A Chromebook laptop is a top choice for almost anything when it comes to your online experience. From researching for a big project across the net to streaming the show you have been watching. And there are tons of neat features that make your experience even better.
We have looked some of the best Chromebook shortcuts you can use to get the most out of your device.
Offline Mode
Working without Wi-Fi or any form of internet connection can be a real struggle, especially when you have lots of work on your hands. And this is where the offline mode in your Chromebook becomes most effective.
How do I make Google Chrome work offline?
- Go to the settings page while connected to the internet.
- Find the offline switch.
- Switch this to off
- Then edit all your files on Google Drive while offline and they will update once you reconnect to the internet.
Split Screen
Split screen is a great Chromebook tip and trick for students as multi-tasking on laptops can be rough. It is very difficult to see everything you need on one singular screen. Flipping from app to app being the only possibility in most cases. With a Chromebook, that issue becomes easy to solve.
How to do a split screen on a Chromebook?
- Press Alt and [ at the same time. This will put your screen on the left, and you can press Alt and ] on the right.
Or
- Open a window and hold the maximise or minimise button.
- Click on either the left or right arrow that moves your screen.
Summon Google Assistant
Google Assistant is something all of us are aware of. A super handy tool that answers any queries you may have, along with helping set up events and keeping a track of your day. Google Assistant is available on phones, tablets, and Chromebooks!
Where is Google Assistant on Chromebook?
- Make sure that your Google Assistant is set up.
- Go into settings and select “Search and Assistant.”
- Find the choice for Google Assistant and turn it on.
- Then ask “Hey Google” or press Search and A.
Screen Records and Screenshots
Sharing what you are seeing on your screen is a big feature. Whether you want to share a clip of a video you have been watching or capture evidence for a document, this is one of the best ways to do it. And your Chromebook can screen record and take screenshots.
How do I take screenshots and screen record on my Chromebook?
- Go into your quick settings menu in the bottom right corner.
- Select screen capture.
- This will take you to the screen capture tool where you can then record or take a screenshot as you like.
Touchpad Gestures
Just like with any laptop, your Chromebook’s trackpad/touchpad is probably a real pain to use. There are multiple ways to make this easier on yourself. One is to get a wireless mouse. But the second is with a neat feature built into Chromebooks. Those are touchpad gestures for control.
There are several that you can try out.
- To scroll, you can simply place can move two fingers vertically or horizontally to scroll whichever way you choose.
- You can move between pages by swiping left with two fingers to go to an earlier page, or to the right to go forward. This works the same for tabs.
- View all open windows by swiping upwards with three fingers. And downwards to close the overview.
- Easily close a tab by pointing at a tab and clicking the touchpad with three fingers. Or open a link in a new tab by pointing at the link and doing the same.
- If you have multiple virtual desks open, you can switch between them by swiping left or right with four fingers.
Touchpad Behaviour
Not happy with how your touchpad behaves? Well, you can change that too. And it’s pretty simple how.
How to change your touchpad behaviour:
- Go into settings.
- Go to device.
- Select trackpad and change multiple functions.
Some functions you can change include: turning tap-to-click on or off, adjusting the pointer speed, type of scrolling and more.
Keyboard Commands
Keyboard commands are a quick and easy way to bring up features and perform actions on your Chromebook and other laptops and devices. Including many keyboard shortcuts for features we’ve already mentioned, like taking screenshots.
What keyboard shortcuts can I use on my Chromebook? Here are some:
- Take a screenshot by pressing ctrl and show windows, or a partial screenshot by pressing shift, ctrl and show windows.
- You can turn on or off caps lock by pressing search and alt at the same time (or launcher and alt)
- Open a new window with ctrl and n, or open a new tab with ctrl and t.
- If you want to see all the keyboard shortcuts (which there are a lot), you can select ctrl, alt and / at the same time.
Pin Apps and Websites
Your Chromebook has a special toolbar, known as the “shelf”. Acting as a hub for all of your apps and pages that you use frequently. At first, all of your basic apps will be here. But you can customise it to your preference. And it is super simple how.
How to add an app to your shelf:
- Open the launcher in the corner of your screen.
- Find the app you want to pin.
- Right-click on the app icon and select the option to pin it to your shelf.
How do I pin a webpage to my shelf?
- Go to the webpage you want to pin.
- Select the more option in the top right corner.
- Press on the more tools section and select create a shortcut.
- Head back to the launcher,
- Right-click the shortcut and pin it to your shelf.
Device Connectivity
Most devices have this feature in this day, but a Chromebook uses it rather well. Through a few simple steps, you can very easily connect your Android phone to your Chromebook and receive all your notifications on one device.
How do I connect my phone to my Chromebook?
- Go to settings and find the connected devices section.
- Find the Android Phone option.
- Press on the setup option and follow the provided steps.
- When you have completed those steps, a confirmation will appear on your phone.
- Select what features you want under the enabled section.
Keen on buying a Chromebook? Explore our collection of Chromebooks now.
