Chromebook for Dummies

Get the most out of your Google Chromebook

Chromebook For Dummies walks you through setting up your Chromebook, transitioning from traditional computers, customizing a Chromebook to fit your needs, navigating the many apps and their uses, and applying advanced settings and features.

This book documents the features of all Chromebooks, approaching them from the point of view of a smart person who is intimidated by the technology.

• Offers extensive and practical information
• Covers all portable computers powered by Chrome OS
• Helps make it easy to drive these fast, user-friendly devices
• Includes coverage of the latest features in the Chrome operating system 

You’ll end up keeping this book close at hand, referring to it often as you explore the features of your Chromebook.

Peter H. Gregory is a cybersecurity leader and executive advisor at a global security advisory firm. He is also a cybersecurity advisor and adjunct instructor for the University of Washington and the University of South Florida, and is the author of over 40 books. Mark LaFay is a graduate of the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology. His professional career, however, didn't start in engineering and technology. He started two successful businesses in the music industry before co-founding two tech start-ups.

 Introduction 1

About This Book 2

Foolish Assumptions 3

Icons Used in This Book 3

Beyond the Book 4

Where to Go from Here 4

Part 1: Getting Started with Chromebook 5

Chapter 1: Choosing and Setting Up Your Chromebook 7

Checking Under the Hood of the Chromebook 8

The software 9

The hardware 9

Choosing a Chromebook 10

Setting Up Your Chromebook 10

Turning on your device 11

Selecting a language 11

Connecting to the Internet 12

Agreeing to the Terms of Service 13

Logging In for the First Time 13

Logging in using an existing Google Account 13

Creating a new Google Account 14

Using Chromebook as a guest 14

Transitioning to a Chromebook from Mac, Linux, or Windows 15

Where to Go Next 16

Chapter 2: Working with the Chromebook Desktop 17

Accessing the Chromebook Shelf 18

Using the Launcher: Chromebook’s Start Button 20

Navigating the Launcher 20

Organizing Launcher Icons 21

Setting Up App Shortcuts 21

Pinning app shortcuts to your shelf 21

Removing app shortcuts from your shelf 23

Getting the Scoop in the Status Area 23

Taking Charge of Window Controls 25

Multitasking with Multiple Windows 26

Setting Up a Printer 28

Direct connect printing 28

Wi-Fi printing 29

Cloud printing 30

Chapter 3: Surveying the Chrome Browser 37

Navigating the Chrome Browser 38

Sizing the Chrome window 38

Working with tabs 39

Using the Omnibox and the navigation buttons 40

Saving your place with the bookmark bar 40

Customizing and Controlling Chrome 42

Managing bookmarks 44

Managing your history and downloads 45

Erasing your browsing history 47

Going incognito 48

Changing Search Engine Providers 50

Using Other Browsers 51

Chapter 4: Getting Your Hands on the Keyboard and Touchpad 53

The Chromebook Keyboard at a Glance 54

Using Shortcut Key Combinations 56

Configuring Keyboard Settings 61

Reconfiguring keyboard keys 62

Turning shortcut keys into function keys 63

Changing your keyboard language 65

Using the Touchpad 67

Finger gestures 67

Touchpad and keyboard combinations 68

Customizing Touchpad Settings 68

Changing the touchpad speed 69

Adjusting the touchpad click settings 69

Changing scroll directions 70

Connecting a Mouse or Keyboard 71

Chapter 5: Finding and Exploring Chromebook Apps 73

Exploring Chromebook’s Pre-Installed Apps 74

Storing data in the cloud with Google Drive 74

Word processing with Docs 74

Using spreadsheets with Sheets 75

Making presentations with Slides 75

Taking notes with Keep 75

Organizing and playing music with Google Play Music 76

Communicating with video, voice, and text with Voice and Duo 77

Emailing with Gmail 77

Organizing your schedule with Calendar 78

Remotely accessing with Remote Desktop 78

Reading with Google Play Books 79

Getting directions with Maps 79

Finding More Apps with the Chrome Web Store 80

The Google Play Store 81

Installing apps 82

Managing Installed Apps 83

Updating apps 83

Finding out what apps you have installed 84

Removing apps 84

Chapter 6: Working with Gmail and Google Calendar 85

Gmail for Chromebook 86

Launching Gmail 86

Navigating Gmail 88

Customizing your view 90

Adding a theme 92

Sending Email with Gmail 93

Navigating Gmail email 93

Writing an email 94

Styling text 94

Attaching files to an email 96

Customizing your email view 97

Creating an email signature 97

Reading Email 99

Replying to email 100

Organizing your Inbox 100

Setting up a vacation responder 102

Use Gmail to Access Non-Gmail Accounts 103

Using Gmail Offline 105

Using Google Calendar 106

Customizing your calendar view 108

Creating additional calendars 109

