Customizing ChromeBook and ChromeOS

The following guide suggests ways to customize your ChromeBook and use ChromeOS more efficiently. There are many different ways to add favorite apps and to use Chromebook keyboard shortcuts. This will allow power users to take advantage of more Chromebook features. This is the great thing about Google products, endless customization on your Chromebook so you can achieve more out of it!

Customize your Chromebook

Manage the Apps that are in the Launcher –

You can adjust the display of the following features to suit your needs:

  • Apps in your launcher and those pinned to the shelf.
  • Items on the browser toolbar, such as the bookmarks bar and Home button.
  • The shelf and status area at the bottom of your screen.
Manage the Apps that are pinned to the Shelf – If you want to focus on the webpage you’re viewing, you can hide the shelf and the status area at the bottom of the screen. Just right-click the shelf (or click with two fingers) and select an option.
Hide the Bookmarks Bar – To get to your bookmarks when the bookmarks bar is hidden, open a new tab and you’ll see the bookmarks bar at the top of the page. You can also click the Chrome menu and use the Bookmarks menu.
Turn on the Home button within the Chrome Browser – You can also have your homepage open automatically whenever you sign in by setting it as a startup page. Go to the “On startup” section on the Settings page to set up your startup pages.
Change your background wallpaper and browser theme – You can customize the desktop wallpaper for your Chromebook and theme for your Chrome browser. To change your wallpaper or browser theme, follow these steps.
Change the options to hide or show the Launcher and Status Area – To help you see more of your webpage, the launcher and the status area at the bottom of the screen are hidden automatically if the browser window is maximized. Right-click this area to see more display options
Customize the sync settings – When you sign in on a Chromebook, changes you make to your browser settings (as well as any apps, bookmarks, extensions, and other preferences) are automatically saved in your Google Account using Chrome’s sync ability. To choose what information should be synced to your account or adjust how your data is encrypted, go to the Settings page on your Chromebook. The Google Dashboard gives you full control over your information, should you ever want to remove synced information from your account.
Change the pointer and touchpad settings – You can set how fast or slow your mouse pointer moves and how your touchpad works.
Adjust special keys and Caps lock – Chromebooks come with a special search key to help you quickly search the web. But if you miss your ability to type capital letters, you can make the search key work like the Caps Lock key. Similarly, you can also adjust the way the Ctrl and Alt keys work on the Settings page.
Change your default startup and homepage -Your startup page is the page that appears when you first launch Chrome. Your homepage is the page you go to when you click the Home button. The two pages are not the same unless you set them to be the same.