How Do You Update Your Browser?
Browser updates provide new features, improve general performance and stability, enhance compatibility and most importantly close security loopholes. While major versions might have more of an effect than small updates can often make updates much faster.
Update your browser may seem tedious, but staying current with software changes is essential for optimal functioning of the Internet. To help, this article explains how you can update your browser on Windows, Mac OSX, iPhone and iPad platforms.
1. Check for updates
Keep your browser software up-to-date for best results. Web browser updates provide security fixes that protect against hacking, identity theft and other forms of cybercrime that could potentially compromise your computer or personal data. They also ensure websites load properly while adding features that enhance browsing the Internet more reliably and enjoyable.
Web browsers typically update automatically; however, you can manually check for updates to ensure you have the latest security and performance enhancements in place. This includes Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Microsoft Edge on Windows computers as well as their iOS and Android counterparts.
Launch your browser and click or hover your mouse over the menu icon in the top-right corner. In this menu, click “Help” or “About,” which will provide information about your browser such as whether or not it is up-to-date, along with an option to download and install a newer version of it.
Once you click or tap the update button, your browser will begin downloading and installing its latest software version. When this download has completed, your browser may restart to install this update automatically or you may need to manually reboot. Depending on your settings, restarting may occur automatically or manually – whatever works best for you!
Some browsers release updates days or weeks in advance of being automatically deployed; you can stay informed by following your developer’s blog or another source of news about it, or visiting its website to see if there are any news or updates available for it.
If you’re using a mobile device, updates for browsers may come via either iOS App Store or Android Google Play, with most tablet and phone apps set to update only when connected to WiFi – this helps reduce cellular data use when downloading software updates.
On a Mac, Safari browser is part of macOS and should receive updates automatically; however, you can manually check for and install updates just like with any app.
2. Download and install
Browser updates provide new features, enhance compatibility and resolve bugs or issues on the web – not to mention making browsing safer, faster and more enjoyable! While third-party browsers such as Chrome and Firefox auto-update themselves automatically, you should still check regularly if there are updates available for your preferred browser – updating is a simple process that takes just minutes without incurring any cost whatsoever!
Checking browser updates on Windows, Mac and Android devices is easy. While each platform may differ slightly in their steps to achieve this task, the general procedure remains the same: Open your browser and navigate to its Settings or Help menu for guidance on how to detect new updates.
Chromebook users will enjoy automatic browser and app updates; similarly, iOS users will have automatic app updates available; however this feature is unavailable when using Apple’s default browser Safari, which only updates upon restart.
To check for updates on a PC or Mac, Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox can be used. Older versions of Internet Explorer may also be checked provided they haven’t been upgraded to more recent versions.
Microsoft Edge makes it easy to check for updates by clicking the gear icon in the top-right corner and choosing Settings, or open your browser window and click the three horizontal dots at the bottom right corner. From here you can click About Microsoft Edge for an overview of your current version.
If your computer runs an outdated operating system, then it will be important to manually check for and install updates regularly or your browser may become unusable or become vulnerable to malware attacks and hacking attempts.
Staying current with browser updates is crucial to your safety and creating an optimal Bitbucket Cloud experience. This article shows how you can check for and download browser updates on both PCs and Macs – whether using Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge or Firefox as browsers.
3. Restart
Web browsers are complex applications with numerous potential issues that may and do arise; such as bugs that create serious security holes, which criminals take advantage of to install malware (viruses or spyware) on your computer that will do anything from activating web cams to capture private videos, stealing bank details, breaking into email and social media accounts, to even encrypting data that cannot be read unless ransom payment is paid to restore its safe retrieval.
To avoid these problems, the best way is to ensure your web browser remains up-to-date. While most modern web browsers will auto update themselves automatically, you must still check for and download updates frequently – especially those related to video/music players, chat applications or any other applications or plugins such as video/music players or chat applications.
Most applications provide you with an option to notify you when an update is available and to download it; select this feature and follow on-screen instructions to do so. Depending on your browser settings, rebooting may be required after installing updates for proper functioning.
Chrome notifies you by showing a green Update button which needs to be clicked for updates to take effect. You can alter this setting in the Settings menu (by clicking on the three-stacked horizontal lines icon in the top right) so as to receive updates in any manner you see fit.
Edge will download an update automatically, but once downloaded and installed it is important that you restart your browser to apply them (it should display a green or orange arrow on its Settings and More icon). Otherwise, if an automatic update fails you’ll continue using an outdated version until it has been manually completed by restarting.
Firefox browser users don’t need to restart after downloading an update as Chromium was designed to store all open tabs and windows as well as cookies so when your browser restarts everything remains where you left it.
4. Close the browser
Browser updates often contain crucial fixes and security features, so closing your browser when finished will ensure no updates are lost and provide extra protection while on the move.
Some browsers can store tabs and windows when you close them, allowing you to reopen them the next time you launch the browser. To prevent this from happening, visit your browser settings and set “On startup tab / Never open this window” accordingly.
Your browser can also be updated by selecting Help > About Google Chrome from Chrome’s top right menu (three dot menu). If your browser is up-to-date, this will show it, otherwise click the button to download and install a newer version – though be mindful that closing and reopening may be required for it to take effect properly.
