Things You Can Download On A Chromebook

Chrome OS is Based on Linux. Linux is an open source operating system that anyone can. Dec 25, 2019.

The Chromebook often get a bad reputation because misinformed people say, “It’s just a browser” or “you have to always be connected to the Internet.” Those people are wrong. The Chromebook does a lot more than people realize. You don’t have to always connect to the Internet to work on a Chromebook. Anything you can do online with a Windows or Mac computer will work on a Chromebook. A powerful Chromebook runs faster than computers with comparable hardware and they also cost a lot less than most Windows computers. Even the most expensive Chromebook, Google’s Chromebook Pixel, will cost less than the average MacBook.

1. Run Apps Offline on a Chromebook

Head over to the Chrome Web Store and you’ll find a long list of Offline Apps. These apps will run even when the computer’s not connected to the Internet. Here’s a list of the fifteen most useful apps with a brief description and link. All of them run offline and then sync up with the Internet the next time it’s available.

It’s hard to believe that you can read and compose email using Gmail Offline on a Chromebook.

Gmail Offline – syncs mail in the background so that when the user opens it, she can read new messages and compose replies or new messages which get saved until a connection becomes available.
Kindle Cloud Reader – read Kindle books offline after downloading them from the Internet.
Wunderlist for Chrome – manage lists from the popular task list and project planning service offline in Chrome.
Gliffy Diagrams – create charts and organizational diagrams in your browser even when offline.
Beautiful Audio Editor – want to record and edit a podcast, some music or any other audio? This web app will also work offline and handles multi-track audio editing.

Edit audio in this offline audio editor. Beautiful Audio Editor handles multi-track editor for complex audio files.

Polarr Photo Editor 2 – while I prefer Pixlr Editor for editing photos on a Chromebook, Polarr offers an offline mode. Install it for those times when you can’t get online and need to edit images.
Play an RPG Game – the Chrome Web Store collected some from role-playing games that work offline, so hit the link and find one you can play.
Sunrise Calendar – the Google Calendar does an adequate job of keeping your appointments organized, but Sunrise does it better and works offline without any settings editing.
Pocket – collect web articles and sync them with Pocket’s offline version to read later on a Chromebook when not connected to the Internet.
Chrome Dev Editor – developers may need to do some development of their apps while offline, so this app makes it possible.

Do some programming on a Chromebook online or offline with Chrome Dev Editor.

StackEdit – a popular and highly rated markdown editor. It’s great for creating documents or even publishing documentation for app devs. Syncs with GitHub and Google Drive or publishes to WordPress, Blogger and Tumblr.
Webcam Toy – have fun with your Chromebook’s webcam. Us one of the 80 free effects and then post them to social media.
Flat – An online music score and guitar tabs editor that also works offline on ChromeOS.
Writebox – a great distraction free writing environment. It uploads to Dropbox and Google Drive. Auto save locally while offline. Write in full-screen mode to totally remove all distraction while on your Chromebook.
Basket & Ball – a fun “basketball” game that works offline. The arcade style game controls a basketball with a mind of its own. The game’s fun (see below).

2. Use ChromeOS Launcher as a Calculator

Google updated the ChromeOS Launcher which now has some neat tricks built into it. Click on the search icon in the lower left corner of the ChromeOS screen.

If you need to get a quick calculation, launch the new ChromeOS launcher. Type in the problem and add an equal sign at the end and it will offer the solution plus other cool calculations. For example, see the above screenshot. It not only tells me that 8×9=72 but it also adds that 7+2=9.

Don’t tell your kids because they’ll start letting Google do their math homework as it works with simple and complex equations.

This also works with calculating some unit conversions, like inches to centimeters or ounces to grams. Type the number and unit identifier. For example “8 ounces in grams.” Just remember: put the resulting unit identifier last.

3. Make Skype Calls

Check out web.skype.com and see that Chromebook users can now log into their Skype account and chat over the Internet using the Skype service. They can also use the web interface to make video or audio calls.

It’s not perfect and sometimes seems to freeze doing nothing, but it’s also a beta. As it improves, expect it to become more stable and useful.

4. Get Google Cards form ChromeOS Launcher

The ChromeOS Launcher now shows Google Now Cards at the bottom of the launcher box.

At the bottom of the ChromeOS Launcher there’s a black box with an arrow pointing right. This shows Google Now Cards with a suggested search based on your search history. Scroll down on smaller screened devices and the cards will expand. Click the reload button to refresh the content and update it. Click on the More button, if it shows up, to see more Google Now Cards.

