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A German retailer and a UAE classifieds site have listed the Pixel 9a for sale
Specs and images were also included
These listings suggest the phone will be launching imminently
TheGoogle Pixel 9amust be one of the most heavily leaked phones in recent memory, as along with leaked specs and images we recently saw detailedhands-on Pixel 9a videos– and now the phone has popped up for sale in two different places.
As spotted byGSMArena, the phone was listed on a now-removed page on the website of German retailerTechnomarkt. The listing included pictures, a starting price of 549 euros (roughly $600 / £460 / AU$940), and a fairly detailed specs list.
According to the listing, theGooglePixel 9a will come in Gray, Rose, Black, and Violet shades, will have Gorilla Glass 3 protection, and will have either 128GB or 256GB of storage.
It apparently has a 6.3-inch FHD+OLEDscreen with a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 2,700 nits, and it’s said to have a Tensor G4 chipset like the rest of thePixel 9line, 8GB of RAM, a 5,100mAh battery, a 48MP main camera, and a 13MP ultra-wide camera, all of which are details we’ve heard before.
(Image credit: Dubizzle)
The other listing is less revealing, and takes the form ofa classifieds postin the UAE. This then isn’t an official store; rather it’s an individual who’s selling a Pixel 9a for AED 2,350 (around $640 / £490 / AU$1,000), but the listing does include pictures of the box.
The fact that both of these listings exist suggests the Google Pixel 9a will launch very soon. Indeed, the German listing stated that the phone would be delivered in around 10-14 days.
We don’t know for sure when the Pixel 9a will be announced, but leaks suggestwe could see it as soon as tomorrow(March 19), in which case we should know all the official details soon – although with the Pixel 9a having been so extensively leaked, we don’t expect to learn much that we haven’t already heard.
HP wants to make its AI laptop names more informative
(Image credit: HP)
HP has debuted a number of new AI laptops at Amplify 2025
The company has followed Dell’s lead with AI-driven rebranding across its laptop lineup
800 and 600 series become EliteBook 8 and 6, while 400 series is now ProBook 4
HPhas launched a range of new AI laptops at its Amplify 2025 event with a host of new brand names.
The company’s 800 Series is now EliteBook 8, and the 600 Series is now EliteBook 6 (both systems come in 13, 14, and 16-inch sizes).
The 400 Series is now ProBook 4 (in 14 and 16-inch sizes). ZBook Firefly is now the ZBook 8 G1i (Intel) and G1a (AMD), ZBook Power is now the ZBook X G1i, Elite Mini/SFF/Tower is now EliteDesk and Elite AiO is now EliteStudio. Clear?
At the start of the year,Delldecided that the arrival of the AI era meant it was time for a fresh start, and in debuting a new Pro range of laptops, it waved goodbye to the belovedLatitudebrand, which was first introduced back in 1994.
The ax swinging didn’t end there, though. The company also debuted a new Pro Max mobile workstation family, which replaced the 32-year-oldPrecisionbrand. Intel, which finallyhas a new CEO, has also beenplaying the name game recentlyto try to make things clearer for customers.
While HP’s rebranding isn’t anywhere near as major as Dell’s (it’s also worth noting that more people will be familiar with Dell’sLatitudeandPrecisionbrands than any of HP’s brands), it’s still another big change for consumers to get their heads around. At least it’s straightforward enough.
If you want an EliteBook 8 G1 Series laptop, you can differentiate between the models by size (13, 14, 16), processor (G1i for Intel or G1a for AMD), and Next Gen and regular AI models (which offer different TOPS). Once you know what’s what, you can quickly spot the difference between the HP EliteBook 8 G1a 13” Next Gen AI PC and the HP EliteBook 8 G1i 16” AI PC.
Is the rebranding totally necessary? That’s a matter of debate.
“We take a very traditional and pragmatic approach,” Tom Butler, Lenovo’s executive director of commercial portfolio and product management, recently told.
“There is a series name for our ThinkPad products, like T series, L series or E series, with screen sizes in the product name for clarity – T14, T16 and so on. In order to keep it logical and help people keep track, we also put a generational name after. At the moment, we are not making any changes in our direction. Lenovo has solid brand equity, as do our sub-brands like ThinkPad, ThinkBook or Lenovo Yoga for consumers.”
