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A web browser is the app you use on your phone, computer, or tablet to access sites on the internet. Without these software programs, you can't watch YouTube, send emails, or shop online without downloading another app.
The most common browsers are Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple Safari. But dozens more exist, and each one provides different features and levels of privacy. Browser security matters more than ever — 65% of internet users say they’ve received a data breach notification in the past year alone.
Keep reading to find out more about how web browsers work and how to make them more secure, like using an ad blocker and a virtual private network (VPN).
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Top ad blocker that historically scores 100/100 on AdBlock Tester, passing every banner, interstitial, pop-up, and contextual ad test
Successfully blocked YouTube ads in our testing, one of the trickier platforms for ad blockers to handle consistently
Works across Chrome, Edge, Safari, and Opera, plus Android and iOS mobile apps
Web browsers act like translators, taking the code that creates web pages and using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) to display images, text, and videos. HTTP is a set of rules that govern how images, text, and videos are transferred over the internet.
In short, a browser is the program that lets you view and interact with websites without needing to read the code behind them. This means you don’t need to understand hypertext markup language (HTML), JavaScript, or other code to navigate the internet. For example, here’s the HTML code for this page:
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And here's the view we see when our browser loads the page:
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When you type a web page address or uniform resource locator (URL) — such as www.allaboutcookies.org — into your browser or click on a link, you’re giving your browser directions for where you want to go.
Once it knows your destination, your browser sends a request to the server or servers where the web page’s content is stored, then retrieves that content and displays it to you. In other words, you're actually making a list of requests to retrieve content from various resource directories or servers where that page's content is stored.
The web page you requested to see may be made up of content from different sources. Images may come from one server, text content from another, scripts from a third server, and ads from a different server.
Your browser then retrieves the data from each server and uses rendering engine software to translate the web page’s HTML and other code into images and text.
Not sure what browser you're using right now? The tool below detects it automatically, along with your IP address and hostname:
Web browsers have several important controls and features that you may or may not be familiar with yet:
There are plenty of browser options, and most are fairly similar. However, some are open-source software, while others offer additional features that you might like:
One of the biggest shifts in browsers recently is the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). Most major browsers now build in AI assistants that can summarize a page, answer questions about what you’re reading, and pull together information across your open tabs. A newer category, often called “agentic” or AI browsers, goes further, completing multi-step tasks for you such as researching a topic, filling out forms, or comparing products while shopping.
These features are convenient, but they raise privacy questions: an AI assistant that can read your tabs, emails, or calendar has access to a lot of personal data. If you use an AI browser, review the permissions you’re granting and consider pairing it with privacy tools like a VPN.
HTTP and HTTPS may look similar, but the extra S represents an extra layer of security. HTTP is the primary communication protocol, or set of rules, for internet surfing. Hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS) is similar to HTTP, as both translate web page code into the more visual elements we’re familiar with.
The difference is, HTTPS encrypts any data transmitted from the web page to you (or vice versa). It does this using transport layer security (TLS) — the modern successor to the older secure sockets layer (SSL) technology.
Even with growing privacy concerns, 1 in 4 users admit they accept cookies automatically — without checking what data they’re agreeing to share.
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However, you can easily update your browser’s privacy settings, but the steps may change depending on which browser you’re using. We’ll show you how to update your privacy settings in Google Chrome:
1. Go to the top right of the browser and select the three dots. Then choose Settings from the drop-down menu.
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2. Choose Privacy and security. Once here, we recommend selecting the Clear browsing data option to delete your browsing history, cookies, and cache.
If you choose the Cookies and other site data option, you can tell Chrome to block third-party cookies, block all cookies, or allow cookies. You can also tell Chrome to send a “Do Not Track” request while you browse different sites.
Under Security, you can choose the level of protection Chrome uses against malicious websites and downloads.
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You can also click on Go to Safety Check for a more in-depth look at settings you can update and review to ensure top security.
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Chrome and other browsers help you secure your online experience by offering different levels of protection or specific features. Here are the five browser privacy and security tips we recommend most.
If you want additional privacy, many browsers offer an incognito or private browsing option. Incognito mode doesn’t record your site history, cookies, or cached content. Instead, this data is deleted once you end your browsing session and close the private window.
On Chrome, you can open an incognito window from the three-dot menu in the top-right corner by selecting New Incognito Window, or by pressing Ctrl + Shift + N (Cmd + Shift + N on a Mac).
You can add another level of security by using a virtual private network (VPN). VPN clients establish an encrypted connection between your device and the website you’re connecting to. This encryption masks your internet protocol (IP) address and can also let you access otherwise restricted sites, such as U.K. television shows on Netflix. These three top VPN providers include built-in browser protection against malicious ads and tracking cookies.
