50 Chromebook tips for maximum productivity

Chromebooks may be all about simplicity, but don’t be fooled: Beneath their intuitive outer layer lies a web of advanced options. And you don’t have to be a power user to embrace it.

Make your way through this massive collection of next-level tips, and you’ll be zipping around Chrome OS like a pro in no time.

Getting around Chrome OS

1. The Chrome OS launcher — the drawer-like interface that appears when you tap the Everything key (a.k.a. the Search key or Launcher key) or when you hit the circle icon in the lower-left corner of the screen — is actually a powerful universal search tool. Just start typing as soon as it appears, and you can find and open apps, pull up websites, and even get answers to specific questions right then and there — no clicking or digging required.

2. The launcher has some easily overlooked extra powers, too. Try typing in calculations like 172.4/3, for instance, or unit conversions like 14.9 feet to meters to put Google to work at the system level.

IDG/JR Raphael

3. On most current Chromebooks, that same launcher panel is also a portal for interacting with the Google Assistant. And that opens up the door to some interesting Chrome-OS-specific possibilities. You could ask Assistant to create a new document, spreadsheet, or presentation, for instance, or ask it what’s on your agenda for a specific upcoming day. (See my list of 22 worthwhile ways to use Google Assistant on a Chromebook for even more useful commands to consider.)

4. Chrome OS has a hidden gesture for accessing the fully expanded app drawer area of the launcher, which is especially advantageous when you’re using a Chromebook as a tablet: Simply swipe up from an open area at the bottom of the screen, and — just like with Android on Google’s Pixel phones — your full list of installed applications will appear.

5. Want to get to the fully expanded app drawer area of the launcher without touching your screen? Hit Shift and the Everything key together. Shazam!

6. You can hide the shelf — the row of pinned favorites at the bottom of your screen — either by right-clicking it or long-pressing on it and then selecting the “Autohide shelf” option that appears. That’ll cause the shelf to disappear anytime you have an app or window open and then reappear when you mouse over its area or swipe upward from the bottom of the screen. The shelf will still always show up when you’re viewing your desktop, too.

7. Quickly open any item on your shelf by pressing Alt and then the number key that corresponds with its position: Alt-1 for the first app in the list, Alt-2 for the second, and so on.

8. Right-click or long-press on any app in your shelf or within the main launcher to reveal a series of program-specific shortcuts. You’ll find the most options with Android apps, many of which offer one-touch links to functions like composing new messages, starting new documents, or jumping to specific folders or accounts.

IDG/JR Raphael

9. Chrome OS boasts a distinctly Android-like combined Quick Settings and notification panel in its lower-right corner, and take note: You can open it without moving your hands off your keyboard by pressing Shift-Alt-N from anywhere in the system.

Managing apps and windows

10. You might not realize it, but your Chromebook has a handy Overview interface for juggling open apps and windows. You can get to it by pressing the button that looks like a box with two lines on your keyboard (in the function row, directly to the left of the brightness controls) — and once there, you can move to any other app by clicking its thumbnail or using the Tab key to focus on it and then hitting Enter.

You can close any app, meanwhile, by clicking the “x” in its upper right corner or by swiping up or down on it directly on the screen (provided you have a Chromebook with a touch-enabled display, that is; otherwise, all you’ll accomplish is creating a smudge and making yourself look silly).

11. Prefer to get around with your trackpad? Make a mental note of this handy hidden trick: You can swipe upward with three fingers on your trackpad from anywhere in the system to open the Overview interface and see all of your open apps and windows. You can then swipe downward with three fingers to return to your most recently used process.

12. When your convertible Chromebook is in its tablet mode (with the keyboard either detached or swiveled around the back), swiping up once from the bottom of the screen will reveal your shelf of pinned favorites. Swiping up again and holding your finger down will open that Overview interface, just like it does with the current Android gesture system, while swiping up and letting go will take you back to your desktop home screen.

13. Also in tablet mode, you can open two apps side by side in a split-screen arrangement by going into the Overview screen and then dragging any app’s thumbnail to the left or right side of the screen. When you see that half of the screen light up, let go — then either select another active app from the Overview interface or open a new app from your launcher to fill the other half. You can set this up with any combination of websites, Chrome apps, Android apps, and even Linux apps (more on those in a moment).

IDG/JR Raphael

14. While viewing two apps in that split-screen setup, press and hold the black bar in the center and drag it in either direction to make either side larger or smaller.

15. Prefer a snappier Alt-Tab-like method of switching between processes? Your Chromebook has that, too — quite literally: Just press Alt-Tab once to toggle back and forth between your two most recently used apps or windows, or press and hold Alt-Tab to pull up a quick switching utility that’ll let you move among all of your actively open items.

16. Should you ever feel the urge to move backwards in your Alt-Tab list — from right to left instead of left to right — holding down Shift along with Alt and Tab will put you in reverse and let you get it done.

17. Snap any app or window to the side of your screen by hitting either Alt and [ (left bracket) for the left side or Alt and ] (right bracket) for the right side. Repeat the command a second time to return the app or window to its default centered position.

18. You can minimize an app or window by pressing Alt and – (the minus key). Press that same key sequence again to bring the app or window back up into its previous position.

