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Applies to these editions of Windows Vista:

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Customize your Favorites bar

The information in this Help topic applies to Windows Internet Explorer 8.

The Favorites bar replaces the Links toolbar from previous versions of Internet Explorer, and hosts not only your favorite links, but also feeds and Web Slices. You can drag links—either from the Address bar or from webpages—onto the Favorites bar so that your favorite information is only a click away. You can also rearrange the items on your Favorites bar or organize them into folders. And you can use feeds and a new feature called Web Slices‌ to check for updates to content on your favorite websites without navigating away from your current page.

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Adding links to the Favorites bar

The Favorites bar provides convenient access to the websites that you most frequently visit. Here's how to add links to the Favorites bar for your favorite webpages.

  1. Open Internet Explorer by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, and then clicking Internet Explorer.

  2. Go to the webpage you want to add to the Favorites bar.

  3. Do one of the following:

    • Drag the webpage icon from the Address bar to the Favorites bar.

    • Drag a link from a webpage directly to the Favorites bar.

    • Click the Add to Favorites Bar button Picture of the Add to Favorites Bar button.

Using Web Slices

Web Slices enable you to see when updated content—such as the current temperature, or a changing auction price—is available from your favorite websites. A Web Slice is a specific portion of a webpage that you can add to your Favorites bar. When you add a Web Slice, you are also subscribing to the content, as you would with a web feed. Once you have added it, the link on the Favorites bar will appear with bold formatting when the Web Slice is updated. You can then click the link to see the updated content.

When a Web Slice is available on a webpage, you’ll see the Web Slice button Picture of the Web Slice button change color on the Command bar.

You will also see a Web Slice icon appear on the webpage next to the content that you can add to your Favorites bar.

To subscribe to a Web Slice and add it to the Favorites bar, follow these steps:

  1. Open Internet Explorer by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, and then clicking Internet Explorer.

  2. Go to the page with a Web Slice you want to add to the Favorites bar.

  3. Do one of the following:

    • Click the Web Slice button Picture of the Web Slice button on the Command bar.

    • Click the Web Slice button Picture of the Web Slice button on the page.

After you subscribe to a Web Slice, you will see it appear on the left side of the Favorites bar.

To preview the updated Web Slice content without leaving the website you’re currently viewing, click the Web Slice link on the Favorites bar. This will open a rich preview of the webpage, which you can then click to go to the website itself. For more information on Web Slices, see Web Slices: frequently asked questions.

Subscribing to feeds

When you subscribe to a feed, you can watch for updates to it on the Favorites bar. To subscribe to a feed and monitor it on the Favorites bar, follow these steps:

  1. Open Internet Explorer by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, and then clicking Internet Explorer.

  2. Go to the webpage with a feed you want to subscribe to.

  3. Do one of the following:

    • If there is only one feed available, click the Feed Discovery button Picture of the Feed Discovery button to view the feed.

    • If there is a Web Slice, or multiple feeds, click the arrow next to the Feed Discovery button Picture of the Feed Discovery button, and then click the feed you want to view.

  4. Click Subscribe to this feed on the feed page.

  5. In the Subscribe to this Feed dialog box, select the Add to Favorites Bar check box, and then click Subscribe.

For more information on feeds, see Using feeds (RSS).

Getting organized

You can rearrange links and other items on your Favorites bar by dragging them from one spot on the Favorites bar to another. You can also create folders and organize your favorite links, Web Slices, and feeds.

  1. Open Internet Explorer by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, and then clicking Internet Explorer.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • Create folders by right-clicking an existing item on the Favorites bar, clicking New Folder, and then giving the folder a name. You can then drag items from the Favorites bar into that folder.

    • Remove old items by right-clicking the item on the Favorites bar, and then clicking Delete.

    • Click the Favorites button, click the arrow next to the Add to Favorites button, and then click Organize Favorites. From here you can add, remove, or rearrange your links, feeds, and Web Slices in the Favorites bar folder.

For more information on organizing your favorites, see Managing your Internet Explorer favorites.

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