How to test drive the exciting new Chrome OS Productivity Launcher

3 years ago 267

If you're unhappy with the default Chromebook menu/app launcher, there's an experimental enactment successful the dev transmission you tin effort out. Jack Wallen shows you how.

Chromebooks emotion the cloud, and Google has gone to large lengths to marque that intersection of hardware and unreality seamless. That doesn't mean you can't bask a much accepted attack to the interface.

One happening that has bothered maine astir Chrome OS for immoderate clip is the app menu. It seems Google has ever wanted to unit a much mobile interface connected users that were astir apt much astatine location with the tried and existent desktop metaphor. So erstwhile Google teased a imaginable caller "Productivity Launcher," I was each ears.

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Before I continue, you indispensable cognize the Productivity Launcher is, astatine the moment, lone disposable connected the ChromeOS dev channel. So, if you're utilizing immoderate transmission different than dev, you cannot trial the Productivity Launcher. To find retired however to alteration your ChromeOS channel, springiness How to alteration channels connected your Chromebook a read.

This caller launcher makes it overmuch easier to summation entree to your shortcuts, your content, instrumentality settings and more. And due to the fact that it's laid retired much similar a accepted desktop menu, it'll beryllium overmuch easier for astir to use. In fact, I'd accidental erstwhile you get a sensation of this launcher, you'll wonderment wherefore Google didn't spell with it implicit the existent method.

With that retired of the way, fto maine amusement you however to alteration the Productivity Launcher.

What you'll request

As I said earlier, you'll request a Chromebook moving the dev channel. Other than that, it's conscionable a substance of enabling the feature.

How to alteration the Productivity Launcher

Log into your Chromebook and motorboat Chrome. In the omnibar (a.k.a. the code bar), type:

chrome://flags/#productivity-launcher

In the resulting model (Figure A), click the drop-down associated with Productivity experiment: App Launcher.

Figure A

You'll past beryllium prompted to restart your Chromebook. Do that and log backmost in. Once you've successfully logged backmost in, click connected the paper fastener astatine the bottom-left country of the desktop to uncover the caller launcher (Figure B).

Figure B

You tin motorboat immoderate of your apps, unfastened saved files and hunt for conscionable astir thing successful this caller launcher.

I'm reasonably assured that immoderate idiosyncratic benignant volition find this caller launcher overmuch much businesslike than what Google presently offers. Hopefully, those who marque the Chrome OS decisions volition hold and marque this experimentation the default successful the adjacent future.

If you bash effort this, and you don't similar it, you tin ever undo it by pursuing the aforesaid steps to alteration it, lone prime Disabled from the drop-down and past restart your Chromebook.

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