My Google Chromebook

Michael Miller is a prolific and popular writer of more than 100 non-fiction books, known for his ability to explain complex topics to everyday readers. He writes about a variety of topics, including technology, business, and music. His best-selling books for Que include Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Computer Basics, Easy Computer Basics, Using Google Advanced Search, Your First Notebook PC, Facebook for Grown-Ups, and My Pinterest. Worldwide, his books have sold more than 1 million copies.

P  Understanding Chrome, Chromebooks, and Cloud Computing 3

What Is a Chromebook? ...........4

What Is a Chromebox? ...........5

What Is Google Chrome OS? ............5

What Is Cloud Computing? ...............7

  How Traditional Desktop Computing Works.........8

  How Cloud Computing Works.........8

Should You Buy a Chromebook? .......9

  Chromebook Versus Tablet .........10

  Chromebook Versus Traditional Notebook ...........11

  What’s Not to Like? ...... 13

What Chromebook Should You Buy? ............15

1  Unboxing and Setting Up Your New Chromebook 21

Unboxing Your Chromebook ........... 21

Turning on Your Chromebook—For the Very First Time....22

  Setting Up a Chromebook ............23

Creating a New Google Account ........28

  Creating a Google Account ...........28

2  Getting to Know Your Chromebook 33

Getting to Know Your Chromebook ............33

  Screen ................34

  Illumination Sensor ...........34

  Webcam ........35

  Microphone .........35

  Keyboard ...............35

  Touchpad .............36

  Memory Card Slot .........36

  Headset Jack .............36

  USB Ports .................37

  HDMI Connector ..............38

  Status Indicator ...............38

  Power Connector...............38

Using the Keyboard ...............38

Using the Touchpad ..............41

  Moving the Cursor ..............41

  Clicking the Cursor ............42

  Right-Clicking the Cursor .............42

  Dragging an Item .............42

  Scrolling the Screen .................42

  Adjusting Touchpad Sensitivity .............43

Connecting External Devices ...................44

  Connecting an External Mouse .......44

  Connecting an External Keyboard..........45

  Connecting to a Large-Screen TV ...........45

Adjusting Brightness and Volume ..... 46

  Adjusting Screen Brightness .............46

  Adjusting and Muting the Volume..........47

3  Using Chrome OS and the Chrome Desktop 49

Starting Up and Shutting Down ............49

  Starting Up and Logging In ...................50

  Putting Your Chromebook to Sleep ..........51

  Powering Off Your Chromebook ...........52

Navigating the Chrome OS Desktop .........53

  Launcher ...............54

  Status Area ..................55

Navigating Windows and Tabs ..............57

  Opening a New Chrome Window ..............59

  Opening New Tabs ..............59

  Navigating Tabs ....................60

  Managing Window Size ................60

  Switching Between Windows ..............61

  Closing the Window ..............61

4  Managing Multiple Users 63

Adding Users to Your Chromebook ...............63

  Add a User ................64

Editing User Information ....................65

  Change Your Profile Picture ............65

  Edit Your Profile ...............67

Switching Users .....................68

  Switch User Accounts ....................68

  Log in as a Guest User ..............69

5  Working Wirelessly 71

Connecting to a Wi-Fi Network ...............71

  Viewing Network Status .................72

  Enabling Wi-Fi on Your Chromebook ..............72

  Connecting to an Open Wi-Fi Network .............73

  Connecting to a Secure Wi-Fi Network .............74

Connecting to an Ethernet Network ............75

  Connecting via Ethernet...............76

  Connecting via Ethernet (Samsung Chromebook) .........76

Managing Network Connections .............77

  Automatically Connecting to a Network .......77

  Forgetting a Network ...............79

  Viewing Network Details .............80

6  Configuring and Personalizing Chrome OS 83

Personalizing the Desktop .................83

  Change the Desktop Background.............84

Configuring the Chrome Browser ............85

  Configure Startup Behavior ...............86