Microsoft’s latest Patch Tuesday update is an important one, patching 57 security vulnerabilities (including seven zero-day flaws). It’s an update I’d encourage all Windows users to install as soon as possible, especially as those zero-day vulnerabilities pose a serious security risk to anyone using a PC.
As it happens, this update comes with an extra patch that Microsoft didn’t initially disclose, or, for that matter, intend:removing Copilot from Windows.
Some users, after installingKB5053598(Windows 11) orKB5053606(Windows 10) on their PCs, will notice the update not only unpinned Copilot from the taskbar, but uninstalled the Copilot app as well. Microsoft hasn’t disclosed why this issue is present in the latest Windows updates, but says it hasn’t seen the bug in theMicrosoft 365 Copilot app, the version of Copilot directly integrated into Microsoft’s office suite.
The company says it is working on a new update to fix the problem, and, presumably, restore Copilot access to affected Windows users. If you’re missing Copilot and want it back before Microsoft issues a new update, you canreinstall the app from the Microsoft Storeand pin it back to your taskbar yourself.
However, it’s possible youdon’twant to reinstall Copilot. After all, there are a number of users out there who aresearching for ways to disable Copilot, and there are eventools out there that help you remove it from Windows. Perhaps Microsoft actually did you a favor here. There is an irony to the situation, that the company pushing its AI tools so hard—whether you want them or not—just removed them on your behalf as part of a softwarepatch.
That’s not to say Copilot is useless: There are a number of potential benefits the AI tool offers Windows users (and, now, even Mac users). But if you haven’t found any benefits to these tools in your work or personal life in the two-and-a-half years since ChatGPT launched this generative AI revolution, you might be content with Microsoft’s inadvertent decision to remove its flagship assistant.
Google’s Find My is nearly a year old, but it has been quickly gaining new features in that short time.
Now, the ability to track friends and family via the Find My app is starting to roll out to Android users, which Googleannouncedin early March for Pixel phones. Other Android devices will get to use it in the future.
google
As with most Google features, it didn’t immediately land on Android devices and instead was rolled out over the last few weeks.
The Find My app now has two categories at the bottom of the screen labeled “Devices” and “People” (still in beta, apparently).
Tap on the people tab to see a map and a button called “+ New Share.” The map will show you the live locations of people who are sharing with you. The New Share button lets you send your location for various times including one hour, today only, a custom duration, or until you turn it off.
You can share your location via a link or select individuals to send your area, including Apple device owners.
This option already works similarly in theGoogle Mapsapp, and from what we can tell, Google isn’t removing that feature from the Maps app.
If you didn’t know this existed in Google Maps, you can find it by clicking your profile icon in Maps. It should be the fourth option down called “Location Sharing.”
Like the new People tab in the Find My app, you can share your location for selected times. The interface looks the same across the two apps once you click on location sharing.
People you share your location with in Google Maps can always find your Name and photo, the device’s recent location even when Google apps aren’t being used, the device’s battery power and if it’s charging and arrival and departure time if they add a Location Sharing notification.
Google
I think the sharing is easier to do in the Find My app and faster than through Google apps. Plus, it’s combined with the device search, which makes sense to be in the same place on your phone.
That said, using the feature asked me to turn off the power-saving mode. It’ll take some testing, but we’ll need to watch how power-hungry the mode is, especially on older devices.
Tracking your Android devices is more manageable if you haven’t used the Find My network. Google offers the Find My Device feature but requires a network connection and a turned-on device.
The newer Find My network accesses a network of Android devices andBluetoothto track phones, tablets or earbuds that may not be connected to a network.
Cloud hosting provides scalability, redundancy, and can be more cost effective
Image credit: Pixabay (Image credit: Pixabay)
Cloud hostingis more than just a marketing term thrown around. It’s a type of hosting that provides scalability, redundancy, and can be more cost effective for the right users. Unfortunately, the phrase cloud has been overly used and misrepresented so understanding what it is and what benefits it has is not the easiest thing to unpack. I’ve written this explainer to help you understand what cloud really is and whether you need it. This can help you pick thebest web hostingfor you.
What is cloud hosting?
