If you haven't used a Chromebook before, you probably haven't ever encountered Chrome OS, an operating system designed by Google for Chromebooks and Chromeboxes. Like Windows OS and macOS, the two most common operating systems, Chrome OS is an environment in which you may launch applications, surf the Web, save and work with files, and more.

All in all, Chrome OS and Chromebooks can do just a lot that Windows and Mac computers can—they just do it differently! For example, this very page was created using Chrome OS. Could you tell?

Chromebook Key Features

Keyboard Layout

Chromebooks rely on a specialized keyboard with features for key Chrome OS functions. This is the same as computers running Windows that have keyboards with specializations for Windows and Macs have keyboards with features specific to macOS.

Like standard Windows and macOS keyboards, standard Chromebook keyboards use a QWERTY layout.

For a full list of Chromebook keyboard special keys and what they do, see Use your Chromebook keyboard from Google's knowledge base.

Standard Chromebook keyboard layout

The most significant special key on a Chromebook keyboard is the Search key, to the left of the "a" button, where the Caps Lock key is on most Windows and macOS keyboards. Pressing the Search key will bring up a universal search menu that searches everything the Chromebook can access, from local files to application settings to everything Google can find online.

Search menu brought up by pressing the Search key

You may also press the Search button in the bottom-left of the screen, the white circular symbol, to bring up this Search menu.