Chromebooks Now Have An ‘Everything’ Button, But It’s Not New

Google Chromebooks have an Everything button, located where the caps lock usually is. The button itself is a feature familiar to Chromebook users, but it wasn’t always called the Everything button. It comes on every Chromebook and enables users to perform a variety of tasks, including launching Google Assistant.

Running on the Chrome OS operating system and featuring Google Chrome as its chief browser, Chromebooks only run apps from the Chrome Store or the Google Play Store. Chromebooks come with a pretty big price range, with some options starting at less than $200. However, there are also plenty of more expensive options, including the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook which starts at around $1000. Adding to the choice, Chromebooks also come in several different types, including convertible and detachable options.

In a community blog posting, Google officially announced the Everything button, which was previously called the Launcher or Search button. According to Google, the name was changed in response to user feedback. It was also changed to highlight the fact that Chromebook users have a specialized button that allows them to do many different things. Functions of the Everything key include turning the caps lock on and off and switching between screens when the user has the Chromebook connected to a monitor. To do this, simple press the Everything key, the Alt key and the M key at the same time. The button can also be used to search through files, apps, Google Drive, as well as Google itself.

What The Everything Key Can Do

“Everything” is a pretty fitting name for this button, since it can help users do so many different things, from text editing to accessing accessibility features. For example, it can be used to jump to the beginning or end of a document. To get to the beginning of a document, just hit the Everything button and the left arrow button, Likewise, hitting the Everything button and the right arrow will bring the user to the end of a document. The Everything button can also magnify the whole screen or just part of the screen by hitting the Control key, Everything button, and the M key. For just part of the screen, Control and Everything, while pressing the D key.

The Everything key also helps users interact with the apps on the Chromebook, including simply finding an app. To give this shortcut a try, press the Everything key and type the name of the app into the search bar. To open an app, press the Everything key and select the app from the list of recently used apps — or, if the app hasn’t been used recently, select the Up arrow to see the full list. It’s also possible to use the Everything button to access shortcuts within an app. For example, to compose an email in Gmail, press the Everything key, then the Up arrow. A right click on the Gmail app, and then a click on Compose will open up a new email draft on the Chromebook.

Source: Chromebook Help

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