Google’s Chromebook Simulator is an animated and interactive simulation inside of your browser that you can use to learn more about how to navigate Chrome OS. It offers numerous step-by-step tutorials to help you get acquainted with the operating system.
Why Use Google’s Chromebook Simulator?
Google’s simulator is intended for people who have recently bought a new Chromebook—or are looking to buy one—and want to get accustomed to Chrome OS. It provides tutorials that explain basic features and functionality through an interactive interface with a step-by-step walkthrough.
The guides in the simulator are easy to follow along with and only proceed when you’re ready to go forward. Some of the guides have you click the simulated desktop to get to the next step while others require you to click the “Next” button to proceed.
Some of the topics covered in the simulator include browse as a guest, add an account, use the touchpad, install Android apps, and update your Chromebook.
How to Use the Chromebook Simulator
To get started using the Chromebook simulator, fire up your browser, and head to the simulator’s homepage.
From here, you can use the panel on the left to browse through the categories for a guide or click on one of the “Popular Topics” at the bottom of the page. You can even use the search bar to find what you want from the topics covered.
When you find the topic you were looking for, click on it to start the tutorial.
After the tutorial loads, you can follow along with it by clicking on the animation provided or the “Next” button.
After the tutorial finishes, at the bottom of the page, you can click the “Chromebook Help Center” link to redirect to the Google Help Desk page on the topic, the “Restart the tutorial” to move back to the beginning of the guide or provide feedback on the tutorial.
At any point during the tutorial, you can switch to another one by clicking on a new topic from the list on the left side panel. You can also print the tutorial or download it as a PDF file to have on your computer.
While the Chromebook simulator isn’t a fully-functional version of Chrome OS, it does provide users with the resource to troubleshoot common issues they may have.
If you want to test drive the OS before making the leap, the simulation gives you a pretty good idea of how to get around before you purchase a Chromebook. Otherwise, you could try Chrome OS inside a virtual machine on your current system.