There is also a strange feature called My Flow, which is an encrypted cloud storage space where you can access files, images, links etc. What’s more, Opera comes with a built-in ad blocker and tracking blocker, so you won’t even need to go out to find them. Likewise, you can mute tabs so that they don’t make any noise, which is handy if you have Facebook open but don’t want to be distracted by new message noises etc.Īs it's built on the Chromium architecture, Opera is compatible with all Chrome extensions, so you’ll have no trouble finding the plug-ins you need to personalize your experience. You can also pin tabs by right clicking on them and selecting the pin tab option, which means you can’t accidentally close the tab. You can open a new tab by clicking on the plus symbol at the end of the tabs list. You can have multiple web pages open simultaneously with the tabs system, with each web page occupying a separate tab which runs along the top of the page above the address bar.

You can also use the address bar as a search engine to find websites via Google. You can access websites using the address bar by typing in the website address if you know it. Opera does everything you’d expect a browser to do, and also offers some extra functionality to set itself apart from rivals like Chrome and Mozilla Firefox (opens in new tab). Overall we like Opera’s style and the integration of the sidebar, which gives extra functionality but doesn’t feel like it intrudes on your page. We love this addition and it certainly feels more modern and forward thinking than other browsers, putting the most popular social media tools directly into the browser.

Here you can find shortcuts to your bookmarks and search history, along with built-in versions of Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

One major difference between Opera and other browsers is the sidebar which hugs the left hand side of the screen.

Opera web browser for windows