Table of contents for Issue 4 in Google Workspace The Complete Manual

The world’s most popular apps are not only completely free but it is very likely that you have been using one or more of them for years now, without really thinking about it. From Gmail to Trends, Google have been continually expanding their app suite with must-have tools. Did you know that you can also use Google to explore the earth, build yourself a blog, or plan your week? Google is about much more than search and this guide is here to help you discover just what you can do with these free, browser-based tools, products and services. Learn how to manage and share your images with Photos, discover the best way to configure your Gmail email account, find and download apps, music, books and movies easily on Google Play…

Step 1 Start by opening your main Google Accounts page, this can be accessed by entering https://myaccount.google.com into a browser. From the main account home page, you’re able to check on the current levels of privacy, information and security. Step 2 The Privacy suggestions available/Privacy Check Up box, located in the bar below the top two links, is a good place to start. What follows is a scrollable selection of options that will help you choose your customised privacy settings. Step 3 The Privacy Check-Up section is broken down into six subcategories, offering you the chance to review the key settings that determine how Google controls its activity toward you, what ads are displayed, how others will connect to you, what privacy settings are available and what you share with…

Using Google Lens on your Smartphone Using your mobile device’s camera you are able to access this unique alternative to the traditional Google search engine entry. So let’s take a step into the future of online searches. Keyboards? We don’t need keyboards where Google is going! Step 1 At the base of the app UI, you will find your search options; Translate, Text, Search, Homework, Shopping, Places and Dining. To select your choice, simply scroll them, stopping on your choice. Let’s start with Search. This is simply Google search and will find you information on your camera’s target. Step 2 Moving on to Dining, this feature will show you images and give detail on items found on a menu (as shown above). Homework is a unique feature that will help…

1 Tabs Just like almost all other browsers, Chrome lets you open multiple web pages at once and display them in tabs. Simply click on any tab to display the page. To add a new tab, click on the small tab to the right of the last one. To remove a tab, click the small X on the right of the tab you want to close. You can also manage tabs from the Chrome options menu. 2 Navigation Controls From left to right, the main buttons you use when navigating web pages using Chrome are: Back, Forward, Refresh and Home. Click and hold on both the Back and Forward buttons to see your recent navigation history. The Home button may not be displayed here on a brand new install of…

Chrome Themes Chrome Extensions are web-based programmes that are designed to be used entirely within the browser. Using apps, you can do things like create documents, edit photos and listen to music, without having to install complicated third-party software on your computer. Themes on the other hand are purely aesthetic as they change the look of the Chrome browser and do not add any further functionality. Think of Themes as a way of injecting a little extra bit of your personality into your web browser. Step 1 You can access the Web Store easily by clicking on the Apps Icon in the top left area of the page when you start Chrome. The Apps page will slide into view, displaying any apps you currently have installed (Gmail and YouTube for…

Chrome-Casting Your Screen Have you ever been browsing online and stumbled upon a video, or photograph, that you want to share with those around you on the big screen of your family TV? With the additional purchase of a Google Chromecast you will be able to do just that, by casting content from your Chrome browser, on your desktop or mobile devices, to your TV. The quickest way to do this, on your desktop device, is by right-clicking on the Chrome window and then clicking on “Cast”. On a mobile, tap the Three dot icon, top right of the Chrome app, and tap “Cast”. Incognito Window There are several ways to open a new incognito window for Chrome. If you have a Chrome shortcut pinned to the task bar, you…

Report and Remove Spam Step 1 Removing spam from your inbox is easy. Click on the message you want to remove and look for the ! button above the message box. Clicking this will remove the spam message and report it to Google. Step 2 If you want to remove the spam that is collecting in the spam mailbox, the spam mailbox will only appear in your labels when spam has been detected and moved into it, click the mailbox and then click “Delete all spam messages now”. Step 3 If you see a message in the spam mailbox which has been moved there incorrectly (i.e. it is not spam), you can correct the mistake by selecting it and clicking Not Spam from the options above it. Creating Filters Another…

Step 1 Open Gmail on your computer and find the email you want to create the task from. Open the email or select it by checking the box next to it in the main inbox list. Both actions will bring up several new options along the top of the email pane. Step 2 Click the More button at the top and then click Add to Tasks. You can also use Shift-T. When you do this a tasks list panel will appear in the bottom right corner of Gmail. Any tasks you have added, from any source, will be listed here. Step 3 The latest task will be shown at the top, labelled using the subject of the email. Click on the arrow next to the task title and you can…

Creating Events There are three ways to create a new event on the desktop version of Google Calendar. Which method you use depends entirely on which you find easiest or most convenient. Click on the Date Open the Google Calendar screen and scroll to the date and time where you want to mark an event. If you need to look far ahead, click on the month view button at the top of the screen. You can then scroll through whole months by clicking the forward and back arrows, also at the top. If in Week view, you can click and drag on the event location if you want it to spread over more than a single hour. If in Month view, you only have the option to click, although you…

Step 1 To start using Street View, open the Google Maps page by clicking on the Maps link on the Google Search home page. Type the name of the street, town or city you want to start viewing in the search box at the top of the screen. Step 2 When the map has zoomed in to show the area you searched for, click and drag the little yellow man from the bottom of the map zoom controls, onto the map. Blue lines will appear to show which streets and roads have been captured for Street View. Step 3 Drop the yellow man icon onto any of these blue lines to see that road in Street View. As you hold the man over a marked location, Street View image will…

