Tag Archives: Chromebooks

Helping schools prepare for what’s next in education

Today at The Anywhere School, we shared great new ways to use Google Classroom, Google Workspace for Education, Google Meet, and Chrome OS - all focused on helping teachers and school leaders continue to do the amazing work they do.

Classroom is adapting for the future of learning and teaching

Classroom strives to be the simplest, easiest to use learning platform, but we’re continuously making improvements to make it even better. Roster Import will enable admins to set up classes at scale (and save a significant amount of time!) while Classroom add-ons will give educators a simple way to integrate their favorite content and activities. And the new student activity dashboard, the ability to schedule assignments across multiple classes and improvements to the Meet and Classroom integration will make it far easier to engage with students. Learn more in the Classroom blog.

Google Workspace for Education improves collaboration and security

Smart canvas makes Docs, Sheets and Slides more interactive and intelligent. With features like smart chips, checklists, table templates and assisted analysis, smart canvas enables stronger collaboration with anyone, from anywhere. We’re also strengthening the security of all Google Workspace for Education editions with Drive security improvements and additional advanced security for Education Plus and Education Standard customers. Learn more in the Workspace blog.

Google Meet is getting more secure, easy to use and engaging

Google Meet is adding features to continue supporting the evolving needs of school communities. Moderators and admins will have new controls, like the ability to force breakout room participants back into the main meeting and end any meeting from the investigation tool. Meet will also be easier to use now that it supports multiple moderators and the ability to pin multiple presenters at the same time. Video calls will be more engaging and inclusive with public live streaming to YouTube, hand-raising improvements and live translated captions. Learn more in the Meet blog.

Chromebooks get more personalized

As schools transition from shared Chromebook carts to assigned devices, they are also getting much easier to use and manage. Signing in securely is now a breeze with PIN logins. Admins can now easily see when Automatic Update Expiration dates are reached across their fleet with Chrome Insights Reports. And with new built-in accessibility features like Point Scanning mode with Switch Access, and the new panning method for the full-screen magnifier, teachers and students alike can present and access information in a way that works for them. Learn more in the Chromebook blog.

We are constantly humbled by the amazing ways educators use our tools to better collaborate, manage classes, and create safe learning environments. Whether you’re about to wrap up your school year or still have a few months left, we hope that by sharing these updates now, we can help you be better prepared to use these tools in your institution. To get regular product updates, please sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Twitter.

Classroom adapts for the future of learning and teaching

Over the last year, the use of education technology skyrocketed as schools hustled to keep students learning. As some students return to their classrooms and others continue learning from home, we’re optimistic about the role education technology can play to help teachers and school leaders as they make up for lost time. 

We saw Classroom become a center for teaching and learning for millions of teachers and students this year, with many schools now using Classroom as their learning management system (LMS). This was only possible thanks to the support and feedback of teachers around the world. We were amazed by how quickly they learned the tools and put them into practice. 

Change in education is inevitable. As the needs of institutions evolve, Classroom will keep pace. Today, we’re sharing some important updates to features we previously shared on our roadmap as well as some new ones we developed with input from teachers and education leaders: 

Roster import:Starting this summer, U.S. districts with Google Workspace for Education Plus will be able to automatically set up classes and keep rosters in sync with their Student Information System, powered by Clever. IT admins will be able to create and populate classes via Clever, saving teachers valuable prep time. 

Classroom add-ons:Coming to beta later this year for districts with the Teaching and Learning Upgrade or Education Plus, Classroom add-ons allow you to bring your favorite content and activities from top edtech tools right inside Classroom. Admins will be able to pre-install add-ons for multiple teachers or groups at once.

We’re starting with nine partners including Adobe Spark for Education, BookWidgets, CK-12 Foundation, Edpuzzle, IXL, Kahoot!, Nearpod, Newsela and SAFARI Montage, with plans to expand to many more. Here's an example of how Bookwidgets is using add-ons to make it  easier for teachers to assign an activity and students to complete it, without ever leaving Classroom.

Animated gif showing the Bookwidget add-on right inside Classroom.

Scheduling assignments across multiple classes:Coming later this year, this top-requested feature will help teachers and co-teachers easily schedule assignments to multiple classes. 

Animated gif showing scheduling assignments to multiple classes

Offline capabilities: Coming to the Classroom Android app in a few months, offline mode will allow students to start their work offline, review their assignments and attachments as well as  write assignments in Google Docs — all without an internet connection. 

