While it’s straightforward to deal with what you’re going to do with both a Chromebook or a Windows PC—internet searching! video games!—it’s straightforward to lose sight of the little issues.

One of the perfect options of a Chromebook that’s simply ignored is Google’s method to updates and safety. Everything takes place behind the scenes. Windows downloads updates for antivirus and different applications within the background, however others require a reboot. If you don’t have Windows correctly configured, these reboots may even happen when you’re utilizing the PC, which might be massively annoying. While Chromebooks sometimes must be rebooted to use updates, the method is faster and fewer intrusive, as Google reloads the pages you have been on fairly rapidly. 

In reality, “quick” is among the finest options of a Chromebook. While they’re much less full-featured than a Windows PC, booting and resuming them simply usually feels extra environment friendly than it does on Windows. Part of that’s the simplicity: Google takes care of a lot of the mundane duties of powering a PC, like safety and driver updates. “Blue screens of death” happen on Windows; Chromebooks not often crash—a reality Google emphasizes in commercials.

Still, a few of these extra mundane duties might be irritating to Chromebook customers, too: resembling printing, file administration, and utilities: This is the place the variations between the 2 platforms can change into abrasive, particularly for those who’re used to doing issues in a sure method. For instance, Google is attempting so as to add diagnostics to the ChromeOS platform, nevertheless it’s nonetheless doing it its personal method. 

Take printing, for instance. The world’s printers have been designed from the bottom up for Windows and Macs, and might print both over a wi-fi community or from a USB cable. Chromebooks, then again, have struggled with direct printing or utilizing the extra superior options of sure printers. Google Cloud Print was the corporate’s workaround, requiring a Wi-Fi enabled printer; nonetheless, this characteristic was phased out by the tip of 2020. 

Certain duties additionally require a unique method of doing issues on a Chromebook versus a Windows PC. Sure, there are the ChromeOS keyboard shortcuts, the place taking a screenshot or a portion of 1 requires figuring out to press the Ctrl + “switcher” key. When you’re taking that screenshot, you’ll see it saved inside a folder—however you gained’t be capable to rename that file with out opening it. Windows means that you can right-click a file and carry out any variety of operations on it; ChromeOS doesn’t.

Even accessing these recordsdata on ChromeOS requires clicking the “home” circle within the lower-left nook, then both swiping or clicking the uncovered up arrow to entry the ChromeOS apps, a few of which might be saved within the taskbar dock for simple entry.

The similar goes for different enter modalities. While Chromebooks enable for inking—you’ll usually want to produce your individual stylus or use your finger—and might report audio, don’t anticipate a Chromebook to incorporate pen enter that’s translatable into textual content. Windows solely gives this. However, Chromebook pens will soon support NFC wireless charging, moderately than forcing you to go looking out a AAAA battery or cost them with a cable.

To be truthful, Windows 11 appears much more like a Chromebook than it did earlier than. The Windows 11 Taskbar (for now) can solely be oriented on the backside of the display screen, the place apps pop up from a Start menu that appears considerably just like the ChromeOS launcher.

Our colleagues over at Computerworld embody a Chromebook cheat sheet that you could be discover helpful with extra particulars on the ins and outs of Chromebooks.