Creating a calendar event 111

Updating and deleting an event 114

Inviting others to your event 115

Sharing Calendars 115

Chapter 7: Finding Your Files 119

Finding Files with the Files App 119

Navigating Files 120

Creating and navigating folders 122

Moving files and folders 123

Searching for files 125

Deleting files and folders 125

Adding and Using External Storage 126

Working with Google Drive 127

Creating a Google Drive account 127

Using Google Drive 128

Uploading files to Google Drive 130

Uploading files to Google Drive from a Mac, PC, or Linux system 131

Using Google Drive with Your Smartphone or Tablet 135

Collaborating with Drive 135

Using Google Drive offline 137

Part 2: Harnessing Business Power with the Chromebook 139

Chapter 8: Writing with Word Processing 141

Navigating Google Docs 142

Surveying the Docs workspace 142

Changing your view 144

Working with Text 146

Moving around your document 146

Copying and pasting text 149

Moving text by cutting and pasting 151

Formatting Text 152

Changing fonts 152

Styling fonts 155

Aligning your text 158

Clearing formatting 159

Saving Documents 160

Naming your document 160

Exporting documents 162

Collaborating in Docs 163

Tracking Document Revisions 165

Using Docs Offline 166

Chapter 9: Summarizing Sheets 169

Navigating Google Sheets 170

Surveying the Sheets menu area 170

Working with the spreadsheet area 172

Customizing your view 174

Working with Data 176

Moving around in a spreadsheet 177

Copying and pasting data 179

Moving data with Cut and Paste 181

Using Autofill to save time 182

Formatting Data 183

Working with fonts 184

Styling your data 186

Changing alignment 189

Wrapping text in a cell 190

Clearing formatting 190

Customizing Your Spreadsheet 191

Adding and deleting rows and columns 192

Resizing columns and rows 193

Hiding columns and rows 194

Merging cells 195

Formatting numbers 195

Grouping cells with colors and borders 197

Making Calculations with Formulas 198

Adding basic mathematical formulas 198

Adding formulas to calculate values in cells 199

Working with spreadsheet functions 201

Saving Documents 202

Naming your document 202

Exporting documents 203

Collaboration with Sheets 205

Tracking Versions of Your Spreadsheet 206

Using Sheets Offline 208

Chapter 10: Preparing Presentations 209

Navigating Google Slides 210

Creating your presentation 210

Surveying the Slides menu area 212

Customizing your view 217

Styling Your Presentation 218

Changing background color or background image 219

Applying a different theme 220

Importing a presentation theme 221

Working with Text 221

Adding and deleting text boxes 222

Resizing, moving, and rotating a text box 224

Copying and pasting text boxes 226

Formatting text 227

Aligning your text 232

Clearing formatting 233

Working with Images 234

Adding images to your presentation 234

Resizing, rotating, and relocating images 236

Cropping images 238

Viewing Presentations in Presentation Mode 240

Presenting on additional displays 242

Using Presenter View 243

Saving Presentations 243

Naming your presentation 244

Exporting your presentation 244

Collaborating in Slides 245

Tracking Revisions 247

Using Slides Offline 248

Chapter 11: Using Other Office Tools 249

Getting Started with Office Online 250

Verifying your Office account 251

OneDrive 252

Outlook Email 254

Outlook Calendar 258

Outlook Contacts 260

Word 262

Excel 264

PowerPoint 265

OneNote 267

Collaborating in OneDrive 269

Skype 269

Checking Out Apple’s iCloud Suite 272

iCloud file storage 272

Pages 273

Numbers 275

Keynote 276

Using Adobe Reader 276

Part 3: The Chromebook Recreational Vehicle 279

Chapter 12: Mustering Your Music 281

Getting Started with Google Play 282

Creating a Standard Account 283

Upgrading to a Premium Account 286

Accessing Music in Google Play 287

Google Play Library 288

Google Play Radio 288

Mini Player 289

Searching for an artist’s station 290

Purchasing music you hear on a radio station 290

Uploading music 292

Creating Playlists 293

Sharing playlists 295

Playing music on external devices 296

Enjoying Streaming Music with Pandora 297

Streaming with Spotify 299

Amping Up Amazon Music 301

Rocking with Apple Music 302

Chapter 13: Having Fun with Photos 305

Navigating the Chromebook Camera 305

Taking a Picture 307

Using the camera timer 307

Viewing Photos Taken with a Smartphone on Your Chromebook 309

Viewing Photos on Your Chromebook 311

Sharing Photos 312

Deleting Photos 313

Deleting photos stored locally on a Chromebook 313

Deleting photos from Google Photos 314

Transferring Photos from a Digital Camera to Your Chromebook 315

Viewing and Editing Photos 316

Chapter 14: Playing Video on the Chromebook 319

Creating a Video with Your Chromebook 320

Watching Video on Chromebook 320

Navigating the Chromebook Video Player 322

Skipping around a video 322

