Stop me in case you’ve heard this one: A Chromebook is only a glorified browser in a field. Or this one: It’s like a “real” pc however with out all the great things — and it is virtually ineffective offline.You see the place we’re going with this, proper? Those are all wildly inaccurate myths which have plagued Chrome OS since its begin. To be truthful, a few of them did have nuggets of actuality again within the platform’s earliest days, when it was nonetheless a small-scale, beta-like venture inside Google. But for years upon years now, Chromebooks have been succesful productiveness instruments that provide ample benefits over conventional desktop working methods and work simply in addition to every other computer systems offline.When it involves offline effectiveness, the important thing — identical to with a Windows or a Mac system — is a wholesome dose of planning and preparation. Some cloud-centric providers require a contact of setup earlier than they’re going to be useful offline, and a few frequent work duties want particular third-party software program in place so as to be dealt with with out an lively web connection. None of that, nonetheless, is troublesome to do. And it is definitely not unimaginable.If you are utilizing a Chromebook for work, assume by the next 4 areas to ensure your pc is offline-ready and primed for productiveness earlier than the necessity arises. Then, when your subsequent enterprise flight takes off (hopefully quickly?), skip the hardly usable airplane Wi-Fi and as a substitute sit again, chill out, and luxuriate in your Slack-interruption-free productiveness session.1. Make certain your Google apps are ready for offline useGoogle’s core productiveness apps are fully offline-capable — however usually, it is as much as you to take the initiative and set them up appropriately.For Gmail:Open the Gmail web site out of your Chromebook, click on the gear icon within the upper-right nook, and choose “See all settings” from the menu that seems. Click “Offline” within the menu on the high of the settings display screen.
Check the field subsequent to “Enable offline mail.”
Make certain to fastidiously contemplate the remaining choices on the web page — what number of days’ value of e mail must be saved, whether or not attachments must be made accessible offline, and whether or not knowledge ought to stay in your pc even after you signal out (high-quality for a single-person pc) or ought to as a substitute be erased and resynced each time you signal out and again in (extra advisable for a system that is shared by a number of folks) — and select the settings that take advantage of sense on your scenario.
Click the “Save Changes” button on the backside of the display screen, settle for any affirmation prompts that pop up, after which wait whereas Gmail reloads itself and downloads your knowledge.
JR Raphael/IDG
Setting Gmail up for offline use takes all of 30 seconds to do. (Click any picture on this story to enlarge it.)
There’s only one extra step, and it is an essential one: Set a bookmark in your browser for Gmail by urgent Ctrl-D — or, simpler but, create a shortcut for the location in your Chrome OS shelf by clicking Chrome’s three-dot menu icon whereas viewing Gmail, deciding on “More tools,” after which deciding on “Create shortcut.” Either means will allow you to pull up the location and entry your mail when there is not an lively connection.For Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides:Make certain you will have the Google Docs Offline Chrome extension put in. (If you see a blue field on its Chrome Web Store web page that claims “Remove from Chrome,” you are good to go. If you see a field that claims “Add to Chrome,” it is advisable to click on that and observe the steps to finish the set up.)
Go to the Google Drive web site, click on the gear icon within the upper-right nook, and choose “Settings” from the menu that seems.
Look for the road labeled “Offline” within the settings field that pops up. If the field subsequent to the phrase “Create, open, and edit your recent Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides files on this device while offline” is not already checked, test it.
JR Raphael/IDG
One test of a field, and all of your latest Docs, Sheets, and Slides information might be accessible even with out an web connection.
Just like with Gmail, you will must ensure you have a bookmark or shortcut created to tug up Drive when your Chromebook is not linked. You’ll additionally must double-check that the particular information you need to work with are set to be accessible offline forward of time — as, somewhat annoyingly, Drive shops solely a imprecise assortment of “recent files” by default, and you do not need to assume that no matter you want might be included.Here’s what to do:Open up the Drive web site whilst you’re on-line and discover no matter Docs, Sheets, or Slides information you need. (You may also do that straight from the Docs, Sheets, or Slides web sites, in case you’d favor.)
Right-click on every file’s title, then activate the toggle subsequent to “Available offline,” if it is not already lively.
Repeat as wanted for any extra information.
For normal Google-Drive-stored information:That earlier part addresses solely Docs, Sheets, and Slides information — not different sorts of information you’ve got uploaded to Google Drive, corresponding to photographs, PDFs, ZIP archives, or MP3s. (It’s a somewhat complicated distinction to must make, I understand, particularly given how blurred the road is between Drive and the Docs-branded productiveness apps. Hey, that is Google for ya.)For any non-Docs, -Sheets, or -Slides information out of your Drive storage that you just want to have the ability to entry offline:Open the Files app in your Chromebook, then choose “Google Drive” from the record of decisions on the left.
Find any file or folder you need to make accessible offline, right-click it, and choose “Available offline” from the menu that seems — or simply click on it after which activate the “Available offline” toggle on the high of the Files window.
If a file or folder is already accessible offline, you will see a checkmark subsequent to its identify.
JR Raphael/IDG
The Chrome OS Files app holds the important thing to creating Drive information and folders accessible offline.
