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Study guide · 1.1

Access and navigate between digital environments

A digital environment is any place where you work with technology: a computer desktop, a phone home screen, a website or a cloud app. This guide covers the operating system and browser that let you reach those environments, how you sign in to them, and how you move between them.

A study feature written by ExamDragon, not part of the real exam. Each heading is one of Certiport's skills for this objective.

1.1.1Recognize operating system terms and concepts

  • The operating system (OS) is the main software that manages hardware, runs apps and gives you a user interface. Examples: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS.
  • The desktop or home screen is the starting area; icons are small pictures that open apps, files or folders.
  • A window is a framed area where an app runs; you can minimize it (hide to the taskbar or dock), maximize it (fill the screen) or close it.
  • The taskbar (Windows) or Dock (macOS) shows open and pinned apps; the Start menu (Windows) or the Apps view (macOS, called Launchpad in versions before macOS Tahoe) lists installed apps.
  • Files hold data such as a document or photo; folders (also called directories) group files. A file manager such as File Explorer or Finder lets you browse them.
  • Settings (or System Settings) is where you change things like display, sound, network and user accounts.

Example: On a Windows laptop you click the Start button, open File Explorer, find a report in the Documents folder and double-click it to open it in Microsoft Word.

1.1.2Explain basic functions of web browsers

  • A web browser is an app that requests and displays web pages. Examples: Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Safari.
  • The address bar shows the URL (web address) of the page; many browsers also let you type a search there.
  • Back and Forward move through pages you visited in that tab; Refresh (Reload) loads the current page again.
  • Tabs let you keep several pages open in one window; bookmarks (favorites) save addresses you want to return to.
  • History lists pages you visited; downloads lists files you saved from the web.
  • A padlock icon and an address starting with https mean the connection to the site is encrypted, not that the site is trustworthy.

Example: You open Chrome, type a news site address into the address bar, open an article in a new tab, then bookmark the site so you can return to it tomorrow.

1.1.3Explain processes and requirements for accessing digital environments

  • Most digital environments need an account: a username (often an email address) and a password.
  • Signing in (logging in) proves who you are; this is called authentication. Signing out ends your session.
  • Two-factor or multi-factor authentication adds a second check, such as a code sent to your phone or an authenticator app.
  • Other sign-in methods include a PIN, a fingerprint or face recognition (biometrics), and passkeys stored on your device.
  • You also need the right requirements: a compatible device, an internet connection for online services, and sometimes a supported browser or app version.
  • Permissions decide what a signed-in user may do; a standard user cannot change everything an administrator can.

Example: To reach a school learning platform you open the browser, go to its address, enter your school email and password, then type the six-digit code shown in your authenticator app.

1.1.4Explain methods of navigating between digital environments

  • Switch between open apps with the taskbar or dock, or with keyboard shortcuts such as Alt+Tab (Windows) or Command+Tab (macOS).
  • On phones and tablets, use the app switcher (recent apps view) to move between apps, and the home gesture or button to return to the home screen.
  • Links (hyperlinks) move you from one page or document to another; in a browser, tabs keep several sites open at once.
  • Virtual desktops (Task View in Windows, Spaces in macOS) group windows into separate workspaces.
  • Many services let you continue on another device: sign in with the same account to see the same files or messages.

Example: While writing an email you press Alt+Tab to switch to a spreadsheet, copy a figure, then press Alt+Tab again to return to the email and paste it.

Key terms

Operating system
Core software that manages the device, runs apps and provides the user interface.
Browser
An app used to open and view web pages.
URL
The address of a resource on the web, such as https://www.example.com.
Authentication
Proving your identity, for example with a password, code or fingerprint.
Tab
A separate page open inside one browser window.

Easy to confuse

  • Confusing the browser (the app) with a search engine (a website such as Google or Bing that finds pages).
  • Thinking https or a padlock means a site is safe or honest; it only means the connection is encrypted.
  • Minimizing a window does not close the app; it keeps running in the background.
  • Signing out and closing the browser are not always the same; some sites keep you signed in until you sign out.

After this guide: You should be able to name common OS and browser parts, describe how to sign in securely, and move between apps, windows and tabs.