If you’re the owner of a new Chromebook, congrats! I’ve had a Chromebook for over a year and I love it.
It’s my go-to device for conferences and when I’m traveling.
Using my Chromebook is so much easier and convenient than lugging around my laptop.
I have to admit, it took me a while to figure out the keyboard and touchpad. You may find the options will initially confuse you, too.
- How do you download an image?
- What are the shortcut keys to take a screenshot?
- Where’s the option to toggle CAPS?
The keyboard was a bit confusing, since at first glance, the Chromebook keyboard looked very much like the Windows keyboard.
It’s similar, but you’ll notice some missing keys as well as several new keys.
You’ll see the familiar CTRL and ALT keys.
The Windows F1-F12 keys found at the top row of the keyboard are replaced with shortcut keys that modify screen brightness, sound, and can open all your open windows at one time.
And the touchpad is how you’ll navigate the screen.
Once you learn the basics, you’ll be able to move around the Chromebook and within applications with ease.
For users looking for information about the accessibility of Chromebook and its ChromeVox screenreader, the American Federation for the Blind has a good overview of the features and functionality.
Ready to get started?
Here are a few tips that will get you moving toward becoming a Chromebook pro user in no time.
Basics
You’ll use the touchpad to position the pointer and select items on the screen.
- Move the pointer: move one finger over the touchpad
- Click: Click on the bottom of the touchpad
- Right-click: Tap the touchpad with two fingers
- Scroll: With two fingers on the touchpad, move the fingers up and down to move vertically, left and right to move horizontally.
Shortcut Keys
- Key 1: Esc key
- Key 2: Go to previous page in your browser history
- Key 3: Go forward to next page in your browser history
- Key 4: Refresh your current page
- Key 5: Open page in full-screen mode
- Key 6: Switcher, allows you to switch to your next window
- Key 7: Dim screen brightness
- Key 8: Increase screen brightness
- Key 9: Mute sound
- Key 10: Decrease sound volume
- Key 11: Increase sound volume
- Key 12: Power switch
Working on Your Chromebook
- Open Chrome Browser Menu: Select ALT + E
- Open Task Manager: Select SHIFT + Esc
- Lock Your Screen: If you want to secure your screen, select CTRL + Shift + L
- Download an Image from a Web Page
Place the cursor over the image, and tap the touchpad with two fingers to bring up the contextual menu. Select the “Save As” option. - Take a Screenshot
For a screenshot of the entire screen, select the CTRL + Switcher key. The screenshot will be saved as a .png to Chromebook’s local storage in the Files application.
If you only want a portion of the screen, select CTRL + SHIFT + Switcher Key. You’ll be able to select the portion of the screen. - Toggle Caps On/Off: There’s no dedicated key for toggling capital letters on/off, but you can use the shortcut ALT + 🔍
- Download a Linked Resource (PDF, MP3, Word document, etc.)
With the resource link selected, tap the touchpad with two fingers to bring up the contextual menu. Select the “Save As” option.
Hope you find these tips helpful. Do you have any other Chromebook tips to share?