 NordVPN |
 Surfshark |
 Proton VPN |
|
| Award | Best overall VPN | Best value VPN | Best privacy VPN |
| Star rating | |||
| Price | $3.49–$29.99/mo | $2.49–$21.85/mo | $2.99–$9.99/mo |
| Max # of connected devices | 10 | Unlimited | 10 |
| # of servers | 9,300+ servers in 130+ countries | 4,500+ servers in 100 countries | 20,000+ servers in 145 countries |
| Netflix access | |||
| Learn more | Get NordVPN | Get Surfshark | Get Proton VPN |
The standard search engines are Google, Bing, and Yahoo, but you might prefer to use a private search engine instead.
Private search engines, like DuckDuckGo and Qwant, don’t track your searches or sell your personal data.
Some pop-up ads are harmless, but some are created by hackers and designed to trick you into giving up your personal information.
You can block pop-ups and redirects inside your browser settings. Third-party ad blockers such as Total Adblock work effectively too.
Removing cookies is recommended for anyone who wants additional privacy and security. You also have the option to opt out when websites request permission to use cookies.
Prior to the commercial side of the internet in the late 1990s, only universities, governments, and global think tanks used the internet to exchange files. The information was almost entirely text-based and quite simple, as you can see in this replica of the very first web page, which was hosted on Tim Berners-Lee’s (the inventor of the World Wide Web) NeXT computer.
Because web pages started out simple, it makes sense that many of the first web browsers were simple, too. The first browsers had a very specific purpose: to make web page code readable and understandable.
As web developers created more web objects and software libraries, browsers needed to be updated quickly to keep up. Eventually, plug-ins were also developed to extend existing browsers, enabling them to render new types of objects on web pages.
Browsers have changed and continue to change in order to support everything from shopping carts to embedded videos. Private browsers have popped up to address concerns about data privacy and cookie tracking, and the newest browsers now include AI assistants that can read pages and complete tasks for you.
Here’s a list of some of the more well-known browsers and the year they were created:
Web browsers play an important role in navigating the internet. No matter which web browser you use, it's important to update the privacy settings so you don't accidentally share your personal data with websites.
You can also protect your online privacy by stopping unwanted ads and trackers with a secure ad blocker.
Top ad blocker that historically scores 100/100 on AdBlock Tester, passing every banner, interstitial, pop-up, and contextual ad test
Successfully blocked YouTube ads in our testing, one of the trickier platforms for ad blockers to handle consistently
Works across Chrome, Edge, Safari, and Opera, plus Android and iOS mobile apps
A web browser is the app that displays websites, like Chrome, Safari, or Edge. A search engine, like Google or Bing, is a website you use within a browser to find other websites. Think of the browser as the car and the search engine as the map you use to decide where to drive. It's a common mix-up because many browsers open a search engine by default, but they're two separate tools.
AI browsers (like Chrome with Gemini, Edge with Copilot, or Perplexity's Comet) can be useful, but they come with privacy trade-offs. To summarize pages or complete tasks for you, these assistants often need access to your open tabs and sometimes your email or calendar, which means a lot of personal data passes through them. They're generally safe to use, but review the permissions you grant, be cautious about letting an AI act on sensitive accounts, and consider pairing your browser with privacy tools like a VPN.
Google Chrome is the most popular web browser in the world, with roughly 65% of the global market share as of June 2026, according to StatCounter. Apple Safari is a distant second at around 18%, boosted by its default status on iPhones and iPads, followed by Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, and Opera.
Digital cookies are created by websites to personalize your web experience better. Cookies allow a site to remember information you’ve shared, including who you are, your login info, what you’ve left in your shopping cart, your IP address, and more.
Due to privacy laws such as the E.U.’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), websites need to ask your permission to use cookies. We recommend considering every cookie request before you accept it. It’s best to avoid accepting third-party and tracking cookies if you can, as these can continue to collect your data even after you leave the website.
To close your web browser, look at the top right or top left of your browser window and click the red button or “X” button. This closes your browser window. You can also press Alt + F4 on your keyboard.
Closing a browser could log you out of a website, but your login session could stay active thanks to session cookies. But session cookies are set to time out or expire after a certain amount of time, so you won’t stay logged in indefinitely.
It’s a good idea to close all your browser windows because that forces all of your online sessions to end or timeout.
Closing your browser window or tabs can also free up system resources becuase multiple open browser tabs can impact your memory and CPU usage. If your browsing experience or computer seems slow, make sure you don’t have multiple browser windows or tabs open.
Closing your browser window is also good practice because you likely use your computer to log into banking and other personal sites. If you get up for a moment and walk away from your device with a tab still open to your bank account, someone could access it and steal your personal information.
Top ad blocker that historically scores 100/100 on AdBlock Tester, passing every banner, interstitial, pop-up, and contextual ad test
Successfully blocked YouTube ads in our testing, one of the trickier platforms for ad blockers to handle consistently
Works across Chrome, Edge, Safari, and Opera, plus Android and iOS mobile apps
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