5. Launch Apps by Typing

Like Windows and OS X, Chromebook users can launch apps just by clicking on the Launcher icon (the search button in the lower left) and type the app’s name. Launch the WeVideo video editor app or Pixlr Editor photo editing app by typing the name.

6. Use OK Google to Search for Information

Google added its powerful voice activation to the launcher and Chrome browser. To turn it on, open Settings. Either Open Chrome and click on the Settings icon in the upper right corner and choose Settings from the drop down list or click in the bottom right corner near the time. Find the Search section of settings and click on Enable “Ok Google” to start a voice search. Click on the Learn morelink to learn how it works.

Here’s a list of search examples that Google offers in the Learn more link above:

Find a movie: “What movies are playing tonight?” or “Where’s Hunger Games playing?”

Find nearby places: “Where’s the closest coffee shop?”

Find the time: “What time is it in London?”

Answer trivia questions: “Where was Albert Einstein born?” or “How old is Beyonce?”

Calculate the tip: “What’s the tip for 42 dollars?”

Translate words or phrases: “How do you say cucumber in Spanish?”

Define a word: “What does gluttony mean?”

Convert between units: “What’s 16 ounces in pounds?”

Solve a math problem: “What’s the square root of 2209?”

Book a table: “Book a table for 2 at Cascal on Wednesday night.”

It seems that it won’t launch apps like it does on Android, but you can do a lot of cool things.

7. Learn Powerful Keyboard Shortcuts

Speed up your work by learning these powerful keyboard shortcuts in ChromeOS.

Snap windows to the left or right side of the screen – ALT+[ for left side and ALT+] for right side. Hit it again to return the window to its earlier shape and place.
Add WWW and .com to web addresses – click in the Google Chrome Omnibar and type the name of the site, like Notebooks.com and then hit CTR+ENTER and it adds www before Notebooks and .com after.
Past unformatted text anywhere – if you’ve copied some formatted text in a Google Doc or web page and want to paste it somewhere else without the bold or italics or any other formatting, use CTRL+ALT+V.
Select text a word at a time – lets say you only want to select part of a sentence. Place the cursor either before or after the text and the use the ALT+SHIFT+ARROW to select either back or forward a word at a time.
Select text a line at a time – select a whole line by placing the cursor at the beginning or end of a line and use CTR+SHIFT+ARROW using the left arrow to select towards the beginning of the line and right arrow to select to the end of the line.
Jump a word at a time – using the above method, don’t press the shift key if you just want to jump to the next word or previous word (ALT+ARROW).
Jump to beginning or end of a line – to skip to the beginning of a line or the end of the line use the CTRL+ARROW with the right arrow moving the end and the left arrow moving to the beginning of the current line.
Open Notification Area – to open the notification area (see screenshot below) use CTRL+ALT+N to see recent notifications. This does nothing if there’s no notification active in the area.
Force a reboot – use the power button plus the refresh button and this will restart the computer, even if it’s frozen. The power button sits above the backspace key on the top right and the refresh button sits above the number 4 key.

8. Edit Photos and Video

We already mentioned Polarr Photo Editor 2 above under the offline apps, but a number of other tools will edit photos on a Chromebook. Please see our guide for How to Edit Photos on a Chromebook for more details.

Pixlr Editor handles most things Photoshop does and it works inside any browser.

In addition to a guide for editing photos on a Chromebook, we also published How to Edit Video on a Chromebook. It’s not as easy as editing photos. To get a nice video editing tool, video editors will need to pay for a service like WeVideo.

9. Run Select Android Apps

A year ago Google announced they’d make Android apps available for use on ChromeOS. A year later and the hope of running most Android apps on ChromeOS seems like a pipe dream, however Chromebook users can install some. Here are a few of the most popular.

What Chromebooks Can't Do

Evernote – information notebook service
Vine – video-based social network
Duolingo – language learning
Overdrive – an e-book borrowing service
Cloud Magic – email client

Let’s hope we see more Android apps ported to ChromeOS after Google’s announcement that they’ll make it easier to port Android apps over to ChromeOS using the App Runtime for Chrome.

10. Draw a Masterpiece on a Touchscreen Chromebook

A lot of Chromebooks today come with a touchscreen like the Lenovo N20p Chromebook we reviewed recently that comes with a touchscreen that folds into tablet mode. Add to that the new ASUS Chromebook Flip coming soon for $250 with a similar touchscreen convertible design.

