For some, Chrome OS is not just their choice, it’s their only OS. For others, like me, using Windows or macOS is an inevitable part of our job. Despite the fact that I love my Chromebook very much, I can not use it to do game development on a large scale, mostly because for reasons of reality it is not realistic or reasonable to put together Unreal Engine on a Linux kernel. This is not to mention the obvious limitations of most Chromebook hardware compared to my Windows desktop development design.
For others still, Windows or macOS is a requirement for their workplace, as some businesses simply are not yet on board with Chromebooks. I have seen that companies just do not spend the time and energy to learn if it would be a viable alternative for them. However, many companies use old Windows software in the form of executable files that are simply not meant to work on Chrome OS. Others still prefer the full-featured Microsoft Office suite or Adobe Creative Cloud as opposed to alternative or scaled-down versions of these apps that exist in the Google Play Store. I can not blame them.
Advertisements
Today I want to go over something I discovered when I ran my Windows and Edge experiment last week when I was writing Edge, Chrome and the user between articles. While there is always the ability to use Chrome Remote desktop to remove to a Windows machine and use it temporarily, we’ll rather discuss how you can make the most of Windows 10 as a Chromebook user. because I believe it will provide a better experience.
Install and access your Chromebook web applications
Every Chromebook user knows that their apps and web apps are at the heart of their device experience. Switching to Windows – even for a short time – can feel pretty daunting. Although Android applications are not available on Windows (except for something like Bluestacks, which is outdated and inefficient), your web applications can be used to give you a more consistent experience on different devices. Thanks to the Chrome browser that synced this to you, you do not have to feel that you have returned to the Stone Age and that you are not forced to type website URLs into Chrome’s Omnibox to navigate around the world .
Advertisements
Instead, just open your Chrome browser on Windows 10, open a new tab, and in the bookmarks bar on the far left of the window, you’ll see a colorful square consisting of nine other smaller squares that say ‘apps’ . If you look closely enough, you will see that the colors that make it up form a Chrome browser logo, but it’s just a fun Easter egg. If you do not see it, you can also type ‘chrome: // apps’ and press Enter. Clicking ‘Apps’ will reveal all the web applications from your Chromebook!
Although it is impractical to access them here as it is not exactly searchable, in many cases they have low-resolution icons and are just big and bulky (Google, please modernize it!) On our Windows 10-machine. Right-click on any icon you are interested in and click “Install on this device”. Yes, unfortunately it has to be done one by one (modernize it too!), But once you’re done, you have instant access to everything via the Windows Start button and search. While Microsoft’s search is not very good in my opinion, it’s better than nothing.
Click Start> All Apps> Chrome Apps will also reveal all your web applications. It’s not a Chromebook launcher, and it’s definitely ugly, but it’s done. I should also quickly mention here that if you add new web applications to your Chromebook, it does not automatically sync with your Windows machine – you also need to ‘install’ them manually. Remember, you can also right-click and pin it to the taskbar or start menu for quick access.
Advertisements
Use Google Drive File Stream
Using Google Drive on a Windows machine is like downloading a file, modifying and re-uploading it via the web browser. After that, Google switched to Drive Backup & Sync, which will act much like a local Dropbox folder for all your Google files. However, the old sync tool was pretty crazy, and did not sync many files and could not work immediately. Now Google Drive offers File Stream for Workspace, which instantly “streams” your files to you instead of downloading them. It forces your Windows 10 device to work just like the Chromebook Files app, and here’s a little secret – it’s available to regular users too! After you have this setup, you will feel at home with your files while you are no longer away from your Chromebook. An icon for File Stream appears in your system tray and you can see the progress of synchronizing your files and so with one click.
Force Windows to search Google instead of Bing
Maybe I’m just biased, but as I said in my article on Edge experiments, Bing is just fine, how do I put it? It’s just not good. During the time I used it, it returned less accurate and relevant search results almost every time compared to Google Search. No matter how many ‘Scroogled’ ads you see, Bing just does not live up to my expectations. However, the fact that Google search is just one tap away, as with a Chromebook, is important for those who use Chrome OS regularly. If you need to go to a new Chrome tab and search for something, add a few extra steps, so installing the Chrometana Pro extension in the Web Store can turn your Windows Search into a Google search bar !
