How to increase browsing speed: 7 ways to work faster on slow connections

Ever wonder how to make your Internet connection faster or how to increase browsing speed? If you are trying to get things done, there is nothing like a slow connection to thwart your best efforts. But there are things you can do to browse faster—even when your Internet connection is working slowly.

This article will show you how to increase your productivity when your connection is slow. Many of these steps are also good tips for how to increase the speed of browsing and of sending and receiving email.

1. Send multiple files faster by compressing them

If you're sending multiple files—for example, several files related to a single project—you can reduce their combined size by using a compression utility. Compressing your files can dramatically reduce the time needed to send files online, and compressed files don't take up as much space in your (or the recipient's) email Inbox. WinZip is one of the more common compression tools.

Compress files

• Windows 7
• Windows Vista
• Windows XP

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2. Increase browsing speed by turning off graphics in Windows Internet Explorer

Graphics are important to web pages, but they also take time to download if you're online. You can turn them off to speed your Internet browsing.

Disable graphics in Internet Explorer

1.   On the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
2.   In the Internet Options dialog box, click the Advanced tab.
3.   In the Settings box, scroll down to the Multimedia section. Clear the
      following check boxes.

•  Play animations in web pages
•  Play sounds in web pages
•  Play videos in web pages
   Note: This option is available in Internet Explorer versions before
   Internet Explorer 8.
•  Show pictures

4.   Click Apply.
To turn graphics on again, on the Tools menu, in the Internet Options dialog box, on the Advanced tab, under Multimedia, select the same check boxes, and then click Apply.

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3. Send email using Contact Groups (Distribution Lists)

If you're sending an email to multiple people, create a Contact Group (previously known as a Distribution List) instead of listing each recipient separately. Messages are sent more quickly and efficiently when you're using a Contact Group. Your company may have established procedures for creating mailing lists. If not, learn how to create and edit a Contact Group in Microsoft Outlook.

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4. Reduce email size with simple email signatures

Email signatures leave a professional stamp on your messages, but elaborate signatures that include multiple images take up a lot of unnecessary storage space in each email. Ultimately, they can slow down the time needed to send each message. Instead, create distinctive text signatures combining fonts, type sizes, and colors to make your email signature smaller and quicker to transmit and receive. Learn how to create email signatures in Microsoft Outlook.

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5. Work offline using Cached Exchange Mode in Outlook

Even if you lose your network connection, you can continue working in Microsoft Outlook if you're using Cached Exchange Mode. With Cached Exchange Mode, a copy of your mailbox is stored on your computer. This copy provides quick access to your data and is frequently updated with the mail server. If you work offline, whether by choice or due to a connection problem, your data is still available to you instantly wherever you are. Cached Exchange Mode does require you to work with a Microsoft Exchange Server email account. Learn more about using Cached Exchange Mode.

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6. Browse offline by saving web pages on your computer

If you use or reference a specific webpage often, save it locally to your computer. If you lose your connection or are working on a slow connection, you'll still be able to read and find the information you need.

Save a web page on your computer

1. In Internet Explorer, go to the web page you want to save.
2. On the Page menu, click Save As.
3. In the Save As type drop-down menu, select web page, complete.
4. Select the location where you want to save the webpage.
5. Click Save.

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7. Open webpages faster by increasing your cache

If you increase the size of the temporary Internet files cache in Internet Explorer, your computer won't have to work so hard when you revisit webpages. Many of the images will already be downloaded on your computer, decreasing the amount of time it takes to open a page.