A web browser (commonly referred to as a browser) is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web.
The above quote is an excerpt from Wikipedia’s entry on Web browser.
What is a browser?
A browser is software that allows you to access information stored on the internet in the form of web pages, essentially allowing you to browse different websites, hence the name browser. The most commonly used browsers are:
- Mozilla Firefox
- Google Chrome
- Microsoft Edge
- Apple’s Safari
Most PowerSchool products support the latest version of each browser listed above however, we recomend not using Internet Explorer if possible.
How do I know what browser I am using?
There are different ways to determine which browser your computer is using, but the easiest is to visit the helpful site What's My Browser? This site will tell you what browser you are using, provide links to other browsers available for downloading, and explain what browsers do. If you are interested in switching to a different browser and are curious about the differences see Wikipedia’s Comparison of Web Browsers page.
What is the difference between a desktop browser and a mobile browser?
A desktop browser gives you access to the full website, which may include additional images, features, and functionality. While having access to the full range of content on a website is great for a desktop, the additional processing time needed and potential compatibility issues can slow down a smartphone, tablet or device attempting to access the full site. To combat this and make web browsing more effective for devices that have less processing power – such as smartphones and tablets – mobile browsers were created. Mobile browsers typically provide only the most pertinent information and functionality needed to access a website, as well as streamlining the display of the website to better fit the smaller screen of these devices.
While you can access most websites using mobile browsers, it is important to know that some features and functionality may be disabled when using a mobile browser. For more questions on mobile browsers, please see the Help feature on your browser.
If you are unable to use a desktop browser support suggests trying the 'Google Chrome' app as it seems to allow for more access than most.