To understand cloud hosting, we first need to understand traditional hosting. In traditional web hosting you rent a server that contains resources. Resources are the things your website needs to run. The three main resources are CPU, RAM, and storage.
You either share these resources throughshared hosting. Share them virtually through through VPS hosting or, don’t share them at all with dedicated hosting. The main characteristic here is that this is one physical server with a direct link between the website and the resources in the server.
With cloud hosting the resources don’t belong to individual servers. Instead the resources exist in a pool and websites can use what they need when they need it.
You can think of shared hosting like sitting around a table with a bowl of food in the middle. You don’t have your own plate everyone just grabs from what’s available. If there is a greedy eater at the table. You’re going to get less, and you might end up hungry.
VPS hostingis the same scenario but you have your own plate. At the beginning of the meal everyone takes what they want and puts it on their plate. This is much better because greedy eaters won’t take food from you and you always know how much food you have.
Dedicatedis the same scenario but you’re sitting at the table by yourself. Great if you have a big appetite but can be very wasteful.
Cloud is different. Instead of food being served in the middle of the table and people taking what they want at the beginning or free-for-all style cloud is like having your own waiter. Ask for something on the menu whenever you want it and the waiter will bring it immediately.
The main benefit of cloud hosting is scalability. By this I mean that you can add and remove resources for your site at the click of a button or automatically. The resources in cloud hosting are not attached to one server so you can pull resources from the entire network.
With traditional hosting you would need to physically add or remove a CPU, RAM, or storage when you needed it which takes time, is risky, and can result in downtime.
Redundancy is another word for duplication. In cloud hosting your site and backups can be duplicated and stored in many different locations (called geo-redundancy). So if the storage fails, no problem, it’s already ready to be used in a different location. If a disaster happens that causes the power to be cut off from a datacenter or a datacenter is destroyed entirely. No problem! Your site was never offline because there was another copy in another datacenter.
Cost-effectiveness
It seems counter-intuitive that a type of hosting that has additional features can be more cost effective but it can. At scale, it’s cheaper to use cloud resources for redundancy and scalability because you don’t need to own and maintain additional equipment. The cost effectiveness is only there at scale though. Unless you will benefit from scalability and redundancy, there is no need to pay extra for cloud.
Who needs cloud hosting?
If your website doesn’t need many resources and doesn’t see big fluctuations in traffic like a blog or portfolio, shared hosting is absolutely fine. It’s the cheapest type of hosting if you’re not very technical and you won’t suffer any of the negative aspects of shared hosting.
If you need to guarantee resources for your site and you know the resource requirements are the same every month, then using a VPS is a better choice than shared hosting. So, thebest VPS hostingis a good option for established sites that get frequent regular visitors that don’t need the benefits of redundancy.
Dedicated is for when you need additional security requirements and/or have a website or websites that demand a lot of resources. Dedicated hosting is not that popular anymore and is generally being replaced with cloud hosting because it provides all the benefits of dedicated hosting but cheaper and also has some additional bonusses. Unless you’re dealing with highly sensitive information or your business needs are super high like a web developer managing multiple sites and applications, there isn’t much need to think about dedicated hosting.
You can benefit from cloud hosting in the following scenarios
New businesses
When starting a new business the last thing you want to be dealing with is hosting issues. You also wont know for sure how many resources you need until you start getting site visits and then, what happens if you get more than expected? Opting for cloud hosting at the beginning can save you hassle and money in the long run. Once you have established what the regular visits to your site are and what resources they require you can try a VPS server to save money;
Online stores
Servers for online stores are doing a lot more heavy lifting than servers for blogs and portfolios due to larger databases, unique users, shopping carts, and taking payments. When a site is the main revenue source it’s also a lot more important to make sure it’s online all the time. Online stores also get higher fluctuations in traffic from things like promotions or festivals.
Cloud hosting helps alleviate these pressures on servers to ensure that an online store is always ready to go and always has the best user experience.
There are plenty of studies that show that slow sites lose revenue so spending more on cloud hosting can pay for itself in additional sales and higher ranking in searches.
Types of cloud hosting
You might see cloud hosting packaged in many different forms. Some is just fancy marketing. Some is genuine. To help you navigate the market I’ve broken down some of the key cloud packages.
It seems odd to say shared cloud because it’s technically not shared in the traditional sense and in another sense all cloud is shared. So, what is shared cloud?
