Apps on a Chromebook
Opening Your Apps on a New Chromebook
A Chromebook opens apps from its Launcher, and many services you used through an app on a Windows computer or a Mac also work as websites in Google Chrome. This page shows how to look for an app, and how to use a service through its website when the app is not there.
Look for an app on your Chromebook
To check whether an app is on your Chromebook:
- Click Launcher, the circle at the lower-left corner of the screen.
- Type the app's name in the search box.
- If the app's name appears in the results, click it. Its window opens. If it does not appear, use its website as shown below.
You can also open an app by clicking its picture on the shelf, the row of small pictures at the bottom of the screen, when the app is there.
Use an app through its website
Many services you used through an app on your old computer also work as a website.
- Click Launcher, the circle at the lower-left corner of the screen. Type Chrome and click Chrome in the results.
- Click the long address bar at the top of Chrome. Type the company's website address, such as the one on a statement, receipt or letter from the company, and press Enter.
- If the website asks you to sign in, use the account you use for that service.
The website may look different from the app on your old computer. For more help with the address bar, follow How to Go to a Website by Its Address on a Chromebook.
For example, Microsoft offers Word, Excel and other Microsoft 365 apps on the web. Open microsoft365.com in Chrome and sign in with your Microsoft account. Microsoft also offers Outlook on the web at outlook.com. Some Microsoft 365 features need a subscription.
Your documents and pictures are separate from the app. Signing in to an app does not bring the files from your old computer. If you saved a file in an online service, such as OneDrive or Google Drive, open it there. If you copied it onto the Chromebook, follow How to Open a Saved File on a Chromebook.
If you do not find an app
A program made for Windows or a Mac, such as one you download as a file ending in .exe or .dmg, does not install on a Chromebook, so do not download one. Instead, look on the company's own website for a Chromebook version of the app or a way to use it on the web. A website version may need an internet connection.