Lenovo Chromebook User Guide

[Jomega Gibson]

WhenGoogle first introduced Chromebooks in 2011, it seemed like a ridiculous idea. A laptop that can only run a browser? Who wants that? But over time, web apps slowly became more powerful and capable, while Google steadily improved the Chrome OS experience. Then, Google went even further and added the ability to run Android apps, and still further with Linux desktop apps.

All of this means the Chromebooks of 2019 and 2020 are nothing like that original experience. Today, Chrome OS feels like a modern operating system that offers a first-class web browser, the flexibility of mobile apps, and a desktop experience in one box. It can satisfy the needs of almost every user, with the notable exception of those who need video or advanced image editing.

To begin, tap the key, and a Google Assistant box pops up at the bottom of the screen with some of your recently used apps. Click the upward-facing arrow above the search box to get a view of everything you have available.

Next to that are a clock, Wi-Fi status, and a battery life indicator. Click this area, and a panel appears with basic system settings, including Wi-Fi, VPN, Bluetooth, Night Light, volume, screen brightness, a shutdown button, and more

To set this up, click the clock in the lower right corner of your desktop and select Settings. Next, in the left rail select Connected devices, then in the main window click Set up in the Android phone section.

A new window will pop-up displaying your phone by brand or nickname. If you recently switched phones it may take a few days for your Chromebook to recognize the new phone. If everything is set click Accept & continue, then enter your password and click Done. Finally, back in the Settings window, confirm that the slider next to your phone is enabled. If not, activate the slider and enter your password to confirm.

To switch between tabs, swipe left or right with three fingers. You can also tap the touchpad with three fingers to open a link in a new tab. Finally, to view all open windows on your desktop, swipe down with three fingers.

You can also add a browser theme to change the color scheme of Chrome on your laptop. To do this go to Settings > Appearance > Browser themes, and click the link icon (that square with an arrow) that will take you to the themes section in the Chrome Web Store.

Third-party apps in the Chrome Web Store that work offline will advertise the feature. Native Chromebook apps like Docs, Calendar, and Gmail need a little tweaking, and the way to enable offline mode varies from app to app.

To enable offline productivity in Google Drive you need to specify the files you want offline. Open Google Drive in your Chromebook, select the three dot icon, and from the drop down menu activate Available offline.

Those are the ten things (plus one) we advise new Chromebook owners to take care of to get the best experience on their laptop. If you ever run into a problem or need to know how to do something, open the built-in Get Help app. This is a basic guide that can give you tips on using your Chromebook.

Note: Sadly, many newer chromebooks require the ability to tiddle around with the firmware to disable the write protected mode that is factory set. The original mindset of manufacturers was to allow a simple hardware switch which was either a physical two position switch inside the case away from prying fingers or the removal of a physical write protect screw from a special point inside the case. If you know how this is done on some of the newer models contact me and lets discuss modifying this guide to be more complete for the newer models of chromebooks now coming out.

Note2: Update, are you someone who can read a lot of plain English technical instructions and are not afraid of a command line user interface? If that describes you accurately, there is a new way to enjoy a linux on chromebook experience for the newer generations of chromebooks mentioned in the first note above. It is called "breath". If you are not being truthful with yourself answering the question above please stop now! Otherwise you will just set yourself up for frustration while continuing to add to the hordes of linux opponents and naysayers that already fill the web with disinformation. There are some hardware requirements for generating the install media and a growing list of supported newer chromebooks. Oh, and it is thoughtfully hosted on github too! Thanks to Cameron for providing the link! I am going to try this now! I intend to post results here later based on my experience. Here is the link: breath

Did you read "Note2" in the above introduction? If not and if your device is supported by "breath" that may be a viable approach. It is a fairly complicated process that I have not tried so beware if it is out of your comfort zone.

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