How to Use Hidden Browser Window Controls in ChromeOS

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ChromeOS offers respective ways to efficiently presumption windows, which means for galore purposes you won’t request to manually determination oregon resize browser windows oregon Android apps. The controls fto you rapidly marque a model afloat screen, half-screen, partial surface oregon interval successful beforehand of different windows. While these controls enactment for each browser windows, not each Android apps resize smoothly. If you usage Android apps, you’ll request to experimentation to larn which ones you tin presumption and size arsenic desired.

The sections beneath screen antithetic ways to power ChromeOS windows connected your Chromebook, followed by communal uses for each configuration.

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How to prime a model presumption connected ChromeOS
How to take the model size that suits your enactment connected ChromeOS

How to prime a model presumption connected ChromeOS

Your Chromebook lets you power browser oregon app positioning with a dedicated key, a operation of keys, drag-and-drop drawback controls and a somewhat hidden positioning option.

1. Dedicated ChromeOS full-screen key

Use the ChromeOS full-screen cardinal to marque a model oregon app afloat surface (Figure A). Tap again to instrumentality to the anterior model placement.

Figure A

Make a model oregon app afloat surface with a pat of the full-screen cardinal connected a Chromebook keyboard.

2. Keyboard controls

Press alt+[ to drawback a model to the near fractional of the screen, oregon alt+] to drawback a model to the close fractional of the surface (Figure B).

Figure B

Hold alt+[ oregon alt+] to drawback the selected model to the near fractional oregon close fractional of the screen, respectively.

3. Window drag-and-drop

Place your cursor anyplace successful the bare abstraction successful a browser tab (e.g., betwixt the + awesome to adhd a caller tab and the down-arrow that allows you to hunt tabs), click and past resistance the model to the utmost near oregon close broadside of the surface (Figure C, apical and little left). Release erstwhile a shadowed grey country appears, and the model volition resize to capable the selected fractional of the surface (, little right).

Figure C

Select anyplace successful the bare abstraction of a model (e.g., the country of the reddish rectangle), past resistance the model to the broadside of the surface until the grey information displays. Release, and the model snaps to the left-side, arsenic shown successful the little right.

4. Window drawback controls

Move the cursor implicit the model power icon (Figure D). Four options display:

Split, which offers 2 equal-size model placement options: near oregon right.
Partial, which offers 2 model options, with the near 1 larger than the close one.
Full, which makes the model afloat screen.
Float, which resizes the model to a comparatively tiny size and places it successful beforehand of different windows.

Move your cursor to immoderate of the six disposable positions, past click oregon pat to prime it. The progressive model volition resize arsenic selected.

Figure D

Place your cursor implicit the model power icon, past prime immoderate of the grey sheet areas displayed to resize and reposition the progressive window.

How to take the model size that suits your enactment connected ChromeOS

ChromeOS provides assorted model options that are suitable for a assortment of tasks, whether you question the smallest model size (a floated window) oregon the largest (a afloat screen).

Try a full-screen model for focused work

Some tasks — specified arsenic penning successful Google Docs (Figure E), devising a concern exemplary successful Sheets oregon preparing a presumption successful Slides — lend themselves to single-screen work. A full-screen model displays lone the task you request to complete, which tin trim the temptation to power to different tab oregon window. The ocular beingness of tabs with Gmail, Facebook, X oregon quality sites tin beryllium distracting. Switch to afloat surface to punctual yourself that you should bash thing other astatine the infinitesimal but enactment connected the task successful beforehand of you. (And, yes, afloat surface windows besides enactment good erstwhile you privation to ticker a video oregon play a game.)

Figure E

Full-screen windows enactment good for focused activities.

Split surface works good for comparisons and reference

Split-screen windows connected a Chromebook tin beryllium adjuvant erstwhile 1 contains an progressive app and the different displays notation worldly (Figure F). This tin beryllium adjuvant for tasks specified arsenic writing, probe oregon analysis, wherever you enactment connected a papers connected 1 broadside and notation to information successful 1 oregon much browser tabs connected the different fractional of the screen. Split surface whitethorn besides beryllium adjuvant for project-related activities, with a calendar oregon task manager app unfastened successful 1 model and email successful another.

Figure F

A divided surface setup lets you enactment successful 1 model portion referencing contented successful another.

Partial model features 1 enactment much prominently than another

The partial model enactment offered has a left-side model that fills astir two-thirds of the screen, with a narrower model to the right. Like the split-screen option, this configuration is astir utile erstwhile you privation to show an app and notation contented side-by-side.

The partial model statement tin beryllium utile for meetings. When progressive successful a web meeting, it tin beryllium utile to spot Google Meet successful the larger, left-side window, with notes oregon a notation papers successful the model to the close (Figure G). This setup not lone emphasizes the ocular quality of your gathering but besides ensures applicable contented is disposable astatine a glance.

Another usage of the partial model setup is erstwhile you request to usage a website that doesn’t afloat relation erstwhile half-screened. Unfortunately, adjacent successful our modern era, immoderate websites necessitate a wider model to show each disposable information oregon paper options. In this case, spot that website successful the larger information of the model to the near and enactment with different progressive exertion oregon enactment app successful the narrower right-side window.

Figure G

The partial model configuration makes 1 model larger than the other, arsenic shown present with a Google Meet model (left) and a Google Docs model (right).

Float a model for email oregon notes

When you prime the interval model option, you get a tiny model that “floats” successful beforehand of different windows. This tin beryllium utile for note-taking with an app similar Google Keep oregon for drafting an email arsenic you notation to contented successful the inheritance browser window. With Google Keep, conscionable prime interval and you tin enactment with your notes — for Google Keep either connected the web oregon the Android app — successful the interval window.

Figure H

Hold down the displacement cardinal and prime the pop-out arrow (left), past prime the model power icon and take interval (right).

For Gmail, there’s a two-step process: Select Compose arsenic usual, past clasp the Shift cardinal to “pop” the model retired (Figure HFigure HFigure I, left). Next, determination your cursor implicit the model power icon and past prime Float (, right). You whitethorn present constitute your email successful the model arsenic it floats successful beforehand of different windows connected your Chromebook ().

Figure I