Student engagement activity: Later this year, teachers will easily be able to see when a student was last active, including when they last submitted work or participated in the class through comments with a student engagement activity dashboard.

Animated gif showing the student engagement activity in a class dashboard.

Google Meet in Classroom: In the coming months you’ll see updates to how teachers can use Google Meet in Classroom, making it easier, safer and more secure. First, all co-teachers in a class will also automatically be co-hosts in the meeting, and only students listed in the Classroom roster will be able to join the Meet. Next, students will have to sit in a “waiting room” until a teacher has joined the meeting link. And finally, guests outside the class roster will have to “ask to join” so no unwanted participants get into meetings. 

Educators' feedback makes Classroom better every year. With your feedback and insights, we’ll keep working together to make sure teaching and learning are possible for every teacher and student from every device anywhere in the world.

Chromebooks get new updates for the hybrid classroom

We’ve seen Chromebooks being used in so many ways, from virtual classrooms to entertainment hubs this year. Chromebooks have become the number-one device in K-12 education around the world because they are powerfully simple: opening a world of possibilities for every student and teacher, whether they’re at school, at home or anywhere in between.

We’ve seen a huge transition to schools assigning devices for every individual student, giving them a real sense of ownership over their Chromebooks. As a result, we’re making changes to support schools as they send Chromebooks home. These changes will also help students connect and participate in hybrid classrooms, while creating and sharing their ideas with a wide range of learning tools from podcasting to screencasting.

Easy to use

With Chromebooks, it’s easy to set up the right environment for your school from wherever you are. With over 40 new devices for education in 2021 alone, and Chrome Education Upgrade, admins can enable more than 500 policies in Google Admin Console. And with policies like Zero Touch Enrollment, IT admins can drop ship devices to any location and have the device be ready to go – without ever having physically touch the device. 

Automatic updates for up to eight years on devices keep them safe and secure – and with all of the latest and greatest security updates and new features. But it can be challenging to know when devices are reaching their Automatic Update Expiration date. Last year, we updated the Devices page of Google Admin Console to show when devices reach their AUE -- and now, we’re adding a new page in Admin Console that enables admins to view Chrome Insights Reports. The first report will be a view of AUE dates of the device fleet, which helps you understand when and how many devices have reached, or are going to reach, their AUE dates. These reports will help you prepare for when you should be thinking about purchasing new devices, and how often.

Still image of a report in Google Admin Console for AUE

This August, we’re rolling out PIN logins for education users as part of device set-up. This means that instead of having to remember so many long passwords, and spend time typing them in, students, educators and admins with assigned devices will be able to type in a simple six-digit PIN to log in. When students are logging into a device with an H1 security chip, they will be prompted to set up a PIN, and will be able to log in or unlock their assigned Chromebook using that PIN going forward. Admins will still have the ability to enable this feature for their domains in Google Admin Console.

Gif of a Chromebook with PIN logins

Engaging and inclusive

Chromebooks come with accessibility features built in, including the newest feature, Live Caption. For students who may need an alternate input into their Chromebook, we have Switch Access, which is the ability to use the built-in keyboard or an external device via USB or Bluetooth to control their cursor. Coming in August, we’re introducing Point Scanning, which is a new navigation mode for Switch Access. It allows people to select any point on the screen by first choosing the horizontal location they want to select, and then having them choose the vertical location.

Chromebooks also come with two magnifiers built in: a full-screen magnifier and a docked magnifier. We’ve just added a new panning method to our full-screen magnifier. In addition to the current ability to pan the screen when your mouse hits the edge of the magnified viewport, you can now keep the mouse centered on the screen and have the viewport pan as you move the mouse.

Gif of the panning method on the full screen magnifier on a Chromebook

To help users better understand how to use ChromeVox, one of our two built-in screen readers, we just released new tutorials for ChromeVox, including a quick orientation for new users, which automatically launches when ChromeVox is activated, along with interactive lessons, which ask users to execute commands or press designated keys to continue. There is also a practice area for a small set of lessons, which allows users to practice what they’ve learned in a sandboxed environment. And best of all, the tutorial is also available for touch devices. We can’t wait to see how students and teachers use Chromebooks to create and learn this school year. 

