Finer-grained management of cookies usually requires a browser extension. However, others are used for tracking user behavior over long periods of time, so browsers typically provide a section in the menu for deleting cookies. Some of them contain login credentials or site preferences. Various network connectivity and privacy settings are also usually available.ĭuring the course of browsing, cookies received from various websites are stored by the browser. They also can change default web page colors and fonts.

For example, users can change their home page and default search engine.

The menu has different types of settings. Depending on the browser, the menu may be named Settings, Options, or Preferences. Web browsers can typically be configured with a built-in menu.

Cached items are usually only stored for as long as the web server stipulates in its HTTP response messages. The cache can store many items, such as large images, so they do not need to be downloaded from the server again. Most browsers use an internal cache of web page resources to improve loading times for subsequent visits to the same page. Thus the process of bringing content to the user begins again. Each link contains a URL, and when it is clicked or tapped, the browser navigates to the new resource. Web pages usually contain hyperlinks to other pages and resources. This includes image and video formats supported by the browser. Once a web page has been retrieved, the browser's rendering engine displays it on the user's device. In the case of https:, the communication between the browser and the web server is encrypted for the purposes of security and privacy (with the s standing for 'secure'). Virtually all URLs on the Web start with either http: or https: which means the browser will retrieve them with the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

This process begins when the user inputs a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), such as, into the browser. The purpose of a web browser is to fetch content from the Web and display it on a user's device.

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