Shared cloud is essentially a virtual server with many websites sharing that virtual server. It’s the same as the example I gave earlier of people eating at a table from a central pot in the middle. An amount of cloud resources are allocated to that space and the websites have to share whats there.
Many hosting companies now are based on cloud infrastructure and sell shared hosting this way, Some still call it shared, some call it shared cloud.
If shared servers are managed properly then from a users perspective it’s essentially the same. If a hosting company is charging more because their shared is cloud, check what cloud benefits the plan has. Are there offs-site backups? If not, then it’s not worth the extra price tag.
Cloud VPS
Cloud VPS is the same as above. A virtual environment is created and resources are reserved for it. This is the most common form of cloud hosting and usually comes with all the benefits of cloud like geo-redundancy and scalability. This is the most suitable type of hosting for online stores and growing businesses, or sites that require a custom server environment.
Cloud hosting round up
To summarise, cloud hosting is a type of infrastructure on which hosting plans can be created and managed. Cloud hosting adopts traditional hosting methodology but brings with it scalability and redundancy that traditional hosting cannot provide.
Cloud hosting is excellent for websites that have large fluctuations in site visits, new businesses that don’t know what their baseline requirements are, and for online stores that depend on excellent user experience and being always online.
If you love taking macro photos and are considering the purchase of a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra or iPhone 16 Pro Max, you’ve come to the right place.
I used both of these phone to take over 200 macro photos and then selected several comparisons for this face-off to determine a winner.
We’ve looked at the Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max’s camera performance in a number of ways already, but macro photography is a special case. Most phones, including these two, don’t have dedicated macro cameras, instead relying on their ultrawide cameras and some software trickery to deal with the unique needs of this photographic technique.
Samsung and Apple both using similarly-specced ultrawide cameras for their flagship phones. The Galaxy S25 Ultra has a slightly higher resolution (50MP) compared to the iPhone 16 Pro Max (48MP), and a larger aperture (f/1.9 vs. f/2.2), but nonetheless this is a close match-up on paper.
So how about real-life performance? Join me for this Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max macro shootout to see which phone delivers the biggest results when it comes to small details.
Our first pair of photos is of a bench in Hyde Park, featuring some carved letting. At this distance, the Galaxy S25 Ultra shows far more detail of the woodgrain and tiny moss growths within this letter “F.”
The iPhone has produced a warmer-colored picture, which is less accurate but still looks good overall. If it could bring out the darkest parts of the image like the Galaxy, we’d have a draw, but this is Samsung’s round.
Next up is the toppings of a caramel donut, with layers of icing and little honeycomb pieces. Despite the overall color palette of this subject, the iPhone’s photo is still way too yellow here.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy’s shot is clearer and more accurately colored. And to the sharp-eyed among you — yes, I did notice the loose strand of thread and removed it before I ate the donut.
I took this next pair of photos of a yellow flower at two different distances to see how our contenders cope with shifting distances.
Starting out at the farther of our two distances, the iPhone immediately stands out for its brightness, helping more of the details shine through. There’s still good detail and contrast in the Galaxy’s shot, but not as much light to properly view them.
At a closer distance, the two phones have produced shots of a similar brightness. But the Galaxy image is much sharper, with the iPhone struggling to focus this close to its subject.
Moving back indoors, we have this shot of the blade of a cupboard key. The Samsung’s photo is sharper and brighter, with better dynamic range.
But the iPhone has a small advantage of its own in being able to focus at this distance from further away, hence why it doesn’t cast as much of a shadow in the image.
The different focal point that proved the iPhone’s downfall in the last comparison has helped it out in this instance.
As a coffee nerd, I had to try out these cameras with a photo of some great latte art on a cappuccino.
I like how the iPhone version of this shot shows off the light reflecting off the tiny bubbles much more clearly, while still keeping the rest of the shot balanced properly.
The Galaxy image is maybe a tad too bright, spoiling the lovely brown of the milky coffee.
Finally, I took a look at my favorite scarf (likely the source of the loose strand that landed on the donut earlier) through the lens of these two phones.
It’s another round where the iPhone’s color temperature is a little off, but detail-wise both phones have done well, albeit with slightly different focus areas.