How the Chromebook team uses Nearby Share

Earlier this year we announced that Nearby Share is coming to Chromebooks, so you can quickly and securely share files between your Chromebook and other Chrome OS or Android devices. It’s rolling out today, alongside new additions like wallpapers, app notifications and an easier way to share files for offline use.

Our colleagues on the Chrome OS team have been using Nearby Share for some time now, so we asked them how they use it to share images, transfer files and get things done.

Sharing images and content with family and friends

“My wife and I are avid travelers: the more off the beaten path, the better! At the end of each vacation day, we combine our photos and choose the best to share with friends and family back home, which isn’t always possible when we’re camping or staying somewhere without internet.  With Nearby Share, now we can transfer photos between our devices offline, so we’re always ready to share that special memory.” – Jesse Johnston, product manager

“My pandemic hobby is de-stressing by surfing real estate listings. With Nearby Share I’ll be able to conveniently share screenshots, links and photos of home decor from my Chromebook to my husband’s even when he’s only five feet away from me in our tiny apartment.”– Shiba Sheikh, design lead

“Spring weather has arrived and I’m spending more time outdoors with friends. Since we’re staying socially distant, I’m looking forward to using Nearby Share to show them my dog’s latest trick: jumping through a hoop. I also appreciate that I can choose to keep my contact details hidden, so my information stays private.” – Shea Ritchie, product marketing

Transferring files between Chrome OS and Android devices

“As a software engineer, I often have to troubleshoot an issue on one device using data collected from a different device. So it’s really helpful that Nearby Share works seamlessly across Chromebooks and Android phones.” – Kyle Horimoto, engineer

“Nearby Share recently came in handy when I was helping my kids with a school project on ‘Fascinating Birds.’ On my phone, we found and edited the perfect image of a peregrine falcon. In a few taps I shared the image with a Chromebook, and it became the opening slide of their presentation.” – Vishal Ohri, technical program manager

Helping people get things done more easily

“Like many people, I often switch between my phone and laptop. My favorite part of testing Nearby Share has been the ability to quickly share not just files or MP3s, but also text snippets and URLs, without the effort and hassle of emailing myself. I like to send news articles or shopping links from my phone to my Chromebook so I can read or comparison shop on a larger screen.” – Ryan Hansberry, engineer

“The team was excited when Nearby Share was stable enough to start to use – we actually used Nearby Share as an internal tool to help us finish building Nearby Share! I like that it lets me bypass email’s attachment size limit, so it’s fast and easy to securely send multiple files at once.” – Josh Nohle, engineer

A few more new things on Chromebooks this month...

See which of your apps need your attention with a glance. A small circular badge will appear on an app icon to notify you that the app has active notifications available or something new for you to view. You can turn these badges off by visiting your Quick Settings and clicking “Notifications.” 

Image zooms in on several apps on a Chromebook, then small badges appear in the top right corner of the apps.

App badges make it easy to see if you have a notification.

We’ve added new wallpapers and account images for Chromebooks. Artist Leo Natsume  created these fun, digitally-sculpted designs. The bright, cheerful scenes are great for kids or adults. To check them out, go to Quick Settings, then “Personalization,” or right-click your desktop and select “Set wallpaper,” the “Imaginary.”

  • Wallpaper featuring clay-like creatures playing in a band.

    Check out a few of Leo Natsume’s new wallpapers for Chromebooks.

  • Wallpaper featuring a clay-like designed castle.

    Check out a few of Leo Natsume’s new wallpapers for Chromebooks.

  • Wallpaper featuring clay-like creatures playing basketball.

    Check out a few of Leo Natsume’s new wallpapers for Chromebooks.

  • Wallpaper featuring a clay-like watermelon.

    Check out a few of Leo Natsume’s new wallpapers for Chromebooks.

  • Wallpaper featuring clay-like creatures playing outside.

    Check out a few of Leo Natsume’s new wallpapers for Chromebooks.

  • Wallpaper featuring a robot and its creator.

    Check out a few of Leo Natsume’s new wallpapers for Chromebooks.

Save your Google Docs, Sheets and Slides files for offline access right from your Files app. Once you’ve saved a file, you can open and edit it even if you aren’t connected to the internet. To try it, go to your Files app, select the Drive files you want to save and flip the “Available offline” toggle on. You’ll see a check mark next to saved files, and you can also find them in the dedicated “Offline” folder. This feature will start rolling out later this month.

A user opens Chromebook’s Files app, then selects two flies to be saved for offline use.

Select Google Drive files for offline access, right in Chromebook’s Files app.

