Chromebooks in easy steps: Ideal for Seniors

by Philip King

Overview

Chromebooks in easy steps illustrates all the clever features of this versatile, budget-friendly alternative to a Windows laptop or MacBook. Covering all Chromebook models, it:

Demystifies what a Chromebook is and how it differs from other types of laptops and tablets.

Shows how to get your Chromebook up and running in no time.

Guides you through the Chrome web browser, Gmail and other key apps such as Docs, Sheets, and Slides.

Reveals how to make video calls using a variety of services, to stay in touch with friends and family.

Shows how to connect your Chromebook to external devices including printers.

Demonstrates how to upload and organise your photos, videos, and documents in the Cloud.

Covers how to make documents available offline when you don’t have an internet connection.

Guides you through how to watch TV and movies, and how to download and use Android apps and games.

Provides guidance on maintenance and troubleshooting.

Ideal for anyone new to the Chromebook, including Senior readers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781840789584
Publisher:	In Easy Steps Limited
Publication date:	04/26/2022
Series:	In Easy Steps
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	495,204
Product dimensions:	7.30(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Phil King is a journalist who specialises in writing about technology. He began his career at CRASH magazine in 1988 and has since edited several video games magazines, including PowerStation and N•Revolution. He has worked as the books editor for Raspberry Pi has written for The MagPi, HackSpace, MacFormat, MUO, Gadget, Linux User, Android Magazine, and many more.

Table of Contents

1 Introducing Chromebooks 7

What is a Chromebook? 8

Choosing a Chromebook 10

About Chrome OS 12

2 Getting Up and Running 15

A tour of the Chromebook 16

Connecting to the internet 18

Signing in to an account 19

Creating a new Google account 20

Using Chromebook as a guest 21

Adding extra users 22

3 Navigating the Chrome OS Desktop 23

Around the desktop 24

About the Shelf 26

Accessing the Status Area 27

Using the Launcher 28

Managing apps 29

Changing the wallpaper 30

4 Keyboard and Touchpad 31

Around the keyboard 32

Useful keyboard shortcuts 34

Special characters 38

Caps Lock and function keys 40

Using the touchpad 41

Touchpad gestures 42

5 Using the Chrome Browser 43

Tour of the browser 44

The Omnibox 46

Working with tabs 50

Using bookmarks 53

Reading list 56

Managing browsing history 57

Incognito mode 59

Making use of Autofill 60

Using multiple windows 63

Resizing windows 64

Choosing a new theme 65

Changing the search engine 68

6 Communicating with Gmail 69

About Gmail 70

Viewing messages 72

Writing and sending emails 73

Replying to or forwarding an email 76

Creating signatures 78

Adding and editing contacts 80

Organizing your inbox with labels 81

Searching for emails 83

Using filters 84

Adding a task 85

Archiving and muting messages 86

Dealing with spam 87

Snoozing an email 88

Accessing Gmail offline 89

Instant chat 90

7 Google Drive 91

What is Google Drive? 92

Navigating files on Drive 94

Creating and managing folders 96

Using shortcuts 98

Sharing folders and files 99

Transferring file ownership 102

Seeing files shared with you 103

Uploading files to Drive 105

How Google storage works 107

Freeing up space 108

Using Microsoft Office files 109

Accessing files offline 110

Downloading files 112

8 Office and Productivity 113

Google Workspace apps 114

Using Google Docs 116

Using spreadsheets in Sheets 120

Creating Slides presentations 124

Viewing PDFs 128

Scheduling with Calendar 130

Managing contacts 134

9 Media and Entertainment 135

Uploading and organizing photos 136

Watching Google TV 140

Netflix streaming 142

Viewing YouTube videos 143

Listening to music 144

Playing games 146

E-books and audiobooks 148

10 Adding and Managing Apps 149

Progressive web apps 150

Chrome Web Store 151

Using the Play Store 152

Managing apps 154

Using Android apps 156

Google Play Pass 157

Play Games app 158

11 Video Calling 159

Start using Google Meet 160

Meeting controls 162

Viewing options 164

Messaging and sharing files 165

Sharing your screen 166

Host options and shortcuts 167

Video calling with Skype 168

Starting a Zoom meeting 169

Microsoft Teams calls 170

12 Casting and Connecting 171

Casting your screen 172

Using an external display 174

Setting up Phone Hub 176

Connecting devices 178

13 Maintenance and Troubleshooting 179

Updating Chrome OS 180

Adjusting system settings 181

Accessibility features 182

Freeing up storage space 183

Prolonging battery life 184

Cleaning your Chromebook 185

Troubleshooting issues 186

Index 187