When you use a web browser on a frequent basis, you want to have your favorite websites bookmarked and easily accessible. If you are using Internet Explorer, it is not obvious how to enable the favorites bar or the favorites center. Here's how to make this browser show your favorite websites, for easy access:

How do I get the favorites bar to appear in Internet Explorer?

If you have used the favorites in Internet Explorer before, you probably know that there is always a folder called the Favorites Bar. Why is there a Favorites Bar folder if I am already in my favorites?
The explanation is that the Favorites Bar folder is special because it can show all the folders and web pages it contains right under the address bar, just like a bookmark bar in other web browsers like Google Chrome or Opera. This is also the reason why every time you try to delete it, the folder is created again the next time Internet Explorer is opened.

By default, the bar with favorites is hidden. To enable it, you have to open Internet Explorer. Then, right-click on the top side of the Internet Explorer window and a contextual menu is shown. Click the Favorites bar option in the right-click menu.

Now the bar with your favorite websites is shown beneath your tabs. Now you can access any favorite website with a click on its name in the favorites bar.

If you need to disable the favorites and stop showing them, right-click the top side of the Internet Explorer window and click the Favorites bar option in the right-click menu.

Your favorites are no longer shown in Internet Explorer.

How to show the favorites center in Internet Explorer

The Favorites Center allows you to organise and access all your favorite web pages in one place. To make the most of it, you can choose to pin it to the browser window and use it as an extended favorites bar, where you can access all your favorite web pages.

To do this, you must open Internet Explorer and click the "View favorites, feeds, and history" icon (the little star) on the top right corner of the window. You can also press ALT+C on your keyboard. The Favorites Center is now shown.

Click the "Pin the Favorites Center" button in the top left corner of the Favorites Center.

The Favorites Center is now displayed in the Internet Explorer window. The space reserved for loading web pages is now reduced because the browser window is split between the web pages and the Favorites Center, as shown in the screenshot below. You can access all your favorite web pages and folders by clicking the corresponding link in the Favorites Center. Browse it like you would browse files and folders in Windows Explorer or File Explorer.

If you think that the Favorites Center takes too much from your browsing space, you can resize it by dragging and dropping its right side border. Move your mouse cursor on top of the border, and when the cursor turns into an arrow with two heads, click the border and drag it to the side you want.

To close the Favorites Center when it is pinned, click or tap the little X symbol on its top right corner.

The Favorites Center is now removed from the Internet Explorer window.

What did you enable: the favorites bar or the favorites center?

If you use Internet Explorer on a regular basis, having a quick way to access your favorite pages is a must. We recommend that you try both methods for displaying your list of favorite web pages and then choose the one that best suits your needs. Before closing this article, share with us what you enabled: the bar with favorites or the Favorites Center?