We’ll be back soon to share more new Chromebook features.

Innovating and advocating for accessible classrooms

We’re continually working to improve access to inclusive tools, from building two free screen readers into Chromebooks to providing voice typing and live captions with Google Workspace for Education. But as far as we’ve all come in bringing accessible teaching and learning tools into our classrooms, there is always more to do about digital inclusion. 

Today, on Global Accessibility Awareness Day, we at Google want to celebrate the great work that teachers have done to bring acceptance and inclusion into their schools — while we commit ourselves to more innovation with and for people with disabilities in the future.For example, we’re celebrating people like Chang-Dong Ryu, who teaches history at Seohyun Middle School in South Korea. Ryu is blind, and uses Google Classroom’s accessibility features to teach his students deeper lessons about acceptance and ability. “What I can do best is teach my students that value that comes with being ‘different,’” Ryu told us in a video we shared in February. “That way, when my students meet new friends and colleagues with visual impairments, they will accept them into their community as equals.” 

We’re continuing to tell more stories of educators and students with disabilities, and show more representation across our community, as we build with and for people with disabilities.

  • Image of woman and her young son who wears glasses lay on his bed using a Chromebook for schoolwork.

    Rory and Tricia Concepcion, a mother and son with a cognitive disability, have been distance learning this past year using Chromebooks.

  • A woman who is blind or low vision lays on a blanket with her seeing eye dog, using her Android phone to use the TalkBack feature.

    Bobbi Pompey, who has vision loss, lays in a park using TalkBack on Android.

  • Googler Aubrie Lee is sitting at her desk in her wheelchair, gesturing at her Chromebook device as she attends a work meeting.

     Aubrie Lee, Googler and disability rights activist, uses Google Meet on her Chromebook to connect with colleagues.

Building a more inclusive Chrome OS

In keeping with our goal to learn from users of our accessibility tools, and to give people with disabilities an even playing field, we continue to build new tools for accessibility in Google for Education solutions, with and for people with disabilities. Here are a selection of the latest features, all available on your Chromebook today:

Live captioning:Chrome Browser now has a Live Caption feature that automatically provides real-time captions for media with audio. The live captioning works with social media and video sites, podcasts and radio content, personal video libraries (such as Google Photos) and embedded video players. For students with hearing disabilities, the captions help improve accessibility of online content. In a noisy classroom environment, or one where students need to keep volume low on their school devices, the captions are helpful for any students. To turn on Live Caption, go to Chromebook settings, then “Accessibility.”

Mouse panning: Chrome OS now offers centered mouse panning. This means that when students and teachers with vision disabilities are using the full-screen magnifier, they can now move the viewport while keeping the mouse or trackpad close to, or directly on, the center of the screen. This makes it much easier to navigate around the screen, as users don’t need to move the mouse to the edge of the screen to move the zoomed-in area – much better for accessing all learning content.

Activating ChromeVox:For users of ChromeVox, the screen reader that’s built into Chromebooks, the first time they open up a Chromebook, after 20 seconds of inactivity, they’ll hear audio and visual instructions for activating ChromeVox. For students and teachers who need screen readers but haven't yet used ChromeVox, there is a new tutorial available after turning on the screen reader for the first time, and is available in ChromeVox settings.  The instructions are very helpful for getting started without hesitation. 

Image descriptions on Android:For people who use screen readers on Chromebooks, the “get image descriptions” feature provides descriptions of unlabeled images, such as those that don’t have alt text.  This feature will soon be brought to Android devices. When students with vision disabilities are using Chromebooks or Android phones or tablets to access online content, they’ll be able to have a better understanding of the images they come across, similar to their sighted classmates.

Forced colors:For students using the Chrome Browser on Windows who need high contrast in order to read text and see image details, Chrome now supports Windows' OS level high contrast settings. The extension lets people choose filters to adjust color contrast, flip black and white or remove colors altogether. 

Enhanced Select-to-speak:As mentioned in Chromebook's 10th birthday post, new features let students and teachers speed up, slow down and pause the reading voice in real-time, and easily jump to different sections of text. Students with disabilities —or anyone who needs help comprehending a challenging reading assignment — can use these new Select-to-speak features to listen at their own pace. 

To learn more about the accessibility tools built into Chromebooks and Google Workspace for Education, check out edu.google.com/accessibility, share this one pager, watch video tutorials on accessibility features, or learn more on our Help Center.

