There are more than 200 offline Chrome apps that can work without Internet connectivity, including Gmail, Pocket and Google Drive, and tons of the Android apps will also work offline. How are Chromebooks for offline use?Ĭhromebooks are designed to rely heavily on the Internet, which means that many apps simply won't work if you're out of Wi-Fi range. The Pixelbook was the first that will get this option, and others followed. Chromebooks will support Linux programs right out of the box, satisfying demand from some of the more tech-savvy Chromebook owners. If you're familiar with Linux's applications, you've got some options. But those with existing files are out of luck - there is no Chromebook app that can edit Adobe's. On the other hand, there are a handful of photo editors available for Chrome OS, including Pixlr (free) and Photopea, which look a lot like Photoshop but without the advanced tools.
Fortunately, Google Drive allows you to save documents to Microsoft formats, so you'll still be able to share files with non-Chromebook users through Microsoft Word or other programs. There are often formatting issues when importing third-party documents into Drive. It may be best to stick with the Office Android apps or Office Online if you're bringing a lot of files over to your Chromebook. Check out our guide to the best Chromebook games for specific gaming app recommendations. Also, not all apps are optimized for a larger screen (they were built for mobile-first), so you might encounter some scaling issues. This gives Chromebooks access to more games, productivity options and other apps to make these machines more versatile, though the apps seemingly run via an emulator with mixed results. And if you need help using incognito windows, we have a guide for that too.Īndroid apps are available on all new Chromebooks. Chromebooks will be easy to set up if you already use those apps. This deep integration can be either positive or negative, depending on how you use a PC. These machines were primarily optimized for Google apps, such as Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Drive, however, every modern Chromebook now has access to the Play Store. Although you can log in to Chrome OS as a guest, we recommend you sign in to the system with a Google account to have the best experience.
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We've put our collective knowledge together to look at pricing, features, and comparisons with other laptops, including MacBooks and top Windows 10 laptops, to see if a Chromebook is best for you.Ĭhromebooks run Chrome OS, Google's operating system, so they heavily feature Google's suite of applications (Chrome, Google Docs, Google Sheets, etc) and need a working Internet connection to get the most out of them. Chrome OS guide when the back-to-school season comes around.īelow is a comprehensive guide for anyone who is considering buying a Chromebook. Students should also check out our Windows 10 vs. If you're considering buying one for your kid, our Chromebook drop test gives us a sense of which Chrome OS laptop is the most durable. Who makes the toughest Chromebook? We dropped 11 models to find out.In fact, the demand for these Chrome OS laptops spiked over the past two years that Chromebooks outsold MacBooks in 2020 (according to the IDC via Geekwire). Over time, however, the appeal for Chromebooks has widened, and the best Chromebooks are some of the best laptops overall today. Originally seen as a platform built around Google's cloud apps (Chrome, Gmail, etc), Chrome OS has done well in the education market.