How to Use the Opera Browser

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methods

1Learning Your Way Around

2Using the VPN

3Syncing with Opera Mobile

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Article Summary

Opera may not be as popular as Chrome or Safari, but it's certainly one of the most feature-filled browsers on the market! Though it's extremely similar to Chrome (it's built on the same technology), it comes with extra perks, including a free VPN built right in to the browser. Opera's ad-blocking, handy sidebar, multiple workspaces, and ability to share files and ideas between your computer and mobile device, make it a great browser for increasing productivity. This How.com.vn article will teach you how to learn your way around the Opera web browser.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Learning Your Way Around

1. 
   1
   Open Opera on your computer. If you haven't installed Opera yet, you can download it for free from https://www.opera.com/download.

   • You can also get Opera for your phone or tablet, which allows you to seamlessly share all sorts of information between your computer and your mobile device. The mobile version of Opera is super simple and works much like your typical mobile web browser, except it has some cool sharing features that we'll cover later. Download it for free from the App Store (iPhone/iPad) or the Play Store (Android).
   • Opera actually has several different mobile browsers aside from the standard Opera mobile web browser: Opera GX (for gamers), Opera Mini (Android-only, for conserving data), and Opera Touch (Android-only, designed for use with one hand).
2. 
   2
   Click the Easy Setup icon to find your quick settings

   

   . This button looks like a set of three sliders and will always be at the top-right corner of Opera. On your Easy Setup panel, you can configure the following:

   • Select a color/design theme.
   • Show or hide your bookmarks.
   • Show, hide, and customize your start page, also known as Speed Dial.
   • Access quick security settings, like ad and tracker blocking.
   • Turn on the VPN.
   • Clear your history and cookies.
   • Go to the full browser settings.
3. 
   3
   Click the four squares to open Speed Dial. It's a small icon of four squares in the address bar at the top of Opera. Speed Dial is a customizable start page on which view the weather and access your favorite shortcuts.

   • To add a shortcut, click + Add a site below the existing shortcuts.
   • Click the three dots on any shortcut to open its menu, where you can choose to edit, delete, or open it in a new window or tab.
4. 
   4
   Discover the sidebar. The sidebar runs along the left side of Opera and is home to many useful tools, including:

   • The top section (the house and star icons) are your workspaces. Each workspace is like a separate browsing session, where you can keep separate groups of tabs for easy access later.
   • Below that you'll see icons for Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram—you can log in to these apps (among others) right from Opera and chat with your friends.
   • The Player icon (the sideways triangle) opens your Player, which is where you can access your favorite music streaming services without running a whole separate app.
   • The paper airplane icon is for My Flow, which is a tool that lets you share links, files, videos, notes, and ideas between your computer and Opera on your phone or tablet.
   • The heart icon is your bookmarks, where you can save links that you visit frequently.
   • The clock icon is your history, where you can backtrack through websites you've visited in the recent past.
   • You can click the gear icon to quickly open all of your Opera settings.
   • Click the lightbulb icon to view Opera's helpful tutorials that cover all of Opera's features in depth.
   • The "A" in a circle is for Amazon, which lets you stay signed in to your Amazon account and shop while you browse the web.
   • To customize what appears on the sidebar, click the three dots at the bottom-left.
5. 
   5
   Click the camera icon to take a screenshot. Want to capture what you see on the screen right now? Click the camera icon at the top-right corner to capture the entire screen (or just a portion) and save it as an image file.
6. 
   6
   Manage your workspaces. If you're the type of person who loves to have multiple tabs open in your browser window, you'll love Opera's Workspaces. You can have two or more different "Workspaces" within one Opera window, which allows you to have different sets of tabs open in different "spaces."