Helping all your devices work better together

Phones are at the center of our digital lives. When purchasing a phone these days, we’re buying not only a phone, but also an entire ecosystem of devices that are all expected to work together — such as TVs, laptops, cars and wearables like smartwatches or fitness trackers. In North America, the average person now has around eight connected devices, and by 2022, this is predicted to grow to 13 connected devices.


Today, we’re sharing how we’re helping make your Android phone, and all the devices connected to it, work even better together.

Pair your devices in one tap

Fast Pair helps make it easier and faster to connect to Bluetooth devices around you. So far, people have used Fast Pair over 36 million times to connect their Android phones with Bluetooth accessories from Sony, Microsoft, JBL, Philips, Google and many other popular brands.

In the coming months, we’re bringing Fast Pair to even more devices such as Beats headphones as well as cars from BMW and Ford. With a single tap, you can pair your Android phone to your favorite accessories whether it’s earbuds, speakers, wearables or cars.

Turn on your TV and find entertainment faster

Whether it’s under the couch cushions, behind your nightstand or in your refrigerator, TV remotes are often mysteriously lost. And even when you finally find it, typing a password with a remote control can be a frustrating and time-consuming process.

We’re making it easier to navigate your TV by building remote-control features directly into your Android phone, so you can watch your favorite show even if your actual remote is missing. And when you need to type a complex movie title or password, you can save time and use your phone's keyboard to enter the text.

Gif typing a password on a phone and appearing on a TV screen

Rolling out later this year, the built-in remote control on Android phones will work instantly for the more than 80 million Android TV OS devices, including Google TV.

Move between your phone and Chromebook with ease

Your Android phone and Chromebook already work well together, with features like Wi-Fi Sync and Smart Lock. With the recent launch of Phone Hub, you now have a built-in control center that makes it easy to manage your Android phone right from your Chromebook. Even if your phone is in another room, you can receive and respond to text messages, check its battery life and cell signal, turn on its hotspot, or locate it — all from your Chromebook. Phone Hub also displays recent Chrome browser tabs opened on your Android phone, so you can pick up where you left off.

Gif showing Chromebook Phone Hub features - incoming chat notifications, recent Chrome tabs and photo gallery.

And coming soon, Phone Hub will provide access to recently taken photos from your phone, so when you need to edit a picture or share on social media, you can access it instantly on your Chromebook without having to email it to yourself.

Unlock your car with your phone

Android Auto is designed to make it safer to use apps from your phone while you’re on the road. Today, Android Auto is available in more than 100 million cars and the vast majority of new vehicles from loved brands like GM, Ford, Honda and more will support Android Auto wireless. No more cords.

To make your phone even more helpful, we’re working with car manufacturers to develop a new digital car key in Android 12. With this feature, you’ll be able to lock, unlock and even start your car from your phone.

By using Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology, you won’t even have to take your phone out to use it as a car key. And for NFC-enabled car models, it’s as easy as tapping your phone on the car door to unlock it. Since it’s all digital, you can also securely and remotely share your car key with friends and family if they need to borrow your car.

Phone with a digital car key for BMW

Starting later this year, digital car keys will become available on select Pixel and Samsung Galaxy phones. We’re working with BMW and others to bring this to their upcoming cars.

These are just a few ways that we’re helping all your devices work better together with your Android phone.

Helping all your devices work better together

Phones are at the center of our digital lives. When purchasing a phone these days, we’re buying not only a phone, but also an entire ecosystem of devices that are all expected to work together — such as TVs, laptops, cars and wearables like smartwatches or fitness trackers. In North America, the average person now has around eight connected devices, and by 2022, this is predicted to grow to 13 connected devices.


Today, we’re sharing how we’re helping make your Android phone, and all the devices connected to it, work even better together.

Pair your devices in one tap

Fast Pair helps make it easier and faster to connect to Bluetooth devices around you. So far, people have used Fast Pair over 36 million times to connect their Android phones with Bluetooth accessories from Sony, Microsoft, JBL, Philips, Google and many other popular brands.

In the coming months, we’re bringing Fast Pair to even more devices such as Beats headphones as well as cars from BMW and Ford. With a single tap, you can pair your Android phone to your favorite accessories whether it’s earbuds, speakers, wearables or cars.