Winner:Draw
Verdict
After this close call of close-up photo performance, the Galaxy S25 Ultra has scored a win.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max takes some great looking macro photos, and it won the flower rounds and the latte round.. But the hardware/software combination that the Galaxy S25 Ultra uses makes for more consistent macro shots, especially in terms of color.
PlayStation and Santa Monica Studios are celebrating the 20th anniversary of God of War by releasing a new free DLC for all Ragnarok players.
TL;DR: The God of War franchise celebrates its 20th anniversary with a new DLC for God of War Ragnarok, the Dark Odyssey Collection, releasing on March 20. This free DLC includes new appearances and armor for Kratos, Atreus, and Freya, as well as weapon and shield enhancements. The God of War franchise is about to turn 20-years old and in celebration of one of the most popular PlayStation franchises a new DLC is being released for God of War Ragnarok.
The first God of War game was released in 2005, and since then the franchise has gone through some major changes, with the most prominent being in 2018 when the game was rebooted. Notably, Santa Monica Studio game director Cory Barlog explained during the Raising Kratos behind the scenes that the chopping of the tree at the start of God of War 2018 was symbolic of the old franchise coming to an end and a new one beginning. Boy, was that a good decision, as God of War 2018 went on to win Game of the Year and breathe new life into the franchise.
The follow-up title released in 2022, God of War Ragnarok, while it didn’t win Game of the Year, was still met with praise by fans, and won Best Narrative, Best Action/Adventure, losing Game of the Year to Elden Ring. Now, in celebration of how far the God of War franchise has come, PlayStation has announced a new DLC for Ragnarok – the Dark Odyssey Collection. The new DLC will be released on March 20 and will be free for all players that own a copy of God of War Ragnarok.
Apple’s Audio Sharing feature lets you share with a friend what you’re listening to on your Apple AirPods or select Beats headphones.
Apple has made it so you no longer need to share headphones to share music. With the Audio Sharing feature that debuted in iOS 13.1 and iPadOS 13.1, audio from a single iPhone or iPad can be sent to two separate pairs ofheadphones. While Apple has made the feature easy to use, there are still a few details to note. Most importantly, Audio Sharing does not work with every device or pair of headphones. Here’s what you need to know about wirelessly sharing audio on iPhone and iPad.
How to Get Audio Sharing
Before you can share your audio, you’ll need to meet certain requirements. Your iPhone must be running iOS 13.1 or higher, and your iPad should have iPadOS 13.1 or higher. To check, openSettings > General > Software Update, where you’ll be prompted to update your device or told it’s running the latest version. Even if you’re running the correct OS, the device you own may still be incompatible with Audio Sharing. To take advantage of the feature, both people must own one of these devices:
iPhone 8 or later
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd Gen), 11-inch, or 10.5-inch or later
Not every pair ofwireless headphonesare compatible with Apple’s Audio Sharing feature, either. To share your audio, both parties must be using a pair that contain Apple’s H1, H2, or W1 processor, which gives youa few options:
You can share your audio with another person through their charging case. While their headphones are in use, open their charging case and leave it near your device. Your device should open a Share Audio prompt, then just follow the directions on the screen. This will involve holding down the button on the charging case until their headphones are linked to your device.
(Credit: Apple)
You can also share audio from the Now Playing screen, Lock Screen, orControl Center. Tap theAirPlayicon and select theShare Audiobutton underneath the graphic showing your headphones. Place both devices next to each other and tapShare Audiowhen it appears on your screen. Your friend must then tapJoinon their device to complete the connection.
If your friend is using Beats headphones, the process is slightly different. With their headphones already connected, have them quickly press the power button and keep your device close by. This should cause the Share Audio button to appear on your screen, allowing you to connect.
(Credit: Apple)
Control Audio While Sharing
Audio volume for both sets of headphones can be controlled from theLock Screen, Control Center, or with the volume buttons on the side of the sharing device. By long-pressing the volume slider on the screen, you can control the volume of each set of headphones independently. Volume can also be controlled from the headphones themselves. AirPods that support noise-cancelling can use different noise control modes for each listener.
When you’re ready to stop sharing audio, tap theAirPlayicon in Control Center or on the Lock Screen to view the headphones that are currently connected. Tap the checkmark next to a pair of headphones to stop sharing audio.
