Chrome Bone

The 20-infinitesimal Chromebook tune-up

Make your Chromebook faster, smarter, and more pleasant to use with these piece of cake-to-follow annual steps.

Equally far as computers go, Chromebooks are almost shockingly low-maintenance. Google's Chrome Os operating system updates itself silently and automatically — every bit exercise most of the core apps associated with the platform — and it doesn't get gunked up and slowed downward over fourth dimension, as traditional operating systems tend to do. There's no antivirus software to fret over, either, and little in the style of complicated settings or compatibility concerns. Past and large, things "but work" — like, for existent.

But hey, you're a proactive person. Yous like knowing your tech is always in tip-top shape. Plus, you lot have impeccable tastes in tech-related reading textile (clearly). Then let me share a little secret with yous: Despite Chrome OS's minimal-upkeep nature, there are some things you tin do to make clean up your Chromebook, articulate out its clutter, and keep information technology primed for optimal productivity (and/or procrastination — as important, equally far as I'm concerned). And they don't take long at all to power through.

Take a few minutes at present to go through these steps, then rest piece of cake all year knowing your Chromebook is running at its best and ready to handle whatever tasks (and perhaps even soft objects) you throw its style.

Pace 1: Uninstall unnecessary Chrome apps and extensions

Time required: iii minutes

If there's one cistron that can boring a Chromebook down — non to mention open the door to unnecessary data sharing — it'southward having the system overloaded with apps and extensions you don't really need. Such programs have the potential to run in the background, where they sometimes eat up system resources faster than I eat upwardly potatoes, and also to bog down the actual loading of web pages (especially when it comes to extensions associated with the browser itself).

Across that, unneeded apps waste product precious infinite in your device's local storage and ataxia things up visually, making it tougher to find the stuff you actually use on a regular basis. That'south why assessing your app and extension state of affairs once a year can go a long manner in keeping your Chromebook cleaned upward and capable of giving you the best possible experience, without any asterisks attached.

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Start by opening a new browser tab and typing chrome:extensions into the accost bar. Await at every detail on that page and think advisedly about whether you really, truly nonetheless need it and how much value it adds to your life. For any items that no longer seem relevant, click the "Remove" button and send 'em a-packin'.

If you aren't 100% sure whether something is worth keeping or not, attempt this: Uncheck the blue toggle in the bottom-right corner of its bill of fare. That'll deactivate it just leave it present, almost similar a shell, with all of your preferences and history still intact. That way, you can go a mean solar day or ii without information technology and run into if you miss information technology or even notice its absence. If you don't, get back and remove it entirely. If y'all exercise, become back and reactivate its toggle — no harm washed.

Footstep 2: Check upwards on your extension permissions

Time required: five minutes

At some point in the not-so-distant past, Chrome gained a small just incredibly consequential advanced selection for controlling your extensions: Instead of allowing an extension to see what you're doing around the web only on a yeah-or-no, all-or-naught basis, you can now get more granular and specify exactly how and when an extension is (and isn't) authorized to access your browsing information.

If that sounds familiar, it should: Android saw a similar shift in its arroyo to apps and privacy just final year, with 2019'south Android 10 release.

On the Chrome Os front, your options now include allowing an extension to access your browsing data all the time, without any restrictions; assuasive it to see what you lot're doing only on certain whitelisted sites; or assuasive information technology to encounter and modify what's in your browser simply afterward you've actively clicked its icon to actuate information technology. You can also, of course, opt tonever let an extension to see what you're doing on the spider web — merely with some extensions, a genuine need for that type of access exists.

Regardless of the specifics, you should be the 1 to decide how much admission any given extension is immune — just it'southward upwards to you to become in and merits that level of control. To do and so, once again blazonchrome:extensions into your browser's accost bar. Then, one by one, click the Details box for every extension listed on the page and await for a line labeled "Site admission" to see exactly what level of access the extension currently has.

If y'all come across any extension that enjoys a higher level of access than you retrieve seems necessary, modify its setting appropriately, ideally whilst cackling for consequence. Just keep in mind that some extensions may not be able to perform their intended functions without a certain amount of access, so if you run into a situation where an extension stops working (or keeps re-requesting a higher level of permission) after you've knocked it down a notch, you'll have to decide if it's worth keeping it around or if you'd exist more than comfortable bidding it farewell.

