Chromebooks work exceptionally properly straight out of the field. With a simple setup course of and an working system that simply works, they’re good for much less techy people. But Chromebooks are additionally nice for extra skilled customers like myself. In truth, I personally made the switch from a Windows PC to a Chromebook and haven’t seemed again.
While ChromeOS might not be as customizable as Linux and even Windows, it provides loads of energy if you understand what to do. After tweaking some of the more basic settings, listed below are the following steps you must take if you wish to stage up your Chromebook abilities and do extra with much less.
Learn all of the helpful keyboard shortcuts
Dave Parrack / Foundry
Honestly, if there’s solely one factor you do to reinforce your productiveness, let it’s this: memorize as many keyboard shortcuts as you’ll be able to and prepare your self to make use of them each day.
Keyboard shortcuts provide probably the most bang in your buck, and that’s true whether or not you’re on a Chromebook or in any other case. It’s extraordinarily inefficient to maneuver your hand from keyboard to mouse, then transfer the cursor to the place it must go, to press buttons and navigate menus. Why trouble when you’ll be able to typically do all of it with a single keystroke? And that inefficiency actually provides up over the course of a day.
You can view an inventory of all potential keyboard shortcuts in ChromeOS by utilizing the Ctrl + Search + S keyboard shortcut. Alternatively, use your mouse to navigate to Settings > Device > Keyboard and inputs > View keyboard shortcuts. (See how a lot quicker it’s to only use the keyboard shortcut?!) What’s good is that you would be able to even customise a few of these keystroke combos, which is helpful for often used actions.
Pin oft-used apps to your shelf
Dave Parrack / Foundry
While pinning apps to your Chromebook shelf is a fundamental characteristic, a number of common customers appear to skip this step for some purpose. If you end up launching the identical apps again and again—perhaps even every day—then pinning them to the shelf means they’re immediately obtainable while not having to open the launcher and find the app each time.
To pin an app to your Chromebook shelf, open the launcher within the bottom-left of your display screen. Find the app you need to pin to your shelf, then right-click on it. Select Pin to shelf to immediately pin it. You can later unpin an app by right-clicking on it within the shelf and deciding on Unpin.
Use cut up display screen for multitasking home windows
Dave Parrack / Foundry
I don’t blame anybody for utilizing a number of displays for productiveness. Extra display screen actual property is a godsend, and it may be exhausting to be environment friendly whenever you’re always flipping backwards and forwards between apps.
But you don’t want a number of displays to multitask, particularly in case you have a bigger show with a 1080p and even 4K decision. Before you shell out for a transportable monitor or two, strive utilizing ChromeOS’s built-in cut up display screen characteristic for stacking two home windows aspect by aspect.
To cut up the display screen, you’ve gotten just a few strategies you should utilize:
- Hover over the Maximize/Restore button in any window to open the window structure menu, the place you’ll see choices for Split, Partial, Full, and Float. Choose Split to create two equally sized home windows.
- Drag the title bar of any window to both aspect of the display screen, then launch the window to snap it to that aspect and fill that half of the display screen. Then choose one other window to fill the opposide aspect.
- Use the Alt + [ keyboard shortcut to snap a window to the left aspect of the display screen. Use Alt + ] to snap to the proper aspect.
Organize home windows throughout a number of “desks”
Dave Parrack / Foundry
You know the saying “out of sight, out of mind”? One option to increase productiveness is to maintain these distracting apps and home windows out of sight, solely turning to them whenever you really want them. In ChromeOS, you are able to do this utilizing digital desktops referred to as “desks,” with every desk housing its personal set of home windows that don’t seem on different desks.
To create an addition desk, faucet the Show Windows key in your keyboard. Then, on the high proper, click on the Add new desk button. You can have as much as a complete of 8 desks. You may also use the Show Windows key to modify between desks, rename desks, present or conceal desks, transfer tabs or home windows between desks, and even mix desks collectively.
You may also need to study the Shift + Search + 1 via 8 keyboard shortcuts to immediately change between your numerous desks, or the Search + [ and Search + ] shortcuts to modify to left or proper desks, respectively.
Use the search operate to search out recordsdata
Dave Parrack / Foundry
ChromeOS has a surprisingly succesful search characteristic that makes it straightforward to search out any file, app, shortcut, and extra. It’s a disgrace extra individuals don’t use it. If you’ve ever used the Spotlight search characteristic on macOS, then you definately sort of know what I’m speaking about.