Recently,Intelresearchers published ablog postthat points to a more modular and sustainable future for laptops and mini PCs.
The blog, envisions concepts for laptops that feature standardized motherboards and IO ports for a variety of laptop types including fan-less, single-fan and dual-fan versions.
Part of the argument from the researchers — Roberta Zouain, Intel’s Sustainability Product Strategy and Marketing Manager; Reshma PP, Director of System Design; and Gurpreet Sandhu, Vice President of the Platform Engineering Group — is to reduce e-waste, which they saygenerates over 60 million tonson a yearly basis, with less than 25% of that actually collected for recycling.
The drive for sustainable PC design appears to partner with the right to repair movement. This movement argues that people should be able to repair or upgrade their devices without being penalized for not buying the latest gear or restricted from accessing components and tools to do so.
There are some modular laptop designs already in the wild.Framework has been making customizable gaming PCsfor awhile.Asus announced at CES the ROG Strix Scar 16 and 18which features tooless upgrades for the SSD, no screwdriver required.
What Intel is arguing for is more open source and standardized from the factory floor to repair shops and the home user. This would mean that anyone could find components and tools to repair or upgrade their laptop.
One big change proposed by Intel is a standardized motherboard that is designed into three segments with the motherboard and system-on-a-chip separated from the IO ports.
“The creation of universal I/O boards (left and right I/O boards) that can be utilized across various platforms or market segments leads to cost savings by streamlining the duration of the design cycle and minimizing the engineering investment required,” the authors write.
(Image credit: Intel)
The paper goes on, “This innovative structure allows for targeted upgrades, repairs, and replacements, significantly extending the device’s lifespan and reducing electronic waste.”
The company also proposes a similar redesign for mini-PC, again separating various components into modules. These changes include removable CPU and GPU chips, hot-swappable storage and even repairable Thunderbolt modules.
“These modules significantly reduce repair costs and simplify the repair process in the event of port or connector damage at the end-user level,” they write.
One thing that would need to be fought against here is how components are installed. In a right to repair favored world, any component from the display to a random USB port could be replaced with new components that plug or screw in.
Unfortunately, in some devices (looking at you Apple), components are glued in and nearly impossible to remove without some serious know-how or technical support.
In a race to have the thinnest laptops in the world (outside of the gaming market), I wonder if modular PCs would make sleek laptops a thing of the past. Personally, I would take a chunkier device over a thin laptop if I could easily swap out my RAM or put in the latest CPU to get the most of out my PC without buying a new hunk of plastic.
Unfortunately, probably not for a while. Unless Intel is heavily working on this in the background, the blog is a proposal and Intel doesn’t make laptops or mini PCs.
Instead, it would need to be adapted in agreements with Intel partners likeDellorAsus.
Assuming Intel is working on this, we would guess the earliest you would actually see modular PCs would be a year, but that may be wishful thinking.
Everyone loves cheat codes, and here are the best ones for Chromebooks
Acer Chromebook Spin 713
Chromebooks have become a favorite amidst students for completing school work, and any parent would want their child to work smarter, not harder. This is where convenient keyboard shortcuts come in, as they can save students time and energy, allowing them to focus on their assignments first and foremost.
Chromebooks are among some of thebest laptops for collegethanks to their affordable cost and easy-to-use operating system, which makes it convenient for the work expected of most students. Whether it’s browsing the web, using Google’s suite of apps like Sheets or Docs, or usingAndroidand Google applications to perform tasks, it’s lightweight and convenient.
Batterymap has reviewed some of thebest Chromebooksyou can buy, and as a result, we have picked up many tips and tricks to ensure you and your student get the most out of the Chromebook experience. These keyboard shortcuts are game-changing and great to know, as they will improve your student’s workflow and ability to get things done.
The first set of Chromebook shortcuts are universal, and can be used on any website or app. They will keep you productive and help you personalize your user experience, alongside convenient features like hiding certainwindows, taking screenshots, or zooming in.
Tab shortcuts: Ctrl + T opens a new tab, Ctrl + Shift + T re-opens the last closed tab, and Ctrl + W closes the currently selected tab.
Options menu: Alt + E opens the options menu (the three-dot menu in Google Chrome and Google Files). This shortcut does not work while using Android apps.
