Additionally, the apps that are pinned to the taskbar on Windows 10 can be opened with the Win+NumberKey shortcut.

You can pin apps to it, and also launch them. Your shelf is represented by similar bars, so you can still switch between apps in Immersive mode if you don’t feel like using one of the many Chrome keyboard shortcuts.If you’ve ever used a Windows system, you might know that it has a taskbar at the bottom which is the macOS equivalent of the Dock. In Immersive mode, additional tabs are represented by horizontal bars along the top of the screen. Writing a Google Doc is one of many uses for going full-screen with a Chrome app. (Press the Immersive mode button, or F4, to entire full screen mode on a Chromebook.) For writing, I like to auto-hide the shelf and set the tab in full-screen so I can just focus on what I’m working on. With a couple of tweaks you can focus on one task, such as writing in a Google Doc or Office Online file. Don’t forget, however, you can also hit the Search button (where the caps lock would be on a PC or Mac) and start typing the name of the app for another rapid way to launch your next task. If there are several different apps that you use from the launcher instead of the shelf, this is a great way to find them faster. You can also move around the icons and bundle them together in folders, just as you would on an Android device or iPhone. Group similar apps into a folder, just as you would do on an iPhone or Android device.

Customize the app arrangement in the launcher by clicking and holding on an app and then moving it. Customize the app launcherĮxerting order on the randomness of the Chrome OS app launcher can also streamline your workflow. Doing the same with Gmail and the Google Drive productivity suite can help those feel like discrete desktop apps, especially if you activate their offline capabilities. For example, I tell Google Play Music to launch in a separate window so it acts like a standalone music application, such as Spotify or iTunes on other operating systems. You can right-click an app and select to open it by default as a window, pinned tab, or full screen. The Chrome OS shelf also gives you some flexibility in how you launch apps. Move the shelf to the left or right side of the screen. Just right-click it and choose your desired location. You can even relocate it to the left or right side of the screen, though not the top. The shelf has many of the features you may know from the Windows taskbar.

How to add gmail shortcut to os dock