10 Life Hacks Every Experienced Chromebook User Should Know.
If you’ve chosen a Chromebook as your laptop, you’re familiar with its key advantages: speed, ease of use, and affordability. However, despite the simplicity of ChromeOS, the device’s capabilities are far more extensive than you might imagine. For example, it can be used offline and sync files to and from local storage. The operating system is far more powerful and versatile than is commonly believed.
These tips are intended for experienced users who want to expand their Chromebook’s capabilities and get additional benefits from the laptop beyond its typical use cases. Regardless of how you use ChromeOS, you’ll find something useful here.
Use your Chromebook offline.
Chromebooks are often criticized for being useless without Wi-Fi, but that’s not true: all Docs, Sheets, and Slides tools can be used offline, and changes sync when an internet connection is restored: in Google Drive , click the gear icon (top right), then go to Settings > General and check the box under Offline mode .
You can also use Gmail offline. While you won’t be able to send or receive emails, you can still view and organize your inbox, as well as create drafts ready to send as soon as you have internet access. In Gmail, click the gear icon (top right), then select “See all settings” > “Offline .” Check “Enable offline mail” and choose which emails you want to sync.
Sync media offline
This offline functionality extends to third-party streaming apps, too, as ChromeOS supports Android apps. Using apps like Netflix and Spotify, you can sync content to your Chromebook for watching when you don’t have a reliable internet connection—for example, during a long flight or traveling internationally.
Talk to your Chromebook
Typing is great, but sometimes it’s faster to speak. Launch Settings, then select Accessibility > Keyboard & Typing > Dictation to enable this feature. Then, press the Start button ( G ) and press D to start dictating text in any app—whether you’re writing emails or essays.
Move local files to Google Drive.
One of the benefits of using a Chromebook is that all data syncs online almost instantly if you use one of Google’s own online apps or something similar. However, local files, including screenshots and downloaded files, can accumulate on your laptop, and sometimes you’ll need to sync them with the cloud as well.
These files can be viewed through the built-in ChromeOS Files app and uploaded manually through the Google Drive web interface. However, there’s an easier way to upload them to Google Drive: in the Files app, select all the local files you want to upload in the right pane, then drag them to the “My Drive” section of the Google Drive menu in the left sidebar.
Setting up virtual desktops
Chromebooks don’t always have the largest or highest-resolution screens, but you can maximize your workspace by managing multiple virtual desktops (which ChromeOS calls “desktops”). Press the “show windows” key (the one with the small rectangles, usually also labeled F3 ) to view open desktops, switch between them, and create new ones.
Allow guest access
Since ChromeOS is tightly linked to your Google account, you probably don’t want other people using your laptop and accessing your Google apps. Guest mode is the solution: restart your Chromebook or sign out of your current account, then click “Browse as a guest” to open a Chrome window without a linked Google account.
Make full use of the clipboard.
In some cases, ChromeOS may feel limited because you can’t quickly drag and drop files to the desktop or temporary folder like you can on Windows or macOS. You might also see this as an advantage—it means your system will be cluttered with fewer unnecessary files—but there may be situations where you simply need to temporarily save something for later transfer.
This is where the ChromeOS clipboard comes in handy: it stores five items instead of one, making it a useful (albeit rather hidden) way to move images, text, and links between websites and apps. Use the usual keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+C , Ctrl+X , and Ctrl+V to copy, cut, and paste, then hold down the Launcher button ( G ) and the V key to see all clipboard items.
Open the ChromeOS Task Manager.
The ChromeOS Task Manager is useful for everything from closing frozen apps to accurately monitoring RAM usage, and can be a key tool for power users. Open it by pressing the Launcher key ( G ) and Esc : you’ll find you can switch between individual tabs and system processes, as well as search for specific tasks in ChromeOS.
Save your old laptop
ChromeOS isn’t just for Chromebooks: you can breathe new life into an old, struggling laptop by installing ChromeOS Flex (even older laptops can usually run Chrome). Google provides detailed instructions on how to get this working and will help you create a bootable USB drive with the ChromeOS software installed.
Explore betas and developer channels.
As with many programs, ChromeOS is available in both beta and developer versions, in addition to the stable version. If you want to get access to the latest Chromebook features before anyone else and don’t mind a few bugs, you can upgrade to the new version. It won’t take long, and you can always revert to the previous version, although a system reboot may be required.
To switch between ChromeOS channels, click the time bar (bottom right), then click the gear icon to go to the main Settings page. Select About ChromeOS > More > Change Channel , then select the one you want to use. You’ll receive over-the-air updates for the selected channel until you switch to a different one.