:

• Touch-friendly Internet Explorer
• Internet Explorer for the desktop

This way you can easily surf the web from the Start screen or the desktop. The two Internet Explorer apps share the same browsing history and settings.

Note  Browsing the web requires an Internet connection. If a wireless network isn’t available, you may be able to use your phone’s Internet connection. For info about this, see Tethering: Use your phone’s data connection.

Internet Explorer 10 is optimized for touch. Tiles and tabs are oversized for easy tapping and appear only when you need them.

Tips

• To change your settings, open the Settings charm from Internet Explorer and then tap or click Internet Options. Some settings are only available from the desktop version of Internet Explorer. For more info, see the Internet Explorer for the desktop section below.
• Use the Share charm to share web pages with friends. For more info, see Share photos, links, and more.
• To find out how to change your home page, see Change your home page.

Navigate with tabs

To open a new tab or switch between tabs, swipe down from the top of the screen (if you’re using a mouse, right-click). The Tabs bar appears along the top, showing you a sneak peek of open webpages.

• Tap or click a browser window to switch to it.
• Tap or click + to open a new browser tab. When you open a new tab, pinned, frequent, and favorite websites appear above the address bar, so you can quickly jump to them.
• Tap or click the three dots ( … ) to open an InPrivate tab or close all tabs (except the one you’re on).

Your web favorites

You can pin sites to your Start screen or add sites to your browser favorites. From the Address bar, tap or click the Pin site button, then choose Pin to Start or Add to favorites. For more info about this, see Add to, view, and organize favorites.

Your browser favorites and history can be synced across Windows RT and Windows 8 PCs if you use a Microsoft account. For more info about this, see Sync your settings.

Flip ahead through sites

Turning on flip ahead makes going from page to page and article to article more fluid. If you're reading an article on a news site that supports flip ahead, you can swipe across the page (or click the Forward button) to go to the next page of content.

To turn on flip ahead, open the Settings charm from Internet Explorer, then tap or click Internet Options.

You can surf the web from the desktop using Internet Explorer for the desktop.

To start the Internet Explorer desktop app:

1. From the Start screen, tap or click Desktop (or press Windows logo key + D).
2. Tap or click the Internet Explorer icon on the taskbar.

Note  If a website you're visiting doesn't look the way you expect it to, you can try using compatibility view. For more info about this, see Use Compatibility View in Internet Explorer.

Change browser settings

To change browser settings, tap the Settings icon in the upper-right corner of Internet Explorer (desktop version), then tap or click Internet options. (If you need help with a setting, tap or click the ? in the upper-right corner.)

For example, to turn off the Pop-up Blocker:

1. Open Internet Explorer for the desktop.
2. Tap or click the Settings icon (the gear in upper-right corner), and then tap or click Internet options.
3. Tap or click the Privacy tab, then clear the Turn on Pop-up Blocker check box.

Both Internet Explorer apps use the same settings.

Browser history

To see your browsing history:

1. Open Internet Explorer for the desktop.
2. Tap or click the Favorites icon (the star in the upper-right corner), and then tap or click the History tab.

Internet Explorer 10 is designed to provide an add-on free experience, and will play HTML5 and many Adobe Flash Player videos without needing to install a separate add-on.

Add-ons

Surface RT: Add-ons are not supported by Internet Explorer on Surface RT.

Surface Pro: If you want to use a browser add-on or toolbar, you’ll need to use the desktop version of Internet Explorer. For more info about this, see Videos won't play or webpages don't display correctly.

Adobe Flash compatibility

Adobe Flash is supported for many websites on Surface RT and Surface Pro.

Surface Pro: If you can’t view Flash content with Internet Explorer, switch to the desktop version of Internet Explorer.

Java and Silverlight compatibility

Surface RT: Java and Silverlight plug-ins are not supported on Surface RT.

Surface Pro: For Surface Pro, you can install Java or the Silverlight add-on with Internet Explorer for the desktop.

Streaming audio in the background

If you want to stream audio from a website while using other apps, do one of the following:

• Use the desktop version of Internet Explorer.
• Snap the touch-optimized version of Internet Explorer next to the app that you’re using. For more info about this, see Use two apps at the same time.

Note  Music that you play by using the Xbox Music app continues playing when you switch apps and when the screen turns off. For more info, see Play music on Surface.