Activating Full Screen mode 323

Adjusting the volume 324

Using Other Video Players on a Chromebook 324

Transferring a Video from an Android Phone to a Chromebook 325

Transferring a Video from a Dashcam or Another Source to a Chromebook 326

Getting Started with Google’s Play Movies 327

Navigating Google Play Movies & TV 327

Purchasing movies and TV shows 328

Playing movies and TV shows 330

Adjusting the volume 331

Casting to a TV 331

Exploring YouTube 332

Navigating YouTube 333

Playing and pausing video 333

Activating Full Screen mode 334

Adjusting the volume 334

Casting to a smart TV 335

Chapter 15: Chatting with Friends and Family 337

Hanging Out with Hangouts 338

Texting with Hangouts 339

Audio calls on Hangouts 339

Video calling on Hangouts 340

Sending photos on Hangouts 341

Making a phone call with Hangouts 341

Sharing your screen with Hangouts 342

Getting Started with Duo 342

Recording a video message with Duo 344

Voice and video chatting with Duo 345

Calling and Texting with Google Voice 347

Setting up Google Voice 347

Sending text messages with Google Voice 348

Making a call with Google Voice 349

Other Google Voice features 349

Communicating with Skype 350

Getting started with Skype 350

Adding Skype contacts 351

Sending text messages with Skype 352

Chatting on Skype video 353

Working with Google Contacts 354

Adding contacts 354

Viewing and editing contacts 354

Chapter 16: Reading Ebooks on the Chromebook 357

Navigating Google Play Books 358

Searching and purchasing books 358

Previewing a book 360

Reading Ebooks with Your Chromebook 361

Reading in Full Screen mode 362

Personalizing your view 363

Using bookmarks 363

Viewing the definition of a word 364

Reading ebooks offline 365

Reading ebooks on the Google Play Books website 366

Using Amazon Kindle on your Chromebook 368

Reading Kindle books 369

Purchasing Kindle books 370

Reading Kindle books offline 370

Part 4: Advanced Chromebook Settings 373

Chapter 17: Customizing Your Chromebook 375

Customizing Your Display Settings 375

Changing your wallpaper 376

Changing your screen resolution 377

Using the Night Light feature 379

Using an external display 380

Customizing Your Shelf 384

Hiding your shelf 384

Changing the position of your shelf 384

Connecting Bluetooth devices to your Chromebook 386

Managing Notifications 388

Configuring Your Touchpad 390

Chapter 18: Securing Your Chromebook 393

Conducting User Management 394

Adding and deleting users 394

Hiding users on the login screen 397

Guest mode 398

Using Google 2-Step Authentication 399

Obtaining ultimate security with Google Advanced Protection 402

Managing and protecting Your passwords 403

Using an online password vault 403

Storing passwords in the Chrome browser 404

Storing passwords in a hard-copy book 406

Keeping hackers at bay with multifactor authentication 406

Locking Your Screen 407

Setting a secure wake–from-Sleep mode 408

Protecting Your Network Traffic with VPN 409

Keeping Your Chromebook Up to Date 410

Protection from Viruses and Other Malware 411

Power Washing 413

Protecting Your Chromebook from Prying Eyes and Thieves 414

Cover your webcam 414

Use a privacy screen filter 415

Preventing the theft of your Chromebook 416

Chapter 19: Troubleshooting and Disaster Preparation 417

Resolving Internet-Connectivity Problems 418

Looking into Browser Issues 420

Resolving Power Problems 423

Finding Help Online 425

Using the Chromebook Recovery Utility 427

Part 5: The Part of Tens 431

Chapter 20: Ten Hardware Features to Consider When Buying a Chromebook 433

Screen 434

Processor 435

Memory 435

Storage Capacity 435

Webcam 436

Internet Connection 436

Battery 437

SD Card Slot 437

HDMI Port 438

USB Ports (Including USB-C) 438

Chapter 21: Ten Handy Chromebook Shortcuts 439

Search from the Launcher 439

Do a Quick Reboot 440

Control Chromebook with the Omnibox 440

Lock Your Screen 441

Launch Apps in the Shelf 441

Do a Barrel Roll 441

View Chrome Browser Tasks 442

See All Your Open Windows 442

Perform Math, Conversions, and Definitions with Search 443

Use A Proxy for the Delete Key 443

Chapter 22: Ten Great Chrome OS Apps 445

Skype 445

WeVideo 446

Lexulous Solitaire 446

Angry Birds 446

Chrome Remote Desktop 447

PicMonkey 447

Sketch The Best 448

Pandora 448

Microsoft Word Online 448

Weatherbug 449

Chapter 23: Ten Chromebook Security Tips 451

Lock Your Chromebook when You’re Away 451

Use Strong, Complex Passwords 452

Use a Web-Based Password Vault 452

Use Multifactor Authentication Everywhere You Can 453

Get a Screen Privacy Filter 453

Block Malicious Websites with an Antimalware Program 454

Update the Security on Your Wi-Fi Access Point 454

Back Up Your Local Data 454

Use a VPN If You Use Public Wi-Fi Routinely 455

Keep Your Chromebook Up to Date 455

Index 457 

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