A web browser (commonly referred to as a browser) is a software application for accessing information on the World Wide Web. When a user requests a particular website, the web browser retrieves the necessary content from a web server and then displays the resulting web page on the user’s device.

A web browser is not the same thing as a search engine, though the two are often confused. For a user, a search engine is just a website, such as Google Search, Bing, or DuckDuckGo, that stores searchable data about other websites. However, to connect to a website’s server and display its web pages, a user must have a web browser installed.

Web browsers are used on a range of devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. In 2023, an estimated 4.8 billion people used a browser. The most used browser was Google Chrome, with a 67% global market share on all devices, followed by Safari with 19%, Edge 5%, Firefox 3%, Samsung 2%. Opera 2% and other 2%.

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