We will tell you about several uses you can make of the Chrome application launcher which go far beyond simply running your apps.
The Google Chrome application launcher has been available since 2013. At first, Google decided to create it only for Chromebooks users, and it was intended as a kind of start menu, just like the Windows one, so that users would have several tools to hand at a single location, and especially, so that they could run apps easily.
Google then decided to offer this tool to all users of its browser and not only to Chrome OS users. Anyone can have the launcher and access all their Chrome applications from it, whether they use Windows, OS X or Linux. However, perhaps you are not using it to its full potential. Not many people know that it has features other than the application launch feature. If you do not have the Chrome application launcher installed, you can get it here.
Do a Search
From here, you can perform any kind of search. If you want, you can use the Chrome application launcher in the same way as the Google Start page. At the top, there is a search bar, and the results you obtain will be fully customised, because the browser has access to your browsing history, your Google contacts, your favourites, Chrome applications you have installed, Chrome shop results and Google search engine suggestions.
Add Bookmarks or Favourites
When you open the Chrome application launcher you will have access to all the apps you have installed on your browser, but you can also add bookmarks so that you will have them easily to hand. In order to do this you need to go to the website you want to save in favourites, and click on the Chrome menu (located on the top right). Go to the “Additional Tools” section and click on “Add to the Toolbar”. You can then decide whether this bookmark should open as an application with its own window, or whether you want it to simply be a tab, and then it will always appear in the application launcher.
Create Folders
If you have a lot of applications or bookmarks, you can always organise everything by creating folders within the menu. It is very similar to how we do it on Android. Just drag one icon on top of the other to create a folder. You can add as many as you want, once you have created it, and you can give it a special name if you so wish.
Synchronise your Configuration
If you want to use the Chrome application launcher on several computers so that they always have the same configuration, you can do so. However, this is an experimental feature of Chrome, and it will need to be activated. In order to do this, open a new tab in Chrome and write “chrome://flags” in the address bar. Then, press the keys Ctrl+F and write “application selector”. This will find the function you need to enable. Once you have finished, restart Chrome, and from that point on your data will be synchronised whenever you log in using your Google account on any computer you use.
Calculator and Conversion of Units
You can also do maths using the search engine, just as if you were on Google.com. You can use it as a calculator to add, subtract, divide and multiply, and also as a converter of units of all kinds.