19. Maximize an app or window by pressing Alt and = (the equals key). Press that same key sequence again to move the app back into its default centered position.

20. If you tend to keep a lot of stuff open at once and work on multiple projects at the same time, think about using Chrome OS’s Virtual Desks feature. Like the virtual desktop systems on Windows and macOS, Virtual Desks lets you organize your open apps and windows into separate work environments. You can create new desks and switch between your current desks by looking for the commands at the top of the Overview screen. Note, too, that you can rename any desk from its default “Desk 1”-style name by clicking on its name and typing whatever you want into that space.

IDG/JR Raphael

21. Give your Chromebook’s main app list some extra organization by creating folders within the Chrome OS launcher. All you’ve gotta do is click or tap on any app and then drag it on top of another app’s icon. You can then click or tap to open the folder and give it a name. And if you ever want to take an app out of a folder, just click or tap the app in question and drag it out.

Improving your text input

22. Don’t make yourself use that awkwardly oversized on-screen keyboard that comes up by default in a Chromebook’s tablet mode. Instead, tap the third icon along the keyboard’s top row — the one that looks like a rectangle with a smaller, darker rectangle inside it. That’ll shrink Chrome OS’s keyboard down into a far more manageable phone-like keyboard that you can then move around (using the “handle” at the keyboard’s bottom) and place anywhere you like.

23. If handwriting is more your thing, be it with a stylus, your finger, or any other appendage, tap the second icon along the Chrome OS keyboard’s top row — the one that looks like a hand-drawn squiggle. That’ll give you an open canvas on which you can write anything you want by hand and have it converted into text as you go.

IDG/JR Raphael

24. Chrome OS’s on-screen keyboard has a built-in microphone icon that makes voice-to-text simple for tablet use, but you can actually tap into the same superb dictation system even when using your Chromebook with its physical keyboard. Just open up your Chromebook’s settings (by clicking the clock area in the lower-right corner of the screen and then clicking the gear icon in the panel that pops up). Click “Advanced” and then “Accessibility” in the left-sidebar menu, then click “Manage accessibility features” and activate the toggle next to “Enable dictation (speak to type).”

That’ll put a small microphone icon in the lower-right corner of your screen, next to the notification panel, and you can then tap it anytime to start speaking and have your words transcribed wherever your cursor is active.

25. Find yourself missing the Caps Lock key? Press the Everything key and Alt together to activate Caps Lock. When you’re ready to STOP SHOUTING, use that same key sequence to switch back to normal text.

26. Alternatively, if you really miss Caps Lock — and don’t mind giving up Chrome OS’s Everything key to have it — you can remap the Everything key so that it functions as Caps Lock by opening your Chromebook’s settings, clicking “Device” in the sidebar, and then selecting “Keyboard.”

27. You’d be forgiven for failing to notice, but your Chromebook has a built-in clipboard history function you can use to glance at your most recently copied items and then pull any of ’em up on demand. Just hit the Everything key and V together. You’ll see your most recently copied items, whether they’re text or images, and you can then click on whichever one you want to insert into an open field.

IDG/JR Raphael

28. Find the perfect emoji to lighten up an email, company tweet, or Slack chat by pressing the Everything key, Shift, and the space bar together. That’ll open up Chrome OS’s handy emoji picker, and from there, selecting the symbol you want is as easy as 🥧.

NEXT PAGE: Simplifying security, embracing system tools, and beyond

Simplifying security

29. Your Android phone can serve as a virtual key to your Chromebook. All you have to do is connect your phone to the device and then set up Smart Lock, which will let you avoid typing in your password whenever your phone is unlocked and nearby. Open the “Connected devices” section of your Chromebook’s settings to enable the feature and configure its options.

30. If you’re using a convertible Chromebook as a tablet, you probably don’t want to type in your full password on a giant on-screen keyboard every time the system wakes up — especially if you’re in a public place with lots of wandering eyes. Luckily, there’s a better way: In the “Lock screen and sign-in” area of your device’s settings (inside the “Security and Privacy” section), you’ll find an option to create a PIN that can be tapped in more discreetly on the screen, similar to how you’d unlock a phone. Some Chromebooks will let you set that up for general-purpose use outside of tablet time, too.

31. Let someone else use your Chromebook without gaining access to all your info with the help of Chrome OS’s Guest Mode option. Just look for the “Browse as Guest” option on the lock screen when no one is actively signed in. That’ll open up an incognito-like environment where no personal or account-related data is available and nothing that happens is saved beyond that session.

32. By default, Chromebooks make it easy for anyone to add an account and sign in from the lock screen — something you may not want to have happen on your work device. You can turn that capability off by opening the “Security and Privacy” section of your Chromebook’s settings and then selecting “Manage other people.” Activate the toggle next to the line labeled “Restrict sign-in to the following users” and then make sure only your account and any others you want on the device are included in the list.

33. Next time you’re stepping away from your Chromebook, secure it quickly by hitting the Everything key and then L. That’ll take you back to the lock screen and the account sign-in prompt.

