There seem to be two types of people in this world. People with too many tabs open. And people who use only one tab at a time. But the sad truth is neither approach makes browsing the web any easier! The first group is overwhelmed by tab clutter. And the second group is stressed out, trying to remember random pieces of information as they leave pages behind.
The good news is that there’s a new browser designed to tackle both these browsing issues. It’s called Horse Browser and is available to use on Windows, Mac and Linux.
Horse Browser works by removing Tabs and replacing them with Trails, Horse Browser’s unique navigational method.
They help you keep track of your internet research and live your best productive life online. So let’s learn how Horse Browser works and how Trails can help you.
What is a Trail?
Horse Browser offers users a unique navigation system, replacing your Tabs with Trails. Taking Tree Style Tabs as a design starting point, Horse Browser sets out to improve this approach and introduce a totally new way to navigate the web.
Horse Browser captures a Trail of pages as you browse, merging Tabs, History and Bookmarks into one easy-to-read vertical sidebar. Every time you click on a link, a new page is opened on the Trail. And you can delete, move, rename and customise every page.
All the pages you need are readily accessible and never get in your way.
No more cluttered Tabs or trying to remember random pieces of information as you leave a page behind. So let’s learn more.
How do Trails work?
Trails are designed to be an intuitive navigation method, which take away the mental effort of Tab management and leave you feeling calm & zen when browsing.
Read on to fully understand how Trails work and their benefits.
➤ 1. Each internet search is captured in its own unique Trail
Start a new Trail every time you search online and you’ll keep a record of all your internet research. These Trails will be saved in your sidebar and available even after shutting down and updating your browser. So you won’t lose your pages. To start a new Trail:
Keyboard users:
- ⌘ + T on your Mac keyboard
- Ctrl + T on your Windows / Linux keyboard
Mouse users:
- Click + at the top of the sidebar
Once you’ve opened your very first page on the Trail, you can enter the search term or URL you need and start browsing.
➤ 2. Pages are moveable on the Trail
You can move pages to wherever you need them most, whether that is within your current Trail or to a totally different Trail. You can also move Trails to different positions within your sidebar to help with context switching and prioritise information. To do so:
Mouse users:
- Drag-and-drop individual pages
Keyboard users:
- ⌥ ⌘ ⇧ + arrow keys on Mac
- Alt + Ctrl + Shift + arrow keys on Windows / Linux
➤ 3. Trails can be collapsed for deep focus work
Tuck away pages you don’t need and focus on the task in hand. To do so:
Keyboard users:
To collapse a Trail
- ⇧ + ⌘ + ◀︎ on Mac
- ⇧ + Ctrl + ◀︎ on Windows and Linux
To expand a Trail
- ⇧ + ⌘ + ▶︎ on Mac
- ⇧ + Ctrl + ▶︎ on Windows and Linux
Mouse users:
- Click > next to your Trail to expand and again to collapse
The old Trail will be saved and ready in your sidebar whenever you need it so you won’t lose your pages.
➤ 4. Pages can be deleted from your Trails
You can delete pages and Trails to ensure you only have the information you need in your sidebar. To do so:
Keyboard users:
- ⌘ + W on Mac
- Ctrl + W on Windows / Linux
Mouse users:
- Click X next to your page Trail to delete
To delete a full Trail, you need to collapse your Trail first and then delete the Trail as you would an individual page.
➤ 5. Trails are hierarchical and have nested SubTrails
The Trailhead is the parent Trail, where all subsequent Trails and pages are opened. SubTrails are nested underneath the Trailhead and can help you organise your research into different hierarchies.
They are connected to the Trailhead and act as ‘children’ of the Trailhead. To create one:
Mouse users:
- Click + at the side of the page or ••• and select New Subtrail
- You can also drag-and-drop a Trail onto the Trailhead to nest it inside
Keyboard users:
- ⌥ ⌘ T on Mac
- Alt + Ctrl + T on Windows and Linux
➤ 6. SideTrails are separate-but-connected lines of research
SideTrails exist underneath the Trailhead but aren’t connected to the Trailhead. They are separate-but-connected lines of enquiry or research under a Trailhead.
To create one:
Mouse users:
- Visit Menu > File > New SideTrail
- Drag-and-drop your Trail so that is is separate, non-nested within the Trail
Keyboard users:
- ⌥ ⇧ ⌘ T on Mac
- Alt + Shift + Ctrl + T on Windows and Linux
➤ 7. Trails can be grouped into different subjects
Areas act as umbrella containers for your Trails so you can group your Trails by subject. This added layer of organisation allows you to corral information for different areas of your life.
To create a new Area:
- Click on the icon on the left at the top of the sidebar
- Write the name of your Area and hit Return to save
- Scroll over the Area and click + to add Subtrails to your Area or use ⌥ ⌘ T on Mac or Alt + Ctrl + T on Windows and Linux
- Alternatively, simply drag-and-drop Trails inside
➤ 8. Trails and pages are fully customisable
All your Trails and pages are fully customisable. You can rename and add custom emojis to help organise your research and quickly access the right information.
To rename your pages and Trails:
Mouse users:
Select the ‘set name’ option in Menu or under ••• next to the page or Trail
Keyboard users:
- ⇧ + ⌘ + L on Mac
- Shift + Ctrl + L on Windows / Linux
To add custom icons:
- Click on the blank square next to your page or Trail, and select your preferred emoji. You can also remove the icon in the same way.
- Alternatively, right-click or click on ••• on the relevant page or Trail and select Set Icon.
➤ 9. Trails have Search Engine flexibility
Trails’ default search engine is Google but they were built with Search Engine flexibility. You can choose alternatives, such as Bing, Kagi, Brave, or DuckDuckGo. To change your Search Engine:
Mouse users:
- Visit Menu > Horse > Settings
Keyboard users:
- ⌘ +, on Mac
- Ctrl +, on Windows / Linux
➤ 10. Trails have an in-built Notes feature
The Project feature allows you to organise your Trails into projects and make handy notes as you go along.
Here’s how:
- To open a new Project, click on the document icon at the top of the sidebar
- Write the title of your Project and add a custom icon by selecting the blank page symbol to the right of the title
- You can then add notes to your Project area by writing under the title. At the moment, the notes in Horse Browser are plain text only
➤ 11. Trails can be navigated using only keyboard shortcuts
While they are perfect for mouse users too, Trails are navigable using only keyboard shortcuts, which is great news if you are a power user. View the Menu for all the shortcuts you need.
➤ 12. Trails automatically save when you shut down or update
Trails are automatically saved in your sidebar whenever you shut down or update Horse Browser so no pages or Trails are lost. Horse Browser acts as your safe online place, where you can save, organise and re-arrange your internet research.
Conclusion
In this post, we have learnt how Horse Browser works and the unique features and benefits of its navigational method, Trails. We’ve explored Trails‘ key design features that assist with saving, storing and organising your online research. And make browsing so much calmer and easier.
To find out more about Horse Browser, visit here.