You’ll then be capable to entry these information from that very same Files app anytime you are offline. And, after all, any information you’ve got manually downloaded or copied to your Chromebook’s native storage will already be accessible for offline use.2. Figure out what different offline-ready apps you will have — and what you continue to wantChrome OS comes with a handful of offline-ready fundamentals, corresponding to a calculator and a plain textual content editor. The aforementioned Files app is absolutely offline-friendly, too, and it features a easy picture viewer and editor together with an audio participant. JR Raphael/IDG
Your Chromebook’s Files app has its personal built-in picture editor.
Your Chromebook most likely additionally got here with Google Play Movies; that’ll assist you to obtain films and TV exhibits to maintain your self sane throughout a protracted flight (offered you are prepared to pay to hire or purchase the movies, after all).Google’s official Chrome Web Store has all kinds of different offline-capable Chrome apps, however that native Chrome app type is about to be phased out and eradicated in June of 2022, so it is not essentially the most advisable long-term choice to get invested in at this level.Luckily, although, you’ve got obtained loads of different potentialities to select from.3. Find progressive internet apps, Android apps, and Linux apps to fill any remaining voidsThough it is nonetheless technically a cloud-centric platform, Chrome OS helps all kinds of apps as of late — and odds are, you’ll discover no matter you want among the many software program’s extra traditional-seeming app choices.The first class to think about is the progressive internet app, which is a elaborate means of claiming an app that depends on the internet and your browser to function however seems and acts like a daily, standalone packaged program. When an app you want is obtainable as a progressive internet app, that is typically the quickest, easiest, and best type to make use of.The drawback is that progressive internet apps do not all work offline, and at this level, it is principally a sport of trial and error to determine which of them do. Google had been working towards a requirement that’d power all progressive internet apps to characteristic offline help so as to be appropriate with Chrome, however that plan has been delayed indefinitely — so it is nonetheless annoyingly hit or miss as of now.To see if a service you utilize has a progressive internet app accessible within the first place, go to the related service’s web site in Chrome. Look towards the appropriate finish of the handle bar and see in case you discover an icon that appears like a pc display screen with a downward-facing arrow on high of it. When you signal into the duty administration web site Todoist, as an illustration, you will see that icon seem. And if you do, you possibly can click on it to put in the location’s progressive internet app — after which level it will seem in your launcher and be nearly indistinguishable from every other sort of program. JR Raphael/IDG
Todoist gives an offline-capable progressive internet app that works completely within the Chrome OS setting.
By embracing Android apps in your Chromebook, in the meantime, you should use each Google Keep and Google Calendar offline — one thing no different desktop platform helps. You may also keep linked to your knowledge in providers corresponding to Evernote, OneBe aware, and Trello with or with out an lively web connection, and with the appropriate subscriptions, you possibly can even obtain movies from YouTube and Netflix for offline viewing (one other perk that is not doable on plenty of common laptops — this is lookin’ at you, MacE book!). Basically, if an app works offline on Android — which most do — it will work offline on Chrome OS, too. JR Raphael/IDG
With the Google Calendar Android app put in, your complete agenda is at all times at your fingertips — even when the web isn’t.
For much more highly effective potentialities, you may need to take the time to consider some Linux apps on your Chromebook — offered you will have a latest sufficient system to deal with such utilities. It’s undoubtedly power-user terrain, but it surely’s not unimaginable to navigate. Click over to my step-by-step Linux-Chrome-OS information to get began, after which try my record of Chromebook Linux app suggestions for some standout concepts.4. Give your self some offline-ready studying materialsYou might not be capable to browse the online whilst you’re offline, however that does not imply you possibly can’t atone for some worthwhile web-based studying.The easiest method to retailer articles for offline use is to avoid wasting them straight in your browser: While viewing any web site in your Chromebook, click on the three-dot menu icon in Chrome’s upper-right nook, hover over “More tools,” after which choose “Save page as.” (Or hit Ctrl-S for a fair quicker method to get to the identical place.) Hit Enter or click on the Save button, and that is it: The complete web page you have been viewing is now accessible on your offline studying pleasure.When you are prepared to seek out the article, open Chrome’s Downloads web page — both by in search of the “Downloads” choice in the primary browser menu or by hitting Ctrl-J whereas a browser tab is open — after which click on on its title within the record that seems. The complete web page will load as in case you have been it reside. JR Raphael/IDG
An on-line article, offline — no complicated hoop-jumping required.
If you’d somewhat have a extra absolutely featured article-saving setup that works throughout a number of platforms, you should use a service like Pocket, which gives an offline-friendly Android app — or my very own private choose for optimum article group, Notion, which additionally has an Android app with some offline capabilities. Both providers are free with optionally available premium upgrades that you just most likely will not want for fundamental link-storing functions.If books or magazines are what you are after, in the meantime, Amazon’s Kindle Android app and Google’s Play Books Android app each present commendable studying experiences (extra so than their web-based counterparts).And with that, your Chromebook is formally prepared for compromise-free offline productiveness — and perhaps even just a little offline procrastination.Don’t fear: I will not inform.This article was initially printed in August 2019 and up to date in May 2021.
Copyright © 2021 IDG Communications, Inc.