34. If you want to go a step further, hitting Ctrl-Shift-Q twice will sign you out of the Chromebook completely — closing any open apps, windows, and so on — no matter where you are in the system or what you’re doing.

Embracing system tools

35. Here’s a shortcut worth committing to memory: For a fast restart, hold down the Refresh key — the circular arrow on the top row of your Chromebook’s keyboard — and then press your Chromebook’s physical power button. If you’d rather have an on-screen restart command for even easier access, see this Chrome OS shortcut tip for a couple of compelling options.

36. Chromebooks have multiple options to capture screenshots, three of which are particularly useful: To capture the entire screen, hit Ctrl and the Overview key if your physical keyboard is handy or press your device’s physical power and volume-down buttons if you’re using a Chromebook in its tablet mode. To capture only one specific app or window, hit Ctrl and Alt and the Overview key and then click on the item you want to capture. And to capture a specific limited area of the screen, hit Ctrl, Shift, and the Overview key and then use the on-screen guides to draw a box around the area you want.

37. Need to focus? Open up Chrome OS’s notification panel — at the bottom-right of the screen — and click the icon that looks like a circle with a line through it (above the word “Notifications”). That’ll put your Chromebook into Do Not Disturb mode, and no notifications will alert you until you turn it off.

38. You can also limit which apps and processes are allowed to notify you in general. Just click the word “Notifications” in that same area of the notification panel and then uncheck any items you want to shush indefinitely.

IDG/JR Raphael

39. When a notification arrives from an Android app, hover over it and look closely, and you’ll see a small clock symbol in its upper-right corner. Clicking that icon will let you snooze the notification and have it return automatically at some specific future time. (The same option isn’t yet available for notifications from other types of Chromebook apps, unfortunately.)

40. On a related note, with a few quick clicks, you can connect your Android phone to your Chromebook and then see and interact with its notifications directly on your computer’s screen. Click the phone-shaped icon in the lower-right corner of the screen, to the left of the clock, and follow the steps to activate and configure Phone Hub to get that up and running.

41. If something on your screen ever seems too small to see comfortably, remember the shortcut Ctrl, Shift, and + or -. That’ll increase or decrease your display’s resolution, respectively, without requiring you to dig deep into your system settings.

42. Give your eyes a break from the glare and take advantage of Chrome OS’s Night Light mode whenever you’re staring at your screen in the dark. Night Light adjusts the temperature of your display to make it less harsh in dim conditions (just like the same-named feature on certain Android phones, such as Google’s Pixel devices). You can activate it by looking for the Night Light button within the Quick Settings panel — and you can customize its appearance and even tell it to turn on and off automatically based on the time of day by looking in the “Device” section of the Chrome OS settings and then clicking on “Displays.”

43. Speaking of visual optimization, take a moment to explore Chrome OS’s surprisingly versatile wallpaper tool. It allows you to pick a category of images — things like cityscapes, landscapes, and art — and then have the system automatically refresh your device’s wallpaper with a new image every day. After all, a pleasant work environment is critical for productivity, right? Right-click (or long-press) on an open area of your desktop and select “Set wallpaper” to check out the options.

IDG/JR Raphael

44. If your Chromebook is running slowly or an app is acting up, hold the Everything key and then hit Esc to open Chrome OS’s Task Manager. There, you can see memory and CPU use for every active process and manually end any item as needed.

45. Pressing Alt and then the brightness up or down keys (in your keyboard’s function row) will let you manually adjust your keyboard’s backlighting — assuming, of course, that your Chromebook has a backlit keyboard.

46. Stylus users, listen up: If your Chromebook came with a connected stylus, be sure to look for the stylus menu in the lower-right corner of the screen (alongside the settings and notification panels). It’ll give you quick-tap options for changing your stylus’s current function and taking full advantage of everything it can do.

Breaking down boundaries

47. Don’t forget about Chrome Remote Desktop. It’s a simple and effective way to access another computer (Windows, Mac, Chrome OS, or Linux) from your Chromebook without any costly, clunky, or complicated software.

48. If you need to show your Chromebook’s screen on a larger display, meanwhile — like a Chromecast-connected TV in your office, conference center, or personal productivity outhouse — look for the “Cast” option in the Chrome OS Quick Settings panel. It’ll automatically pull up any compatible Cast targets on the same Wi-Fi network, and with one more click or tap, your computer’s screen will be mirrored.

49. Remember that most current Chromebooks can run Linux apps — something that won’t be necessary for most people but can be an interesting way for advanced users to expand Chrome OS’s horizons. See my detailed Linux apps on Chrome OS guide to get started.

JR Raphael/IDG

50. Want to use a browser other than Chrome on your Chromebook for a while? Believe it or not, that’s actually possible, thanks to the availability of both Linux apps and Android apps on Chromebooks. The latter category is the simpler one to use: Just open up the Play Store on your Chromebook and look around to find what you want. You can install common favorites like Firefox and Opera along with more niche-oriented titles like Dolphin and Puffin. Heck, if you really want to get crazy, you can even install the Chrome Android app and run it on your Chromebook. Just be prepared to see the ghost of M.C. Escher cackling off in the distance.

This story was originally published in November 2017 and most recently updated in October 2021.