Cursor selection and movement: Shift + arrow keys selects text in the direction you move the cursor, and Ctrl + arrow keys moves the cursor one word to the left, right or to the beginning of the line above or below. Using Shift + Ctrl + arrow keys allows you to select larger portions of text quickly.
Screenshot: Ctrl + Overview (the button that looks like a stack of windows) takes a screenshot of your current full Chromebook screen. Whether you need this for capturing the result you got on a web quiz, how a homework module is misbehaving, or something funny that someone said in a group chat, it’s an essential shortcut to know.
Screen zoom: Ctrl and + zooms in and magnifies the current tab of Chrome, while Ctrl and– zooms out and shrinks the current tab of Chrome. If you want to return quickly to 100% default zoom, you can do so with Ctrl and 0.
Hide your game/tab: Alt and – will minimize the current window. If you have multiple windows open, hitting Alt and – again will minimize the next open window. If you only have one window open on your Chromebook, hitting Alt and – again will restore that minimized window.
Split-screening windows: Alt and [ pins the current window to the left side of the screen.Alt and ] pins the current window on the right side of the screen, making it far, far easier to reference your notes while you write your history report or helpful technology articles. Alt and = will make a window full-width again without making it fullscreen, which hides the address bar, tabs, and toolbars.
There are a ton of Google Drive and Google Docs shortcuts that users can use; we aren’t even able to share all of them. There are that many. However, the keyboard shortcuts selected are the ones you need to know. Let’s start with theGoogle Drive shortcuts first.
Display all the keyboard shortcuts with: Ctrl + /
Document creation: Shift + T creates a new Doc, Shift + S creates a new Sheet, and Shift + F creates a new Folder. If you’re going to be using Google Drive for all your notes, homework, and random daydreaming stories throughout the year, create folders early and often to keep things organized.
Rename items: Tapping N pops up the window to rename the currently selected item. Naming screenshots, other randomly named images and downloaded attachments will keep things better organized and easy to find in your Google Drive.
Scroll up, down, left, and right with the j k h l keys if you don’t want your fingers leaving the keyboard.
Clear formatting: Ctrl + \ will clear any weird formatting off of a website or app. On that note, remember that Ctrl + Shift + V is the shortcut for pasting text without formatting.
Formatting lists: Ctrl + Shift + 7 will toggle on a numbered list or format highlighted text into a numbered list. Ctrl + Shift + 8 will do the same with a bulleted list.
Word count: Ctrl + Shift + C will bring up the word count screen, showing how many pages, words, and characters are in a highlighted section and the full document, so you know how close you are to that 10,000-word essay your English teacher assigned.
Voice typing: Ctrl + Shift + S will start voice typing, allowing you to dictate text to your document without having to type it all out.
Jump to top or bottom: Ctrl + Search + left arrow will take you to the beginning of your document while Ctrl + Search + right arrow will go to the end.
Insert links: Ctrl + K will open the insert link window in Google Docs, allowing you to create a new hyperlink for text or add a hyperlink to the text you had currently highlighted.
Files Shortcuts
The Files application on Chromebook is like a secret agent very few know about or discuss, but it does some pretty great things. Since it syncs with Google Drive,ChromeWeb Store add-ons like OneDrive or Dropbox, and whatever extra cloud storage you may use, it comes in handy as it allows you to updates to those files right from your Chromebook.
To further the convenience, using these keyboard shortcuts will speed up the process.
Folder creation: Ctrl + E creates a new folder.
Rename items: Ctrl + Enter to rename the selected item. I find this goes quicker in Files than on the Google Drive site because you don’t have to deal with pop-up windows or the window reloading after renaming a file. Ctrl + Enter, type in the new name, tap Enter, then arrow key over to the next item and repeat.
Delete items: Alt + Backspace to delete an item from a folder. Items deleted from a Google Drive folder in the Files app still go to the Google Drive trash folder, so you can recover them within a number of days if you find you deleted something on accident.
These are just some of the relevant keyboard shortcuts for Chromebook users. Plenty more are available, and you can always display all the keyboard shortcuts for your Chromebook by simply hittingCtrl + /.Then, a popup menu will appear with the entire list of Google Chromebook keyboard shortcuts you can use.
