Teach Yourself VISUALLY Chromebook is your ultimate guide to getting the most out of your Chromebook!
Designed for ease of use and portable functionality, Chromebook is the device of choice for children, teens, and adults alike. Learn to setup and use your new Chromebook by configuring essential settings and connecting external devices.
When you first open your Chromebook, you'll see several app icons sitting at the bottom of the screen. This area is called the Shelf, and it mimics the Windows taskbar. The Chrome OS Shelf shows which apps are running and provides an easy way to launch apps. To make the Chromebook your own you'll want to add your commonly used apps to the Shelf, and remove the ones you don't use.
This guide will also teach you tips and tricks for how to share content with others from your Chromebook and how to download, run, and manage your applications!
Chromebook is designed to be one of the most feature-rich and user-friendly solutions that allows users the portable functionality of a laptop and tablet running Chrome OS with the ability to run Android apps and Linux desktop apps.
- Get started with Chromebook with over 800 full-color images
- Master ChromeOS and get up and running in no time
- Personalize your desktop background
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Getting Started with Your Chromebook
Understanding the Chromebook Concept 4
Explore Different Types of Chromebooks 6
Set Up Your Chromebook 8
Start Your Chromebook and Sign In 14
Explore the Chrome OS Desktop 16
Point, Click, and Scroll with the Touchpad 18
Using the Touchscreen 20
Using the Keyboard 21
Using Keyboard Shortcuts 22
Connect to a Wi‐Fi Network 24
Give Commands 26
Open, Close, and Manage Windows 28
Work with Notifications 30
Lock and Unlock Your Chromebook’s Screen 32
Put Your Chromebook to Sleep and Wake It Up 34
Sign Out and Sign Back In 36
Shut Down Your Chromebook 38
Chapter 2 Configuring Essential Chromebook Settings
Configure the Shelf 42
Configure the Launcher 44
Change the Wallpaper 46
Change the Display Scaling 48
Configure the Night Light Settings 50
Choose Power and Sleep Settings 52
Set a Screen Lock for Security 54
Configure the Keyboard 56
Configure the Touchpad 58
Configure Notifications and Do Not Disturb 60
Configure Sound Settings 62
Choose Which Pages to Display on Startup 64
Customize the Default Chrome Theme 66
Apply a Browser Theme to Chrome 68
Chapter 3 Configuring Accessibility Settings
Display the Accessibility Settings 72
Make the Screen Easier to See 74
Zoom the Screen with the Magnifier Features 76
Configure Keyboard Accessibility Settings 78
Configure Mouse and Touchpad Accessibility Settings 80
Configure Audio Accessibility Settings 82
Configure Text‐to‐Speech Features 84
Chapter 4 Connecting External Devices
Connect and Use Bluetooth Devices 88
Connect and Configure an External Mouse 90
Connect and Configure a Second Display 92
Connect a Printer and Print 94
Using microSD Cards and USB Memory Sticks 96
Cast Content to a Chromecast Device 98
Connect Your Android Phone to Your Chromebook 102
Connect to the Internet via Your Android Phone 104
Connect to the Internet via USB Tethering 106
Chapter 5 Sharing Your Chromebook with Others
Enable Guest Browsing 110
Using a Chromebook in Guest Mode 112
Configure the Sign‐In Screen 114
Restrict the Users Who Can Sign In 116
Implement Parental Controls 118
Sign In Multiple Users and Switch Among Them 124
Chapter 6 Running and Managing Apps and Extensions
Understanding Apps and Extensions 128
Run an App 130
Switch Among Open Windows 132
Organize Your Windows with Desks 134
Install an App from the Web Store 136
Install an Extension 138
Pin and Unpin Extensions 140
Configure Settings for an Extension 141
Manage and Remove Extensions 142
Install an Android App 144
Run an Android App 146
Configure Preferences for Android Apps 148
Chapter 7 Managing Your Files and Folders
Understanding Your File Storage Options 152
Open the Files App and Explore Local Storage 154
Explore Your Google Drive Storage 156
Enable and Use Google Drive’s Offline Mode 158
Work with Files on USB Drives or microSD Cards 160
Connect Your Chromebook to a Network Drive 162
Connect to Another Cloud File Service 164
Open a File from Storage 168
Change the Default App for a File Type 170
Copy a File or Folder 172
Move a File or Folder 174
Rename a File or Folder 176
Chapter 8 Surfing the Web
Get Info on a File or Folder 177
Search for a File or Folder 178
Compress and Uncompress Files 180
Recover a File from the Trash on Google Drive 182
Open a Web Page 186
Follow a Link to a Web Page 187
Open Several Web Pages at Once 188
Navigate Among Web Pages 190
Return to a Recently Visited Page 192
Play Music and Videos on the Web 194
Set Your Search Engine 196
Create Bookmarks for Web Pages 198
Download Files 200
Run a Safety Check in Chrome 202
Configure Chrome for Security and Privacy 204
Chapter 9 Sending and Receiving Email
Add External Email Accounts to Gmail 212
Navigate the Gmail Interface 216
Receive and Read Your Email Messages 218
Send an Email Message 220
Reply to a Message 222
Forward a Message 224
Include Formatting, Emojis, and Pictures in Messages 226
Send an Email Message Using Confidential Mode 228
Schedule a Message for Sending Later 229
Send a File or a Link via Email 230
Receive a File or a Link via Email 232
View Email Messages by Conversations 236
Block and Unblock Senders 238
Create Email Filters 240
Chapter 10 Chatting and Calling
Chat via Google Hangouts from Gmail 246
Chat via Google Hangouts 248
Video Chat via Google Hangouts 250
Make Video Calls via Google Duo 252
Set Up Google Messages for Web 254
Chat from Your Chromebook Using Messages 256
Chapter 11 Organizing Your Life
Manage Your Google Account 260
Open Google Calendar and Create a Shortcut 268
Navigate the Google Calendar Interface 270
Create a New Calendar 272
Create an Event in Google Calendar 274
Share a Calendar with Other People 276
Subscribe to a Shared Calendar 278
Open Google Contacts and Create a Shortcut 280
Add Someone to Your Contacts 282
Change a Contact’s Information 284
Import Contacts into Google Contacts 286
Merge and Fix Contacts 288
Organize Your Contacts with Labels 290
Track Your Commitments with Google Tasks 292
Get Directions with Google Maps 296
Chapter 12 Advanced Moves and Troubleshooting
Keep Your Chromebook Current with Updates 300
Connect to a Remote Network via a VPN 302
Using Remote Access and Remote Support 306
Deal with Frozen Apps and Chrome Browser Tabs 310
Using Task Manager for Troubleshooting 312
Troubleshoot Network Problems 314
Troubleshoot Wi‐Fi Connections 316
Shut Down a Frozen Chromebook 318
Powerwash Your Chromebook 320
Recover Your Chromebook 322
Index 326
