What are Favorites?

When browsing the World Wide Web you will come across certain web sites which you might want to visit again. Instead of typing in the address each time, you can store a list of Favorites in Internet Explorer which require only a simple click to take you to a web site.

View Favorites

To view your current list of Favorites, in Internet Explorer 6 click on the Favorites menu at the top of your browser. In Internet Explorer 7 you can access your Favorites list by clicking on the Favorites Center button.

Add a Favorite Site

To add the current web site page to your list of Favorites, right-click somewhere on the page and select Add to Favorites from the menu that appears. Alternatively, in Internet Explorer 7 you can also click the Add to Favorites button at the top left of the screen.

A new window will open allowing you to give this Favorite a name to help you remember what the site was about. Type it into the Name box.

Use the Create In.. menu if you want to place this Favorite in a particular category on your Favorites list. If you want to create a new category, click the New Folder button and give it a name, for example 'Shopping Web Sites'.

Click OK (or Add in Internet Explorer 7) and you should now have a new Favorite link in your Favorites list. Clicking once on this link will take you straight back to this page in future, without having to type the address in again.

Creating Folders For Groups Of Favorites

As your list of Favorites grows longer, you may find it useful to group together similar links in folders. When you click on the name of a folder in your Favorites list, it will expand to show all the links you have stored in that category.

Click the Favorites menu (in Internet Explorer 7 click the Add To Favorites button) and select Organize Favorites.

Click Create Folder. Give it a name then click Close and you should see a new folder in your list of Favorites. You can also Delete or Rename folders in this Organize Favorites window.

To move one of your existing Favorites into a folder, just click and drag the Favorite into the folder.

Folders, like individual Favorites, can be rearranged by clicking and dragging them up or down the list.

Backing Up Your Favorites

You can keep a backup of your Favorites in case you accidentally delete any of your list. You can also use this backup to transfer your Favorites list to a different PC or another browser program.

Click on the File menu (in Internet Explorer 7 click the Add To Favorites button) then click Import and Export. You should see a window welcoming you to the Import and Export Wizard. Click Next, then select Export Favorites. Leave the main folder selected on the Export Favorites Source Folder screen and click Next.

Make sure Export to a File or Address is selected, then Browse to a location on your hard drive where you wish to store a copy of your Favorites list. Type a name for your backup, for example MyFavorites and click Save. Click Next, then Finish and a window should tell you the export was successful.

The Favorites backup file is saved as a web page file and it can also be opened in your browser like a normal web page by double-clicking it. It will appear as a simple-looking web page containing your Favorites links.

Importing Favorites

To import a Favorites list, go back to the Import and Export Wizard. Choose Import Favorites, click Next, then make sure Import from a File or Address is selected. Browse to your saved Favorites file and click Next. On the Import Favorites Destination Folder screen, click Next then Finish.

You should see a message telling you your Favorites have been successfully imported from the backup file.

Storing Your Favorites Online

There are a number of web sites which allow you to store your bookmarks online, so you can access your favourite sites wherever you are, including Windows Live Favorites, Yahoo! Bookmarks and Google Bookmarks.