Sketchpad 3.5 turns a Chromebook into a powerful drawing tool.

A great drawing app like Sketchpad 3.5 turns one of these touchscreen Chromebooks into a powerful art took.

At CES 2017 Samsung unveiled their long-awaited Samsung Chromebook Plus and Samsung Chromebook Pro. Both…
The Chromebooks available today will handle most of the work and entertainment the average user…
If you're looking for a cheap laptop, it's hard to miss the wave of inexpensive Chromebooks. But…

The need for a traditional computer is no longer dire. Phones and tablets are often more than sufficient for casual users. But even those who require more than a mobile device have alternatives to expensive Windows and macOS laptops, though. Chrome OS computers will provide bigger screens and a proper keyboard, while also keeping the experience portable and light. But what is a Chromebook exactly, and how does it differ from a traditional PC?

See also:The best Chromebooks you can buy right now

What is a Chromebook?

What Games Can You Download On A Chromebook

You may be used to choosing between Apple’s macOS and Windows when shopping for a new computer, but Chromebooks have offered a third option since 2011. What is a Chromebook, though? These computers don’t run Windows or Mac operating systems, instead, they use Chrome OS.

Can You Play Games On A Chromebook

What is Chrome OS? In the most basic sense, it’s an operating system based to the Chrome browser you probably already know and love. That means anything you could do in Chrome on Windows or Mac, you can do in Chrome OS.

Chrome OS used to be a glorified browser, but things have changed in recent years. Chromebooks can now run Android apps, and some even support Linux applications. This makes Chrome OS laptops helpful for doing more than simply browsing the web. You won’t get the full desktop portfolio Windows and macOS rock, but there are millions of Android apps and a good portfolio of full Linux desktop apps at your disposal.

Here:Check if your Chrome OS laptop can run Android and Linux apps

Chromebook downsides

Still a bit confused? Basically, Chrome OS is awesome unless you are using them for certain types of tasks. Here are some very specific situations where they aren’t the best option:

Chromebooks aren’t great for gaming. Sure, Chromebooks have Android app support, so mobile gaming is an option. There are also browser games. But if you are looking to play high profile PC games, you should look elsewhere. Unless you can live with cloud gaming from services like Stadia and GeForce Now.
These computers aren’t a great option for ‘creative’ professionals. Unless you’re a writer, then they work wonderfully. Google Drive is baked in, and there are even ways to get Microsoft Office and Skype working. Unfortunately, they aren’t really powerful enough for 3D editing. Photographers could live off the Lightroom Android app and other mobile editing options, and there are some ways to edit video, but most options require significant sacrifices, and pretty fast internet.
Chromebooks aren’t powerhouses… though there are exceptions. Many of these laptops are under $300, with options as low as sub-$200 cropping up. That means a Chromebook typically can’t handle 500 browser tabs and other intensive tasks. Of course, more powerful options exist. If you really want Chrome OS and the power to run Linux apps, Android apps, and more, there are options like the Google Pixelbook and Samsung Galaxy Chromebook.

So, should I buy a Chrome OS computer?

If most of your PC activity is stuff like Facebook, YouTube, Netflix, and other online tasks — get a Chromebook! You’ll find it is up to the job and a lot cheaper than Windows, Mac, and Linux options. Additionally, if most of your favorite apps and games are on Google Play, you’ll find that modern Chromebooks rock.

Those with higher-end needs will need to really pay up to get a superior Chromebook, but those cost about $1,000 or more. At that price point, there are many other options to consider. Many of which can handle some serious software. Check out the link below for some great options.

Alternatives:These are the best laptops you can buy right now

Get A Free Chromebook

What are my buying options?

Still want a Chromebook? Just like Windows PCs, Chromebooks come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and form factors. There are larger-screened devices and some that are barely 10-inches in display size.

Here are a few extra buyer guides that will help you find the right laptop for your needs. Also, be sure to check out our guide for the best Chromebook covers and cases.

Looking for a discount? We regularly look around for new Chromebook deals and gather them up into a Chromebook deal guide.

What Can I Do With A Chromebook

Other resources

Now you know what a Chromebook is, what it can and can’t do, and what buying options are out there. Once you buy your first Chromebook, you’ll likely have plenty of questions. Don’t worry, we’re here to help. Here are some resources to make life easier:

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