Press 
+D to go directly to the desktop at any time.
FIGURE 5-14
FIGURE 5-15
Repeat Steps 1 and 3 and then select Unpin from Taskbar.
A fast way to remove an icon from the taskbar is to right-click it and choose Unpin from Taskbar on the shortcut menu.
Switch to the desktop. The Calculator icon is gone.
Pinned icons have a killer feature: jumplists, which are short menus of tasks and documents specific to the pinned app. To see the jumplist of a pinned app, right-click its icon on the taskbar or tap and hold on the icon until a small box appears. Try that with the File Explorer icon on the taskbar. Not all desktop apps have jumplists.
Stop Apps with the Task Manager
Select the Search icon on the taskbar and search for Task Manager. Select Task Manager from the search results.
The Task Manager lists any running apps — both desktop apps and Windows 11 apps. Select an app, also referred to as a task. Note that the End Task button is now available, as shown in Figure 5-16. You don't have to end this task, but you could. Any of the tasks in the Task Manager window can be ended without consequences.
Be careful about ending an app used to create something (for example, a word-processing app) because you could lose data you haven’t saved before ending the task. Use the Task Manager to end tasks that you can’t end otherwise, such as a frozen or locked app or one that seems to slow down everything.
Close the Task Manager.
FIGURE 5-16
Part 2
Windows 11 and the Web
IN THIS PART …
Explore the Internet.
Send and receive email.
Connect with Microsoft Teams.
Test-drive some valuable apps.
Chapter 6
Finding What You Need on the Web
IN THIS CHAPTER
Conducting research on the Internet
Choosing favorite websites so that you can revisit them
Test-driving the Edge browser
Preventing ads from appearing on web pages
The World Wide Web — or, simply, the web — provides quick access to information and entertainment worldwide. One part library, one part marketplace, and one part soapbox, the web makes everything equidistant. From down the block to halfway around the world — even out into space — everything is a few clicks or taps away. News, shopping, and the electronic equivalent of the town square await you.
You explore the web using a web browser, a program designed to make browsing the web easy, enjoyable, and safe. In this chapter, we show how you can use the Edge browser to step beyond your computer into the global village.
You browse web pages, which are published by governments, businesses, and individuals — anyone can create web pages. Each web page may consist of a few words or thousands of words and pictures. A web page is part of a larger collection called a website, which consists of a group of related web pages published on a topic by an organization or individual. Companies and individuals create websites to organize their related pages.
Pages and sites on the web have some common characteristics:
Unique addresses, which are formally called URLs (URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator, in case you're ever on Jeopardy!).
Connecting links that move you from page to page when you select them. These links (also called hypertext links or hyperlinks) often appear underlined and blue. Pictures and other graphic images can also be links to other pages. You can tell when a picture or image is a link by moving the pointer over it. The pointer changes from an arrow to a hand when it is over a hyperlink picture or image. Exploring the web using links is easier than typing URLs.
In this chapter, you use Edge to browse the web. To get the most out of browsing, you juggle multiple sites simultaneously and find out how to bookmark your favorite websites. You also find out how to search for almost anything and make use of some nice features in Edge. Finally, this chapter shows how to view web pages without seeing pesky advertisements.
Edge is by no means the only browser — it’s just Microsoft’s browser. You can also download and try other browsers if you like, namely Mozilla Firefox (www.mozilla.org) and Google Chrome (www.google.com/chrome/browser). With that said, note that Edge does everything you need, so you don’t need to download anything else.
Browse the Web with Edge
Open Edge by selecting its icon on the taskbar. Edge opens to the start page, as shown in Figure 6-1. This page presents websites and news stories that Microsoft thinks are of interest to you based on your browsing history. If you haven’t used Edge yet or haven’t used it very often, you don’t have a browsing history to speak of, and the websites and news stories you see here probably look quite tepid. (Later in this chapter, “Explore Edge Features” explains how to choose what web pages you see when you start Edge.)
When you start Edge, you may see an error message if you’re not connected to the Internet. If so, see Chapter 4 for information on connecting. See “Bookmark and Revisit Your Favorite Websites,” later in this chapter, for instructions about choosing a home page.
Note the address bar at the top of the Edge screen (refer to Figure 6-1). In the address bar, type www.dummies.com. As you type, search suggestions appear in a drop-down menu. Either select www.dummies.com in the search suggestions or press Enter. The web page for the Dummies Press appears, as shown in Figure 6-2.
If you have trouble finding the address bar, try clicking with the mouse or tapping with your finger near the top of the screen, to the right of the four buttons (Back, Forward, Refresh, and Home). This will make the address bar appear.
Select a link on the page with a click or a tap. Where are the links? Just about everywhere. When you move the pointer over a link, it changes from an arrow to a hand — that’s how you can tell where the links are.
Select the Back button (or press Alt+left arrow) to return to the preceding page. This button (an arrow) is located in the upper-left corner of the screen (refer to Figure 6-2). Select the Back button to backtrack and revisit pages.
Select the Forward button (or press Alt+right arrow) to move forward to the page you visited in Step 3. The Forward button is next to the Back button (refer to Figure 6-2). Edge remembers the pages you visit to make it easy to go forward and back.
To zoom in and make a web page look bigger, press Ctrl+plus sign. To zoom out, press Ctrl+minus sign.