To entry the search software, open the launcher by clicking the Launcher button on the backside left on the shelf (or tapping the Search key in your keyboard). You’ll see a search bar, which you’ll click on to focus and begin typing no matter you need to search for.
As you kind, ChromeOS will make recommendations whereas exhibiting matching outcomes sorted into classes (e.g., web sites, recordsdata, apps, and so on.), with one of the best matches on the high. Click the outcome that most closely fits what you had been in search of, and also you’ll be whisked straight to it.
Connect an exterior keyboard and mouse
Dave Parrack / Foundry
If you need a fuller desktop-style expertise than your Chromebook can provide, take into account connecting an exterior keyboard and mouse. You can achieve this both through USB or Bluetooth relying in your particular gear and the port availability in your particular Chromebook.
Connecting an exterior keyboard and/or mouse through USB is so simple as plugging them in. Connecting through Bluetooth requires you to allow Bluetooth from the menu within the backside proper, then pairing your units by following the on-screen directions.
Explore the Crosh terminal
Dave Parrack / Foundry
Crosh is ChromeOS’s developer shell—a command-line interface that can be utilized to carry out all types of duties. Think Command Prompt in Windows or Terminal in macOS. And whereas Crosh isn’t one thing the common person would ever want (or need) to discover, ChromeOS energy customers ought to take benefit in the event that they need to do superior issues.
To entry Crosh, you should utilize the Ctrl + Alt + T keyboard shortcut. Once open, kind assist for an inventory of instructions you should utilize in Crosh. Only use Crosh if you happen to really feel the necessity to delve deeper into ChromeOS, as the vast majority of customers don’t want to take action.
Commands that you could be need to use embrace memory_test to see details about your Chromebook’s reminiscence, battery_test [seconds] to test battery well being with a battery discharge take a look at, and ping [domain] to run a ping take a look at.
Enable the Linux subsystem for extra apps
Dave Parrack / Foundry
If you’ve finished the whole lot you’ll be able to to maximise ChromeOS productiveness however nonetheless really feel restricted, and if you happen to’re a techy energy person with a tinkerer’s thoughts, then you definately may need to allow Linux in your Chromebook.
Enabling Linux on ChromeOS (typically referred to as Crostini) is a simple option to broaden the ability of your Chromebook. You mainly get a Linux container than runs inside ChromeOS, permitting you to run full-blown Linux apps that behave as in the event that they had been native ChromeOS apps, all whereas benefiting from ChromeOS’s usability and battery administration.
To get began, go to Settings > About ChromeOS. Under the Developers subcategory, navigate to Linux growth surroundings, click on on Set up, then observe the on-screen directions. After setup is full, you’ll have entry to a Linux surroundings the place you’ll be able to run Linux instructions and set up Linux apps.
Note that since Linux runs in its personal surroundings, you need to manually mark sure recordsdata and folders if you need them to be accessible to Linux apps. It’s straightforward to do, although. Just right-click any file or folder and choose Share with Linux. Boom!
Maybe take into account experimental options
Dave Parrack / Foundry
In ChromeOS, a “flag” is an experimental setting that hasn’t but made it into the working system’s steady launch. By tweaking flags, you’ll be able to primarily take a look at out options which can be nonetheless within the works. But achieve this at your personal danger as a result of experimental options could trigger {hardware}, software program, or safety points, according to Google.
To entry ChromeOS’s experimental options, open Chrome and sort chrome://flags within the tackle bar. You’ll be taken to a particular flags web page with all of the obtainable flags in your model of ChromeOS, together with a search bar for rapidly discovering those you want.
Some flags that may enhance your Chromebook efficiency and productiveness embrace #enable-zero-copy (which permits knowledge to be transferred with out additional copies) and #smooth-scrolling (which makes web page scrolling smoother). You may also use flags to tweak the look and feel of the Chrome browser itself.
Alternatively, you’ll be able to achieve entry to much more experimental options by switching to the Beta or Dev releases. The Beta channel is low danger and up to date each 4 weeks whereas the Dev channel is buggier and up to date a couple of times each week. But I don’t advocate doing this if you happen to’re on a piece machine and need long-term stability.
Further studying: The best Chromebooks you can buy this year