Turn on your TV and find entertainment faster

Whether it’s under the couch cushions, behind your nightstand or in your refrigerator, TV remotes are often mysteriously lost. And even when you finally find it, typing a password with a remote control can be a frustrating and time-consuming process.

We’re making it easier to navigate your TV by building remote-control features directly into your Android phone, so you can watch your favorite show even if your actual remote is missing. And when you need to type a complex movie title or password, you can save time and use your phone's keyboard to enter the text.

Gif typing a password on a phone and appearing on a TV screen

Rolling out later this year, the built-in remote control on Android phones will work instantly for the more than 80 million Android TV OS devices, including Google TV.

Move between your phone and Chromebook with ease

Your Android phone and Chromebook already work well together, with features like Wi-Fi Sync and Smart Lock. With the recent launch of Phone Hub, you now have a built-in control center that makes it easy to manage your Android phone right from your Chromebook. Even if your phone is in another room, you can receive and respond to text messages, check its battery life and cell signal, turn on its hotspot, or locate it — all from your Chromebook. Phone Hub also displays recent Chrome browser tabs opened on your Android phone, so you can pick up where you left off.

Gif showing Chromebook Phone Hub features - incoming chat notifications, recent Chrome tabs and photo gallery.

And coming soon, Phone Hub will provide access to recently taken photos from your phone, so when you need to edit a picture or share on social media, you can access it instantly on your Chromebook without having to email it to yourself.

Unlock your car with your phone

Android Auto is designed to make it safer to use apps from your phone while you’re on the road. Today, Android Auto is available in more than 100 million cars and the vast majority of new vehicles from loved brands like GM, Ford, Honda and more will support Android Auto wireless. No more cords.

To make your phone even more helpful, we’re working with car manufacturers to develop a new digital car key in Android 12. With this feature, you’ll be able to lock, unlock and even start your car from your phone.

By using Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology, you won’t even have to take your phone out to use it as a car key. And for NFC-enabled car models, it’s as easy as tapping your phone on the car door to unlock it. Since it’s all digital, you can also securely and remotely share your car key with friends and family if they need to borrow your car.

Phone with a digital car key for BMW

Starting later this year, digital car keys will become available on select Pixel and Samsung Galaxy phones. We’re working with BMW and others to bring this to their upcoming cars.

These are just a few ways that we’re helping all your devices work better together with your Android phone.

Your Chromebook gets a little more helpful

Chromebooks are designed to be powerful and easy-to-use devices. In our latest release, your Chromebook is getting new helpful features that make it easier to get answers, troubleshoot, scan files and more.

The answers you need, one tap away

You might already use your Launcher to search your Drive, your apps, local files, Google and more – all from one place. Now it can also be your go-to for simple calculations, looking up the weather, or checking a word definition or stock price.

Just tap the Everything Button and type “weather” or your math question into the search bar, and the result will automatically pop up. So you’ll quickly find out whether you need a sweater for your mid-afternoon walk, or what 42 times 96 is. There’s no need to open another Chrome browser tab or app to quickly get the answers you need.

“Weather” is typed into Chromebook’s Launcher search bar. Local weather results show up directly below.

When  you search for weather in the Launcher search bar, you’ll get local result results automatically.

Troubleshooting at your fingertips

Technology is great when it works well, but when it doesn’t, it can be hard to figure out what’s going on and how to fix it. To help you troubleshoot your Chromebook, we’re introducing the new Diagnostics app. It’s available on every Chromebook, and can be used to run tests and check the status of your laptop’s battery, CPU and memory. 

So if you notice your battery is draining faster than you’d expect, you can run a battery discharge test right in the Diagnostics app. In the app you’ll also get links to relevant support articles, and you can save the test results in a session log to share with customer support – if you end up needing it!

A battery test was just completed in the Diagnostics app.

The Diagnostics app lets you run tests on your Chromebook’s battery, CPU and memory.

Scan and edit more easily

We recently launched a new feature that will come in handy this extended tax season. With Chromebook’s new scanning feature, you can scan items directly from your printer to your laptop. So now it’s easy to digitize and save important documents like your home’s lease agreement or work receipts. 

To get started, make sure your printer has scanning functionality and that it’s connected to the internet. Search for the Scan app by tapping the Everything Button. Once the app is open you’ll be able to choose your printer, file type and resolution. You can scan to your Chromebook over Wi-Fi or directly through a USB connection. (Bluetooth scanning is not currently supported.) 

