Keys to know
Most shortcuts use these keys. Hold the first key, then tap the next one: Search + S means hold Search, then tap S.
Right-click, three ways
A right-click opens a menu with more choices, like Translate.
Turn on a helper
Read aloud and Talk instead of type are off until you turn them on. You only do this once.
For Talk instead of type: do the same steps, but type dictation in the search box. If a box asks to turn on Dictation, click Turn on.
Read aloud
Your Chromebook reads words on the screen out loud: questions, hints, and articles. It works on Google Forms too. Use headphones in class.
Faster: hold Search and click a line to hear just that line.
Talk instead of type
Your Chromebook types what you say into any answer box.
Check before you submit: read what it typed and fix wrong words. The checker gets confused by misspelled words, so one wrong word can turn your answer red.
Talk in Google Docs
Google Docs has its own microphone, called Voice typing.
Faster: press ctrl + shift + S to open Voice typing.
Translate the page
Chrome can show the page in your language. You still type answers in English, because the checker grades English words.
Back to English: click English in that small box. Closed it? Click the translate button at the right end of the address bar.
Find a word
Jump to every spot on the page that uses a word. Great for finding the part of the article a question asks about.
Take a screenshot
Save a picture of your screen to show your teacher a problem or keep a copy of your work.
Whole screen: press ctrl + Show windows.
Find it later: open the Files app and look in Downloads. Your keyboard has a screenshot key? Press it to open the same tool.
Side by side
Put the article on one half of the screen and the questions on the other, in one Chrome window.
Back to one page: right-click the tab and click Separate views.
Two windows instead of two tabs? Click one and press alt + [ to put it on the left. Click the other and press alt + ] to put it on the right.
No keyboard?
If your Chromebook's screen folds all the way back, it works as a tablet.
Talk instead of type: tap the microphone at the top of the keyboard on the screen.
Check for updates
Updates fix bugs and keep the helpers working. Plug in your charger and save your work first.
See a Restart to update box, or an arrow next to the time? Your school sent the update. Click it when you are at a good stopping point. Can't update? Tell your teacher.
More quick tricks
Hold the first key, then tap the next one.
| To do this | Press |
|---|---|
| Make words bigger | ctrl + = (the plus key) |
| Make words smaller | ctrl + - (minus) |
| Back to normal size | ctrl + 0 (zero) |
| Magnify the whole screen | ctrl + Search + M. Press it again to stop. |
| Fix a word with a red squiggle under it | Right-click the word, then click the right spelling |
| Undo a mistake | ctrl + Z |
| Turn CAPS LOCK on or off | alt + Search |
| To do this | Press |
|---|---|
| Go back a page | alt + ← |
| Bring back a tab you closed | ctrl + shift + T |
| Switch between windows | alt + tab |
| Fix a stuck page | ctrl + R |
| Put two windows side by side | alt + [ for left, alt + ] for right |
| Lock your Chromebook when you walk away | Search + L |
| See every shortcut | ctrl + alt + / |
If something does not work
- A switch is gray or a setting is missing: the school controls that setting. Tell your teacher.
- Search + S does nothing: turn on Select-to-speak (see Turn on a helper), then highlight the words first.
- Search + D does nothing: turn on Dictation, then click inside the answer box first.
- No Translate in the menu: right-click an empty spot, not a word or picture.
- No sound: turn the volume up with the keys in the top row, and push your headphones all the way in.
- A page froze: press ctrl + R. Chrome froze? Close it and open it again, then press ctrl + shift + T to bring your tabs back.
- Still stuck: take a screenshot with ctrl + Show windows and show your teacher.