Note that Chrometana is not Chrometana Pro, and install the latter instead. After doing so, follow the instructions that open in a new tab to download, install, and set up Edge Deflector. If all else fails, you can also remove Edge completely from your machine, and although many people warn me against this or say it was not possible, it was, I did it, and I do not regret it.
Advertisements
Take advantage of Chrome Alerts and the Action Center
Ever since I started using Windows 10, I’ve been rumored to hate the Action Center. For Chrome OS users, this Windows feature looks like most of your Chromebook’s quick settings and notification area. If you go to Chrome site settings (chrome: // settings / content / everything), you can enable on-screen notifications for each website you want to send information to if there is something new. It helps bridge the gap in the delivery of information for your newly installed Chrome web applications.
I also recommend getting familiar with the Action Center’s quick settings options – there’s a focus mode, which most closely resembles the Do Not Disturb option on your Chromebook. There is also a night light feature and even a screenshot tool called Screen Snip. If you understand how to use it, you may feel that something less is missing when you switch to Windows for work. You can also right-click on any tile at the bottom of the action center and click ‘Edit’ to move it so that the most useful screens appear at the top when you collapse the area. Here’s a look at what your Chrome web application notifications, quick settings, and Windows searches look like once you’ve done all of the above:
Send tabs to yourself on different devices
If your cross-OS works, you will sometimes find that you want a specific website to be used on the opposite device. Something you want to read later, or just something you want to look at later. Chrome’s Omnibox has a new ‘Send to Self’ feature that lets you ping tabs back and forth between devices. The image below on the left is my Windows 10 computer sending a tab to my Chromebook, and the image below on the right is my Chromebook sending a tab to my phone or computer – pretty useful! The square icon to the right of the ‘Send tab to myself’ icon is the Dino QR code which is also very handy. Finally, you can use the star icon further to the right to add something to your bookmarks or reading list – all of which sync across Chrome Sync cross-device.
Add missing features to Windows Store applications
I know, I know, I’ve beaten the Windows Store a lot in the past because I did not have as many useful applications as the Google Play Store, and while that remains true, there are some useful tools you can use. changes your Windows 10 experience and gives you a little more of the Chromebook feel while using it instead. Here are some of the ones I recommend:
- Files – A beautiful file app that doesn’t look terribly outdated like the standard file explorer (not perfect, but good for most users)
- Twinkle Tray: Brightness Slider – I’m surprised that Windows 10 for desktop did not incorporate a native brightness slider. That makes it right!
- Modern Flyouts (Preview) – adds a software volume slider and thumbnail music control center to your system disk.
- TaskbarX – Center your Windows 10 taskbar icons! Do. It. Now. You can also make the taskbar transparent under a number of other customizations.
Choose which icons appear on the taskbar
Last but certainly not least, you can choose which icons on your Windows 10 taskbar appear in the system tray by right-clicking on the taskbar and selecting ‘Taskbar Settings’. Scroll down and search for ‘after the settings window opens Choose which icons appear on the taskbar’ (this is a plain text link, not a button). From there, you can enable things like OneDrive (unless you use it), Skype, Network (rather via the Action Center) and more. Then turn on things like Google Drive, Twinkle Tray, and Volume so that the most important features you use on your Chromebook come first.
In summary, none of the above methods will give you an experience that makes you as productive as on your Chromebook. You could almost say that this guide enables you to ‘make Windows 10 a Chromebook, so to speak’, but I would say that it’s very far from what Google created with Chrome OS. It’s also a lot of work to follow Google’s hard work and dedication to its platform. While File Stream is fantastic, and definitely a step further than Drive Backup & Sync, accessing your Chrome web apps through the Windows 10 “All Apps” section is just awful, and the Windows Search feature is just hilarious. TaskbarX and EdgeDeflector are an excellent addition, but it just proves that Microsoft went through with it to keep Windows from feeling modern, in my humble opinion.
Windows 10 can be a fantastic tool for creativity and design, but most of you who read it will probably not use it much more than the required software for your day job. I created this guide as a companion for my Edge, Chrome, and the user between articles, since I’ve decided to experiment with Windows and Edge over the past week. I thought it would be helpful for those among you who do not want to feel completely out of your feet if you move between devices. Although I call it a comprehensive guide, I’m sure there are many other things to think about to complete the experience, so if you want to know something about transforming Windows to feel more comfortable when you visit Chrome OS, please let me know in the comments!