  Display the Home Button ...........87

  Display the Bookmarks Bar ...........88

  Change Search Providers ...............89

  Enable Google Instant ....................90

  Select a New Theme ..................90

  Reset to the Default Theme .................91

Configuring Other Settings .....................92

  Configure the Touchpad ..............92

  Change Search, Ctrl, and Alt Key Behavior .........93

  Wake from Sleep ..............................93

  Sync Your Account ..................94

  Disable Guest Browsing ..........95

  Hide Usernames ............96

  Restrict Sign-In ...................97

     Change Your Time Zone ................97

  Connect a Bluetooth Device ...........98

  Enable Autofill ........................99

  Save Passwords .............. 100

  Display Web Content .......... 101

  Customize Languages and Input Methods ........ 102

  Translate Pages.................. 103

  Manage Downloads ............... 103

  Disable Google Drive .................. 104

  Enable Accessibility Features ............... 105

7  Managing Files and Using External Storage 107

Using Chrome’s File Manager ................ 107

  Opening Files and Folders ........... 111

  Renaming Files and Folders......... 111

  Copying a File .............. 112

  Moving a File ............ 112

  Deleting Files ............. 113

  Creating a New Folder ............... 113

  Saving Files from the Web ................. 114

Using External Storage Devices ................ 115

  Connecting a USB Memory Device............. 115

  Inserting a Memory Card .............. 116

  Connecting an External Hard Drive .......... 117

8  Using Google Drive to Store and Share Files 119

Getting Started with Google Drive ......... 119

  Configure Google Drive .............. 120

Storing Files on Google Drive ................ 121

  View Your Google Drive Files ........ 121

  Copy a File to Google Drive ...... 121

  Open a File from Google Drive ............... 122

  Delete Files from Google Drive ............... 122

  Create a New Google Drive Folder .............. 123

Sharing Google Drive Files......................... 123

  Share a File with Selected Users ............ 124

  Share a File via Social Media or Gmail.............. 125

9  Viewing and Listening to Photos, Videos, and Music 127

Viewing Digital Photos on Your Chromebook ............. 127

  View Photos from an External Storage Device ........ 128

  Edit a Photo ....................... 129

  Store and Share Photos Online with Picasa Web Albums..... 130

Listening to Music on Your Chromebook ........... 131

  Listen to a Single Track........... 131

  Listen to a Playlist .................. 132

  Uploading Your Music to Google Play .......... 133

  Playing Music with Google Play .............. 135

Watching Videos on Your Chromebook ....... 136

  View a Video ............... 137

  Watch TV Shows on Hulu ............... 138

  Watch YouTube Videos ........... 139

10  Browsing and Searching the Web 141

Browsing the Web ............... 141

  Go to a Web Page ............. 142

  Click Links ......... 143

  Reload a Page .............. 143

  Move Forward and Back Through Pages ........... 144

  Zoom into a Page ............... 144

Viewing and Managing Browser History ........ 145

  View Your Recent History ........... 145

  View Your Full History .............. 145

  Delete Browsing History ............ 146

Searching the Web ................... 148

  Enter a Query ............... 148

  Use Google Instant ................. 149

  Use Google’s Advanced Search ....... 149

  Understand Search Results ............. 151

  Change Search Providers.............. 153

Managing Your Home Page ............... 154

  Choose a New Home Page ........ 154

  Display the Home Button ........... 155

Bookmarking Favorite Pages ............. 155

  Bookmark a Web Page.................. 156

  Display the Bookmarks Bar ............. 156

  Go to a Bookmarked Page .......... 157

  Manage Bookmarks ................ 157

Browsing in Incognito Mode ............... 158

  Open an Incognito Window ..................... 159

11  Using Chrome Apps and Extensions 161

Understanding Chrome Apps ................. 161

Getting to Know the Chrome Web Store ............ 163