Once your file is finished scanning, you can review it in the dedicated folder in your Chromebook’s Files app, or open it in your default image viewer to edit, crop or resize. Learn more about connecting your printer to your Chromebook on our support site.

The “get started scanning” screen, where you can choose the source of and file type for the scan.

Easily scan files to your Chromebook.

Live Captions coming to Chromebooks

Last month Chrome Browser launched Live Captions, which automatically provide real-time captions for media with audio. These captions help make online content more accessible, whether you're in a noisy environment, trying to keep the volume down, or are hard of hearing.

Now we’re also expanding Live Captions to Chrome browsers on most Chrome OS devices in the coming weeks. To turn it on, go to Chromebook settings, then “Accessibility.”

We’ll have more to share about Chromebooks features in the future, so stay tuned!

Chromebook turns 10: Looking back and moving forward

10 years ago, computing was complicated. Slow boot times, clunky hardware and intrusive updates were the norm. Computers were invented before the internet, and they hadn’t fully caught up to how people were using the web. So Google set out to design something new. The idea was to create a cloud-first experience that was fast, secure and easy to use — with software that stays up-to-date, automatically. A computer that boots up in seconds, and stays fast over time. 

In 2011 we launched the first Chromebooks in partnership with Acer and Samsung. Today Chromebooks help millions of people stay connected while they work, study and stay entertained; this has never been more true than over the past year. As we celebrate the 10th birthday of Chromebook, we’re taking a look at how Chromebooks have evolved and where we’re headed.

  • Chromebook timeline
  • 2010–2011
  • 2012–2013
  • 2014–2015
  • 2016–2017
  • 2018–2019
  • 2020
  • 2021 and beyond

For the past decade, we’ve stayed true to our original vision to make computing simpler and more accessible for everyone. Highlights include the Chromebook Pixel, the first Chromebook with a big, beautiful 3:2 touchscreen, which launched in 2013 and changed how people used their laptops. Then there was the first Chromebook with USB-C technology, introduced in 2015, enabling people to fast-transfer their data  and charge their device quickly — all by using what’s now the  universal standard. And in 2017 we launched Chromebooks with the Google-designed Titan C security chip to keep devices secure and protect user identity. 

Plus, Chromebooks for Education has continued to help teachers and students modernize the learning experience, and Chromebook Enterprise has made IT administration simpler for businesses. Our Google Admin console fundamentally changed how devices are controlled, making it easy to manage thousands of Chromebooks centrally. It helps administrators get their school or business up and running in no time, and removes the day-to-day pains of running IT in large organizations.

All along the way, we remained committed to making all Chromebooks faster and smarter automatically, with updates that run in the background every few weeks.

Today, we work with several important partners — Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, AMD, Intel, MediaTek, Qualcomm, among others — to make Chromebooks of all shapes and sizes, and collaborate with over 20 Works With Chromebook partners like Anker and Logitech on compatible accessories so you can get the most out of your Chromebook. And with apps from the web and the Google Play Store, you can get more things done, boost your creativity or simply find fun ways to pass the time. If gaming is your thing, Cloud gaming platforms like Stadia and GeForce NOW are available on your Chromebook.

  • A selection of the latest Chromebooks

    A selection of the latest Chromebooks

  • Acer Chromebook Spin 513

    Acer Chromebook Spin 513

  • ASUS Chromebook CX9

    ASUS Chromebook CX9

  • Dell Latitude 7410 Chromebook

    Dell Latitude 7410 Chromebook

  • HP Chromebook 14b

    HP Chromebook 14b

  • Lenovo Thinkpad C13 Yoga Chromebook

    Lenovo Thinkpad C13 Yoga Chromebook

  • Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2

    Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2

Here’s to the next 10

I remember getting my first computer and using it for just a handful of basic tasks; typing things up in a word processor, doing simple math with its calculator, things like that. Fast forward to today, where we bounce from work to school to watching shows and chatting with friends and family.  We make all of these transitions across multiple devices — phones, tablets, laptops.  And unlike the past, people should have access to their data and a consistent experience across all these tools. So today, we’re celebrating the 10th birthday of Chromebook by launching a suite of features for Chromebook that lets people move between devices with ease, and tools that drastically improve your productivity. 

We are also continuing to make Chromebooks the best devices for teaching and learning, and to help businesses scale.