   • Click the three dots at the bottom of the sidebar.
   • If the "Workspaces" switch is turned off, click it to turn it on.
   • By default, you have two workspaces—one has a house icon (Workspace 1—your primary workspace), and the other has a star icon (Workspace 2).
   • Click + Add more to add additional workspaces—you can select unique icons for all of your workspaces, and they'll all appear near the top of your sidebar.
   • To rename or change the icon for a workspace, click the three dots next to its name and select Edit.
   • Click the icon for any of your workspaces in the left sidebar to switch to that workspace. Any tabs you open in that workspace will stay there—you can then switch to a different workspace and open a whole separate set of tabs.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using the VPN

1. 
   1
   Click the Easy Setup icon to find your quick settings

   

   . It's at the upper-right corner of Opera. This opens your Easy Setup panel.

   • The mobile version of Opera has a VPN, too—that is, if you're using an Android. There is no Opera VPN service for iPhone/iPad. It's super easy to turn on Opera's VPN on your Android—just tap the "O" menu, select VPN, and follow the on-screen instructions.
2. 
   2
   Click Enable in Settings next to "VPN." If you haven't enabled the VPN yet, clicking this will take you through the process.
3. 
   3
   Click I understand on the warning message. This message tells you that your connection speed may be a little slower while you're using the VPN—this is normal, as the VPN is busy encrypting your connection to protect you from trackers.
4. 
   4
   Click Privacy & Security in the left panel. Additional options will appear in the right panel.
5. 
   5
   Scroll down in the right panel to the "VPN" section. If VPN is not enabled yet, the switch will be off.
6. 
   6
   Click the switch to enable VPN. This turns on your VPN and starts encrypting your browsing session. You'll always know when you're using the VPN by the small "VPN" icon next to the address bar.

   • By default, the "Bypass VPN when starting browser" feature is turned on—this ensures that you find the most relevant search results on Google, Bing, and other search engines, even when you're connected through a VPN in another region. You can disable this if you want the VPN to encrypt your searches, too.
   • If you want the VPN to start automatically when you launch Opera, you can click the switch to turn on that feature.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Syncing with Opera Mobile

1. 
   1
   Open Opera on your computer and phone/tablet. One of Opera's coolest features is My Flow, which lets you send files, messages, links, and more between your computer and phone or tablet. To get started, you'll need to open Opera on your computer and on your phone or tablet.

   • You can sync any mobile version of Opera with your computer except for Opera Mini.
2. 
   2
   Click the My Flow icon in the left sidebar on your computer. It's the icon that looks like a paper airplane.

   • If you don't see this icon, click the three dots at the bottom-left and check the circle next to "My Flow." It'll show up then.
3. 
   3
   Click Connect your phone. It's the blue button at the top of the My Flow window on your computer. This displays the QR code you'll need to scan with your phone or tablet camera.
4. 
   4
   On your phone or tablet, tap the Opera menu. If you're using an iPhone or iPad, it'll be three horizontal lines at the bottom-right. If you have an Android, it's the "O" at the bottom-right.
5. 
   5
   Tap My Flow on the menu. Brings up the My Flow setup screen.
6. 
   6
   Tap Connect a Computer. Now you'll see the option to scan a QR code.
7. 
   7
   Tap Scan QR code. It's the blue or purple button at the bottom. This opens your camera viewfinder.

   • You may have to give Opera permission to access your camera.
8. 
   8
   Scan the QR code on your computer screen with your phone or tablet. You can do this by aligning the QR code in your camera viewfinder. As soon as Opera captures the code, the My Flow window (which looks like a chat window) will appear on both devices.

   • Now that My Flow is set up, you can bring this window up quickly on your computer by clicking the My Flow paper airplane button, or by selecting My Flow in your mobile Opera menu.
9. 
   9
   Type notes or messages into the typing area. Anything you type into the My Flow window will appear in My Flow on both devices. Just type your text and click the Send icon (the paper airplane) to send it.

   • My Flow looks and functions like a chat app—you can send yourself notes and files using this window.
10. 
    10
    Click or tap the Upload icon to share files. It's the upside-down bracket with an up-pointing arrow at the bottom-right. This allows you to select files from your computer, phone, or tablet, and attach it to the "chat." Once you send it, it'll appear in the My Flow window.
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