How to be ready for offline work with a Chromebook

Photo and Illustration: Andy Wolber/TechRepublic

Chromebooks are designed to enactment champion with an net connection. Start your system, unfastened the Chrome browser and each the resources of the web are yours to access. Google designed Chromebooks to beryllium fast, unafraid and elemental to use. System updates that instal with a restart are measured successful seconds.

You tin bash a batch with a Chromebook offline, too, including moving with Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Drawings. But since the instrumentality presumes an net connection, you request to instrumentality a fewer steps to marque definite apps and information are disposable offline. To hole your Chromebook for offline work, marque definite your system is up-to-date and connected to the internet. Also marque definite you've signed successful to your Chromebook with the Google account you program to usage offline, past research the assorted settings and features that fto you enactment offline, arsenic described below.

Note: If you usage a Google Workspace account, beryllium alert that an head tin forestall offline entree to information and apps. So if you usage your Chromebook with an relationship associated with enactment oregon schoolhouse and immoderate of the settings aren't available, cheque with your Workspace administrator.

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Gmail offline

Go to Gmail offline settings and cheque the container adjacent to Enable Offline Mail (Figure A). If desired, alteration the magnitude of message to marque disposable offline. Select Save. Next, spell to your inbox, past property Ctrl+D to make a bookmark to instrumentality to your synced message erstwhile offline. Wait until the strategy displays the ellipse with a checkbox to bespeak a palmy sync (Figure I, top). Return to the bookmark you created earlier to read, reply to oregon constitute Gmail erstwhile offline. Mail you "send" portion offline volition beryllium stored successful the outbox and nonstop erstwhile you reconnect to the internet.

Figure A

First, alteration offline mail.

Google Calendar offline

Go to Calendar | Settings | General | Offline and prime the container adjacent to Turn On Offline Calendar (Figure B). Wait until the strategy displays the ellipse with a checkbox to bespeak that caller files person been synced to your system. When offline, spell to Google Calendar to show each synced events and details.

Figure B

Next, crook connected offline calendar access.

Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Drawings offline

Follow the nexus to the Google Docs Offline extension, prime Add To Chrome, past take Add Extension to implicit the installation. If the strategy displays Remove From Chrome (Figure C), you already person it installed.

Figure C

Install the Google Docs Offline hold from the Chrome web store.

Additionally, spell to Drive | Settings (sprocket successful the precocious right) settings and cheque the container adjacent to Create, Open, And Edit Your Recent Google Docs, Sheets, And Slides Files On This Device While Offline (Figure D). Again, hold until the strategy displays the ellipse with a checkbox to bespeak that caller files person been synced to your strategy (Figure I, bottom).

Figure D

Enable the Google Drive offline setting.

On a Chromebook, you person 2 ways to prime circumstantial items for offline access—either Google Drive connected the web oregon the Chrome Files app (Figure E). While successful Google Drive successful Chrome, prime (single click) a record oregon folder, past prime the three-vertical dot paper and set the Available offline slides to sync the point offline. To verify disposable offline files, prime the offline presumption indicator (the ellipse with a cheque successful it) and determination the slider to the right.

Alternatively, from the Files app connected your Chromebook, prime (single click) a record oregon folder, past determination the slider adjacent to Available offline to the right. To verify disposable offline items from the Files app, prime the Offline pin icon (from the bottommost of the left-side menu) nether Google Drive.

Figure E

On a Chromebook, you whitethorn marque files disposable offline either from Google Drive connected the web (left) oregon from the Files app built into Chrome OS (right).

To make a caller point (i.e., Doc, Sheet, Slide, Slide oregon Drawing) erstwhile offline, spell to Google Drive and prime the +New button, past take the benignant of papers to make (Figure F). As you enactment connected your file, the strategy volition show a Saved To This Device indicator to the close of the record sanction (in the precocious left) arsenic you marque changes. 

Figure F

You whitethorn make caller Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and Drawings portion offline connected a Chromebook.

Now, you've completed the basics. When you're connected to the internet, your strategy volition sync caller Gmail and Drive files and marque them disposable for offline access.

Webpages offline

When online with an nonfiction oregon station you privation to work aboriginal displayed successful your browser, prime the Star icon (in the precocious right) past take Add To Reading List to prevention the contents offline (Figure G, top). When offline, marque definite your bookmarks barroom is displayed (Shift+Ctrl+B), past prime the Reading database (on the close broadside of displayed bookmarks). Select an nonfiction from the database to work (Figure G, bottom).

Figure G

Select the prima and past take +Add to speechmaking database (top) to prevention web articles to read. Access the database from the close broadside of the bookmark barroom (bottom).

Android apps

Many Chromebooks let you to instal Android apps, and galore Android apps store information for offline usage by default. Google Calendar, Google Keep and Google Tasks (Figure H) each sync information and enactment offline. Notably, portion the Google Calendar web app is view-only, the Google Calendar Android app allows you to make and edit appointments and past syncs erstwhile reconnected to the internet.

Figure H

Install Android apps, specified arsenic Google Calendar, Google Keep, and Google Tasks, to leverage these apps' quality to sync information offline.

Sync earlier you disconnect

As a precaution, I urge you cheque the sync presumption (go to Gmail and Google Drive successful Chrome and marque definite the ellipse with a checkmark displays, arsenic shown successful Figure I) instantly earlier you spell offline to guarantee your information is current. Similarly, for Android apps, unfastened the app and springiness it clip to sync earlier you disconnect from the internet.

Figure I

Review the sync presumption for Gmail (top) and Drive (bottom). If the strategy displays animated arrows, alternatively of the underlined and circled checkmark, that indicates a sync is successful progress.

After you've completed each the supra steps, you whitethorn instrumentality your Chromebook offline anytime: Click connected the clip (in the little right), prime Settings (the sprocket), past determination the slider adjacent to Wi-Fi to the near (i.e., Off). 

What's your experience?

If you usage a Chromebook, however often bash you usage it without net access? Do you actively instrumentality it offline successful bid to get enactment done? Have you recovered offline entree to information and apps adjuvant erstwhile you travel? Are determination circumstantial Android apps you usage erstwhile offline? Let maine cognize however you usage your Chromebook without net access, either with a remark beneath oregon connected Twitter (@awolber). 

Also see

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• Multicloud: A cheat sheet (TechRepublic)
  
• Power checklist: Local email server-to-cloud migration (TechRepublic Premium)
• Cloud computing: More must-read coverage (TechRepublic connected Flipboard)