It's been 10 years, but this is still just the beginning. We’re continuing to find ways to make the Chromebook experience even more helpful for everyone. Examples include things like utilizing our artificial intelligence technology to help people proactively, integrating sensor technologies for more personalized experiences, expanding our portfolio of devices with cellular connectivity and working endlessly to make your devices work better together. 

Our vision for Chromebooks is to keep helping people get things done and to provide helpful and secure experiences. So here’s to the next 10 years of delivering an intelligent, powerfully simple computer for all.

More from this Collection

Chromebook turns 10

Celebrate the 10th birthday of Chromebook with a look back and lots of new features.

View all 4 articles

Chrome OS’s Jenn Chen on a decade of design

Ten years ago, Chrome OS principal designer Jenn Chen was hardly what you’d called a techie. “I was the last person I knew who got a smartphone,” she says, laughing. “I was a total Luddite! I didn’t want to do it!” But today, things are different — and not just for Jenn. The devices we use and how we use them have both changed dramatically over the years. “Technology plays a bigger part in our day to day,” she says. “So it’s increasingly important that we have a human, respectful approach in how we design and build products.” 

Chrome OS embraced that change, and Jenn’s seen the evolution from the inside. Originally, she was the only person on the team dedicated to Chrome OS user experience (UX) — now, she leads an entire team. We recently had the chance to talk to Jenn about a decade of Chrome OS, and what her path to design work was like. 

What kickstarted your interest in working in UX and design?

Growing up, I had a lot of different interests but never felt like they quite added up to a clear career path. I dabbled in biology because I loved marine life, read up on cognition because I was fascinated by how minds worked and even explored being a full-time pianist. One day in college, I tagged along with a friend who organized a visit to a design agency and I found it absolutely riveting. Here were different people with different professions — anthropologists, surgeons, engineers — all working together to solve a problem through a multifaceted, human-centered approach which I learned was called “design thinking.” This really sparked my interest in learning more about product design and building creative solutions to serve real user needs, which led to studying HCI (human-computer interaction) and user experience.

What’s the “movie version” of your job? How is it portrayed in pop culture, and how does that compare to reality? 

The perception is that UXers are in the lab all day, and that every user insight we learn immediately leads to a light bulb moment and design solution! There’s so much testing out ideas, learning that they won’t work and moving on — or years later, bringing that thing back and seeing there is something there, but the timing wasn't right or the tech wasn’t ready before. There’s a lot of constant failure. We designers call it “iteration,” but I think people forget that also means being wrong a lot — and being OK with being wrong, because it helps us learn. The movie version of my job glosses over all that.

Chrome OS was such a new idea. What were some of the early challenges of launching something so different?

Computers have been around much longer than Chromebooks, so people have established expectations and habits. The challenge is meaningfully rethinking what a computer can be while also meeting people where they are. I’ve been incredibly lucky to work with and learn from experts in this space as a part of the Chrome OS team and a part of the broader Google UX community.

One good example of this was that Chrome OS started out with a minimal approach when it came to task management: Users could only have full-screen windows with multiple tabs. We quickly learned that how people manage their tasks is personal, so flexibility is absolutely necessary. We introduced more window controls and tools over time. Today, we've expanded task management abilities for Desks to help people organize their apps, windows and tabs across virtual work spaces, but still benefit from a simplified, more constrained model when they only have a touchscreen handy. 

Early Chrome OS task management

Early Chrome OS task management

Chrome OS desks in 2021

Chrome OS desks in 2021

Jenn Chenn 10 years ago survey

What new launches are you excited about?

So many things! The team has been hard at work on a whole suite of features for Chrome OS’s 10th birthday. I’m really excited about the everyday efficiencies we’ve built, whether it’s helping you find that article you had open on your phone with Phone Hub or making screenshots and recordings more precise with Screen Capture — definitely things that I use daily as a designer. 

Ten years later, what keeps you interested in this work?

I came from the startup world, and to be totally honest I didn’t think I’d be at a larger company for this long. But one of the things I love about working on Chrome OS is that it’s kind of like a startup in a big company: We’ve come a long way after starting out as a little fish in this pond, there’s much more we aspire to do, and I get the huge privilege of being a part of the journey with an amazing team of people. 

What’s especially motivating for me is witnessing how computing impacts people’s economic and social mobility — whether it’s being part of the distance learning solution in a pandemic or supporting refugees in settling in to their new communities. I’m excited to see how some of the bets we’ve made play out, and to be a part of shaping the future of computing.