Installing and Launching Apps ....... 164

  Download and Install Apps ........ 164

  Launch Chrome Apps.................. 166

  Managing Installed Apps ..... 166

  Configure App Options ............ 167

  Uninstall Apps ..................... 167

  Determine How Apps Are Launched .......... 168

Examining Chrome Apps—by Category ........... 169

  Business Tools ...................... 169

  Education ................ 170

  Entertainment Apps .................. 171

  Games ................. 172

  Lifestyle Apps ................... 174

  News & Weather Apps ............. 175

  Productivity Apps ................... 176

  Social & Communication Apps ............ 177

  Utilities ................ 178

Installing and Using Chrome Extensions ........... 179

  Download and Install Extensions ......... 179

  Use Extensions .............. 180

  Manage Chrome Extensions ................... 182

12  Working in the Cloud 185

Office Suites in the Cloud ..... 185

  Google Drive ........................ 186

Microsoft Office Web Apps......... 188

  Microsoft Office 365 .............. 189

  Zoho Docs................. 190

Word Processing in the Cloud ........... 191

  Google Docs .................... 191

  Microsoft Word Web App .............. 192

  Zoho Writer ............... 192

Spreadsheets in the Cloud ................... 193

  Google Sheets ...................... 193

  Microsoft Excel Web App ................... 194

  Zoho Sheet ............... 194

Presentations in the Cloud ......... 195

  Google Slides ................. 195

  Microsoft PowerPoint Web App ........ 196

  Zoho Show .................... 197

Photo Editing in the Cloud ............. 197

     Adobe Photoshop Express Editor ............ 198

  Other Online Photo Editors ............ 199

Finances and Banking in the Cloud .............. 199

Calendars in the Cloud ............. 200

  Google Calendar ............. 200

  Other Online Calendars ............. 201

Email in the Cloud ................ 202

  Gmail .............. 202

  Outlook.com ............ 203

  Yahoo! Mail .................... 203

13  Printing with Google Cloud Print 205

Understanding Google Cloud Print ............ 206

Connecting a Printer to Google Cloud Print ........ 208

  Connect a Cloud Print-Ready Printer ............... 208

  Connect a Non-Cloud Print-Ready Printer ....... 208

  Disconnect a Printer from Cloud Print ........ 209

Printing to Google Cloud Print .............. 209

  Print from Your Chromebook .................. 210

Sharing a Printer ................ 210

  Share a Printer ................ 211

  Disable Sharing ............... 211

14  Using Google Chrome Safely and Securely 215

  Cloud Computing and Data Security ....... 215

  Chrome OS and Malware .............. 217

  Protecting Against Phishing .................... 217

Practicing Safe Computing ..................... 219

  Protecting Your Personal Data ................ 219

  Avoiding Cyberstalkers ..................... 221

  Protecting Your Children Online ................. 222

Configuring Chrome’s Privacy and Security Settings ............. 224

  Don’t Save Passwords.................. 224

Don’t Use Autofill ....................... 225

   Configure Privacy Settings ............... 225

  Configure Content Settings ................ 228

  Clear Browsing Data ............... 230

  Restrict Sign-In .................. 231

15  Optimizing Your Chromebook’s Performance 233

Optimizing Battery Life ............. 233

  Use the Right Adapter ............. 233

  Keep It Cool ..................... 234

  Keep a Little Charge .................. 234

  Dim the Screen ................ 234

  Disable Wireless .................... 234

Speeding Up Performance ............. 235

  Don’t Multitask ................ 235

  Disable or Remove Extensions ............... 235

  Enable DNS Prefetching ..................... 236

  Disable Feedback to Google ............. 237

16  Troubleshooting and Recovering from Problems 239

Dealing with a Frozen App or Web Page ............. 239

Resetting Your Chromebook ............. 241

Recovering from Severe Problems ............ 242

Updating Chrome OS .............. 243

A  Google Chrome Keyboard Shortcuts 245

B  Google Chromebook Pixel 251

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