Step three: Uninstall or update Android and Linux apps

Time required: three minutes

Chrome Os isn't simply about web apps anymore; these days, Chromebooks are capable of running both Android apps and Linux apps besides as the regular ol' web-axial items. If you've taken advantage of either of those possibilities, do the same thing we did in our start stride and pore over your collection to come across apps which y'all nevertheless employ and which oughta be removed or, a new twist in this stride, updated.

Start by looking in your Chromebook's launcher — the "All Apps"-style drawer that comes upwardly when yous swipe up twice from the lesser of your screen or click the circle icon in the lower-left corner and then click the arrow in the partial drawer that appears. For whatsoever apps you're no longer using, right-click or long-press 'em and select "Uninstall" from the menu that appears. Dirge a piddling incantation for good measure and and then move on with your newly lightened (and maybe as well enlightened) life.

Got all that? Good. At present, for any Android or Linux apps you exercise desire to keep, make sure they're upwards to date — because unlike regular web-axial apps, these programs don't always do that automatically. The Android half is easy: Simply open up up the Play Store, the same way y'all would on your phone, and wait for the "My apps & games" option in its main menu. And so follow the prompts on the screen that comes upward to download and apply any awaiting updates.

Linux apps, as usual, are a petty less convenient: You'll have to go into your Chromebook's Terminal app and type sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade into the prompt (totally intuitive, right?!). That'll seek out and apply whatever available updates for any Linux programs yous have in place.

Stride 4: Optimize your time-saving shortcuts

Time required: 4 minutes

Chrome Os is full of hidden shortcuts and time-saving possibilities — including some super-useful things that crave just a few minutes of your time to fix once or revisit then they'll work to your greatest reward.

Get-go up is the system tray — that dock-like bar of shortcuts at the bottom of your screen. Take a moment to brand certain the apps or processes you open most often are in that area; if they aren't, drag 'em out of the launcher and put 'em in identify. And call up: The tray doesn't have to be limited only to formal apps. You lot tin besides add in shortcuts to a commonly accessed website (exist it something like Gmail or Google Drive or even your company's internal content management system) by opening the site in a regular browser tab, clicking the three-dot menu icon in the upper-right corner, and selecting "More than tools" followed by "Create shortcut."

Now, the part most relevant to our purposes: Go along in mind that you lot tin can open each item in that listing from anywhere in your organization by pressing Alt and and so the number central corresponding with its position. Pretty handy, eh?

Next, salvage yourself even more valuable seconds by setting up on-demand shortcuts for your favorite web-based search functions. You can do that for nigh any site with a search pick, whether it'southward Google Images, Twitter, or Thesaurus.com.

Here's the trick: Become to the website in question and perform a search — then copy the URL that ends up in your accost bar with the results. With Thesaurus.com, for instance, if you search the site for "fish," y'all'll be taken to https://world wide web.thesaurus.com/browse/fish.

Now blazon chrome:settings/searchEngines into your address bar to pull upwardly Chrome's custom search engine settings. Click the "Add together" button, blazon in the search engine proper noun (like "Thesaurus"), assign it to whatever keyword you lot desire (similar "th"), and then paste that URL from a moment ago into the URL field — only accept out the actual search term and replace it with %s. And then in our Thesaurus.com example, you lot'd cease up with https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/%s.

Chromebook Tune-up: Custom Search Engine JR

In one case that's done, you can simply type your keyword into Chrome's address bar, hit Tab, and then type in whatever term you lot desire to search for — and every bit soon as you hitting Enter, you'll be taken directly to the associated site'due south results folio for that term. I use this constantly, for all sorts of purposes (such equally searching for synonyms of "fish").

(Bonus tip: You tin also set upwards a custom search engine without the search parameter in place to create a shortcut for any site or internal Chrome role. On every Chrome-including arrangement I use, for instance, I can type cs into the address bar to pull up Chrome's settings in a jiff. I can blazon c to pull up Computerworld.com or a to pull upward AndroidIntel.net. You go the idea.)

Finally, if you have sure words or phrases you find yourself typing over and over — addresses, phone numbers, recipes for baba ganoush, and and then on — consider setting up a Chrome-OS-friendly text replacement tool. That volition let you create custom keyboard shortcuts for all your favorite phrases and can save your stunning fingies from so much needless pecking. There's one app in particular that really does the job well.

Step v: Set up yourself up for speedy universal vox input

Time required: one minute

Information technology's like shooting fish in a barrel to become spoiled with the effectiveness of voice input on your phone — and then why not bring that same speaking power to your Chromebook? Yes, indeedly: Chrome Os has a little-known option for system-wide dictation, and it works whether yous're using your device every bit a laptop or in a tablet-similar state.

