Chrome App Launcher Retirement

The app launcher makes Chrome apps easy to open outside the browser, but Google has found that users on Windows, Mac, and Linux prefer to launch their apps from within Chrome. With Chrome’s continued emphasis on simplicity and streamlining browser features, the launcher will be removed from those platforms and it will remain unchanged on Chrome OS.

Beginning in a few weeks, Chrome will no longer enable the launcher when users first install a Chrome app. Anyone who currently has the launcher will receive a notice informing them that the launcher will be going away. In July, existing instances of the launcher will be removed.

Since Google Chrome can be used to do almost anything, as you’re using Chromebooks, find below some tips that you can benefit from while using Chrome:

Google tries hard to make new tabs useful from the outset but there are some Chrome extensions that can make it work even harder. One of these is Momentum.

Upon opening a new tab, instead of the spartan slate of recent sites and Chrome apps you get Momentum, your personal dashboard presenting a Things to Do list, quote of the day, favorite links and, to top it all off, a beautiful landscape.

Chrome shortcuts

Any power user worth his or her salt knows the keyboard is still king. Knowing the right Chrome key combos can save you a ton of time across your day.

Here are a few shortcuts you should definitely know (PC/Mac):

• Ctrl/Cmd + L – highlights text in the address bar
• Ctrl/Cmd + T – open a new tab
• Ctrl/Cmd + W – close current tab
• Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + T – reopen closed tab
• Ctrl + Tab – switch tab one tab to the right
• Ctrl + Shift + Tab – switch tab one tab to the left
• Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + B – toggle the bookmark bar visibility

And here’s where you’ll find the whole shooting match.