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Office Online lets you work on files right from Chrome. Microsoft’s Office Online will be familiar to longtime Windows users. Google Docs is the obvious choice for working with documents on a Chromebook, but it isn’t the only one. Then install Chrome Remote Desktop on both your Chromebook and the other computer. On the computer you want to connect to remotely, install Chrome. Google’s own Chrome Remote Desktop app offers an easy way to set up remote desktop access on your own PC. Citrix’s Receiver for HTML5 permits you to connect to Citrix on a Chromebook, but the staff at your organization must first set up the Receiver software on their end.Ĭhrome Remote Desktop lets you share your machine or connect to another that has the app installed. Ericom Software’s AccessNow lets you access Windows remote desktops over RDP, while RealVNC’s VNC Viewer for Google Chrome allows you to connect to Windows, Mac, or Linux systems running a VNC server. The Chrome Web Store offers apps for accessing remote desktops. That means you might need to get into your main machine from time to time. To do so, open Chrome on that computer, click the menu button, select Settings, click Show advanced settings, and click Sign in to Google Cloud Print under Google Cloud Print.įor many a Chromebook is an ideal second computer. For all other printers, you’ll need to connect it to a Windows or Mac computer running Chrome and configure it to accept print orders sent via Google Cloud Print. Google Cloud Print lets you connect and print, even if you’re not on the same Wi-Fi network as your printer.Ī Chromebook cannot directly connect to a printer that isn’t Cloud Print–enabled, alas. If your boss gave you a Chromebook, your organization may have already set up a managed printer, which will appear in the Print dialog box. If you have a Google Cloud Print–enabled printer, you can print over the network after setting up Google Cloud Print on your Chromebook. Printing is possible with a Chromebook-but you can’t make it happen by connecting a printer to your Chromebook, even if it’s a USB printer. The paperless office isn’t a reality quite yet. Here’s another handy trick: To access a webpage while offline, you can use the Print option in Chrome’s menu, select Save as PDF, and save the page to your Chromebook’s local storage. While you’re offline, you can open PDFs, Microsoft Office documents, images, videos, and even music files using the Files app, which functions in a similar way to Windows’ File Explorer. Chromebooks also support flash drives and SD Cards. Sync your Drive files offline so you’re always ready to work.Ĭhromebooks tend to offer scant storage space, but the typical 16 or 32GB is enough for saving Drive files for offline use. png file to your Chromebook’s local storage-you’ll find it in the Files app. You’ll see a confirmation dialog box, and the screenshot will save as a. Taking screenshots is easy: Press Ctrl-Switch Window (on some models, this may be an icon that looks like a rectangle with two vertical bars on one side).
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Even better, pressing Ctrl-Alt-? brings up an interactive diagram showing all the keyboard shortcuts available. Your Chromebook supports all the standard Windows shortcuts and offers Chrome-specific ones as well. Keyboard shortcuts are crucial for productivity on a Chromebook, as they are on any other laptop. If you miss the Caps Lock button, you can assign it to the search key and make other adjustments.Ĭustomize the function that specific keys perform. Under Keyboard Settings, you can change the functionality of specific keys. Nearby Bluetooth devices will appear in the panel click their entries to pair them with your Chromebook.
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Chromebooks also support USB and Bluetooth mice, though you’ll need to click the system tray area at the bottom-right corner of the screen and ensure that Bluetooth is enabled for the latter.
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