Maybe you don't know everything your Chromebook can do. As a Chromebook user, or just someone interested, this guide aims to show some of the lesser known but most useful tips and tricks for your Chromebook.
From keyboard shortcuts to useful features hidden a little deeper in the operating system, or only added in recent updates, there's a lot to discover. The key is that these should help make teaching easier by being more efficient in the way you work. Or, in the case of the emoji keyboard shortcut, be a little more attractive.
These are all arranged in sections so you can select one at the top to jump straight to, or scroll through and see which one might be useful to you in your classroom.
The best things your Chromebook can do
Unlock with your phone
Keeping your Chromebook secure is important at school, but that doesn't mean you have to enter a code or password every time. If it is your private device and you are signed in with your Google account, then it is possible to automatically unlock it with your Android phone.
If you turn on Smart Lock, have Bluetooth enabled on both devices, are logged into the same Google account on both, and have some kind of password system set up on your phone, when you approach the machine, your phone will be able to do the same. Unlock for you.
In Settings, go to Connected devices, Android phone, Smart Lock, Unlock device and you won't have to enter a password again.
Run Windows
If you ever need to run Windows and you only have your Chromebook, perhaps to specifically access a Windows app, you can do that. This is done through a free web-based system called the Chrome Remote Desktop App.
This works by streaming your own Windows PC experience over the Internet to your Chromebook. So, you need a Windows machine with all of this set up and running so you can access it from your Chromebook.
First, visit the RemoteDesktop app on your Windows machine using the Chrome web browser. Select Remote Access, Set up Remote Access and an application will download that you can accept and install. Give your PC a name, follow the on-screen steps, and then you can access your Windows machine from your Chromebook over any decent Internet connection.
Pin files
See that icon just to the left of the Quick Settings button? This can be used to get quick access to files or groups of files you've saved, sort of like bookmarking them with a star to access them later.
To do this, simply right-click on the file or folder and select the Pin to Shelf option. This will then appear in your bookshelf section. You may find that you already have items there, as this is where screenshots and some downloads are automatically taken.
Screen Record
The ability to screen record, natively, is a really useful way to prepare some lessons that you want to share digitally. You can do this to capture the screen while you work by selecting Quick Settings and then Screenshot, or by using the shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Show Windows (fifth button from the left at the top).
You can then choose to capture image or video, with or without microphone recording, before capturing the entire screen or a specific window, as needed.
Use as calculator
You can quickly access the intelligence of your Chromebook's calculator right there in the launcher. The newest ChromeOS launcher will let you type a math problem and end with the equal sign before pressing Enter. You will soon have your answer in front of you.
This is also a useful conversion tool, allowing you to calculate currency changes, weight measurement variations, and more.
Copy and paste with clipboard
Everyone uses copy and paste, it's a wonderful way to shorten words about place. But did you know that you can do it with up to five things at once using ChromeOS?
Simply copy what you need, as much or as little text. Then maybe do five different combinations of questions and answers. Then, instead of using the usual Ctrl + V to paste, select the search button that looks like a magnifying glass and press it with V. This will display the last five copies you've made, in a drop-down menu that allows you to select and drop. that's pretty much anywhere text can go.
Use an emoji keyboard
Chromebooks are very, very emoji friendly. So if you want to add some fun and excitement to your messages, then it's a great idea to use the dedicated emoji keyboard. Yes, you can write emojis.
To open this, use the search button (magnifying glass) plus the Shift key plus the space bar. This opens the emoji dropdown menu so you can scroll through the options or type in the search bar and it will narrow down the options so you select the ones that will appear directly.