All yous've gotta do is enable it: Open up up your Chromebook'south settings (by clicking the clock in the lower-right corner of the screen and then clicking the gear icon in the panel that pops up). Curl all the manner downwardly to the bottom of the settings screen and tap "Advanced." Encounter the "Accessibility" header? Click the "Manage accessibility features" choice beneath that, then activate the toggle next to "Enable dictation (speak to type)."

And that's it: You'll at present run across a modest microphone icon in the lower-right corner of your screen, next to the notification panel. Tap it anywhere, anytime, and then simply kickoff a-yammerin' abroad. Your words will evidence up on your screen — in whatsoever field you have focused, no matter what app or procedure you're using.

Pace half dozen: Clean upwards and connect your cloud storage

Time required: 3 minutes

Chromebooks don't tend to have a ton of local space, so have a infinitesimal to open up your device's Files app and clear out any clutter you no longer demand.

All set? Spectacular. This next part'due south equally easy: Nosotros're gonna connect your Chromebook'due south Downloads folder to the cloud then that anything you download will automatically sync with your Google Drive storage and thus exist available wherever y'all might need information technology — on your Android phone, on a traditional desktop computer, or even on another Chrome OS device. (Chrome OS is all about this kind of automatic syncing and device-doubter access in general, but this is 1 area where it oddly doesn't do that past default.)

And then here'due south the programme: Type chrome:settings into your browser's toolbar, select "Advanced," then find the line labeled "Location" under the "Downloads" header. Click "Change" and select a folder (or brand a new folder specifically for downloads) within your Google Drive storage.

Piece of cake, correct? At that place's nothing more to it: Anything you download on your Chromebook volition be saved to Drive and available anywhere else you lot sign in from this moment frontward.

(Bonus tip: Y'all can take this same concept a step further by setting up your Android phone and whatsoever other computers you use — Windows, Mac, whatever — to also sync their downloads with that same Bulldoze folder. That'll create a single net-based downloads binder that keeps everything you download in one universally accessible place, no matter what device yous're using. Get ahead and take a moment to marvel over what a wondrous notion that is, then brand your merry manner over to this guide of mine to get started.)

Pace 7: Set your optics upwardly for success

Time required: one minute

Terminal only not least, a quick bit of tune-upwardly that'll take some of the strain off your peepers so you can amend focus — on Very Important work documents, Very Important Winger videos, or whatever other Very Important content you might exist viewing. A relatively recent update to Chrome Bone added an incredibly beneficial Android-built-in visibility feature, y'come across, and it'southward well worth your while to enable.

It's called Night Calorie-free, and it adjusts the temperature of your device's display to make it less bright-white and glary in the evening hours (or whatsoever other time y'all find yourself in dimly lit atmospheric condition). Information technology's so impossibly sensible, y'all'll wonder how yous ever lived without information technology.

You lot can actuate Chrome Bone'southward Night Light fashion with a fast tap in the Quick Settings console — the Android-reminiscent interface that appears whenever y'all click or tap the clock in the lower-right corner of the screen — but the more advanced pick resides deep within the bowels of the Chrome Os settings. (Apologies for the choice of phrase there. I promise it really isn't that bad.)

Just open up those trusty ol' system-level settings once more, and this time navigate to "Displays" (under the "Device" header) and await for the "Dark Low-cal" department at the bottom of that screen. There, y'all tin set an automatic schedule for when the Nighttime Lite mode should turn itself on — based on specific times of day or even on when the dominicus sets and rises. Your optics volition thank you.

Chromebook Tune-up: Night Light JR

And with that, my dear comrade, your Chrome Bone tune-up is complete. Then what now? Well, goodness gracious, you've got no shortage of enticing options. If you're still hungering for more than fresh Chromebook knowledge, check out my recent collection of Chrome OS Assistant tips. Or recollect most expanding your desktop horizons and taking the relatively new Chromebook Virtual Desktops feature out for a spin. Oh, and if yous haven't still tackled your annual Android telephone tune-upwardly, by golly, get to information technology.

Otherwise, sit dorsum, relax, and enjoy your newly polished and optimized Chrome Bone device. And become grab yourself a pastry, too, why don't ya? You deserve it.

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[Android Intelligence videos at Computerworld]

Contributing Editor JR Raphael serves up tasty morsels near the human side of engineering science. Hungry for more? Bring together him on Twitter or sign up for his weekly newsletter to get fresh tips and insight in your inbox every Friday.

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