Turn-by-turn Navigation If you own an Android smartphone, you won’t need an extra GPS device for your cross country excursions. Map your road trip and get handsfree, turn-by-turn GPS navigation, complete with voice guidance. You can even get live traffic reports, letting you see current traffic conditions before you set off and while you’re on the go. Get estimated travel times and even find alternative routes if things look busy. Offline Maps Get access to a map, with or without a network signal. Download a map of your destination to use offline and maintain GPS functionality even when you lose mobile service. You can save and use certain maps when you’re not connected to the Internet. If your mobile device has GPS, the blue dot shows your location so you…

Step 1 Navigate to the Google Flights website google.com/flights to be presented with this home page. It is advised that you allow Google to track your location so you will be automatically linked to your nearest airport, based on distance. Step 2 Just above the main search bar, you will notice you have three options which are very important to ensure your search results match your requirements. Your options are type of trip, number of passengers and finally type of seat. Enter your picks. Step 3 In the search bar, first enter the airport you wish to fly from and the destination you wish to travel to. NOTE: if this location doesn’t fly to your choice of destination the nearest airport that does, will be selected for you. Next select…

Quick Fixes As stated Google Photo editing isn’t a fully optimised and functional Photoshop alternative but with that said, there are more than enough options for you to clean up or enhance your digital photography, with only the most basic understanding of photo-editing. Photos offers simple tools, designed to help fix common problems with a few clicks as follows. Light and Colour Fixes These controls let you change the lighting or colour levels of your image. You can either use the sliders to change Light, Colour temperature and Pop. The latter being a fantastic tool that adds greater depth to your images with a simple adjustment to the slider. Image Processing (Filters) These controls let you quickly add a range of different filters to your images. These range from sepia…

Step 1 Log in by tapping the Silhouette icon (top right corner). If you don’t, you can set one up (tap Sign In then Add Account). It’s a good idea to use YouTube while logged in, as this allows videos you might like to be offered as viewing suggestions. Step 2 You can search for a subject or channel using the Magnifying glass icon. You’re then presented with a list of relevant videos, showing how many views they’ve had, their length and their uploader. Their length, in minutes, is shown in the screenshot. Step 3 Tap on a video to open it. You might have to watch a short advert first. While watching, you can use the Thumbs icons to like or dislike it, the Share icon to share it…

Restoring Incorrectly Deleted Documents Step 1 If you decide that you don’t want to delete a file or folder that you’ve moved to the trash, you can restore it so that you can access it again. Once you restore a file, it will be recovered wherever you use Drive or Docs, Sheets and Slides. Step 2 At the moment, you can’t restore a file or folder from the Drive mobile apps or from the Docs, Sheets or Slides home screens. You can restore your files from Drive on the web or on your computer. Let’s look at those options here. Step 3 Sign in to Drive at www.drive.google.com. Go to the Bin section on the left side of your screen and right-click the file or folder you want to restore.…

Create a New Drawing Step 1 To start creating drawings in Google Docs, go to your Docs list, click the NEW button and select Drawing from the More menu. Then, using the menu options and buttons in the toolbar, you can create flow charts, design diagrams and other drawings. Step 2 Click on the tools at the top of the screen to select them. These range from arrows, lines and poly-lines, to shapes and text boxes. You can also insert images or photos using the image button. To place a line, for example, click to place one end of the line and drag to the other end. Step 3 In line, arrow and scribble modes, you can keep adding lines until you go back to select mode by clicking the…

1 Search You can search Google Play just as you would search on Google. When you type your search term, suggestions will appear below the search box. Previously searched terms that are similar will show at the top of the suggestions box. 2 The Google Play Home Screen This is the main retail hub of Google Play, it contains the latest releases by format and your personal recommendations for apps, books, movies and other media based on what you have searched for and installed previously. It can also be based on recommendations by people in your Google+ circles. 3 Play Store Content Controls You can search Google Play just as you would search on Google. When you type your search term, suggestions will appear below the search box. Previously searched…

Choosing Music Services You can connect your speaker to a great variety of different music services, from Google Play Music to Spotify and Deezer, which will give you access to millions of songs. Step 1 You will have been asked to choose a music service during the setup of the Google home speaker, but if you skipped this step, or want to add more, you can add services at any time. Open the Google Home app on your Android device and tap the +Add button on the Home tab. Then tap Music and audio. Step 2 If you have a Google Play Music or YouTube Red account (connected to the current Google account), these services will be linked automatically. To link one of the other music services, tap the small…

Listen to Audio Your Google Home allows you listen to music, news, podcasts, radio stations, audio books and more. You can also tell it to play ambient sounds in the background. Just say, “Hey Google, help me relax,” or “Hey Google, play forest/nature/ocean sounds.” You can even make it play white noise! Plan Your Day Start your day off by saying, “Hey Google, Good morning,” to hear traffic, weather and news reports along with a list of your appointments, reminders, and more; you can also ask for these things individually. If you need to find something nearby, just say, “…where is the nearest pharmacy?” for example. Control Your TV If you have a Chromecast plugged in (or built in) to your TV, you can easily control it with your Google…

Set Up Chromecast Hardware Before you can begin to cast content from your device to your TV or other large screen device, you will need to get the Chromecast hardware connected and set up correctly. Step 1 Everything you need to get going is included in the Chromecast box. You can plug your Chromecast into any open HDMI input. If you do not have access to a nearby power socket, you can power your Chromecast by plugging the USB power cable directly into an USB port on your TV. Step 2 Using the cables and adapters that come with the Chromecast is important. To Improve Wi-Fi reception or if you are having trouble slotting the Chromecast into an awkwardly placed HDMI socket, you can use the HDMI extender included. Step…

Creating a Google Account Step 1 Using any Internet browser, navigate to www.accounts.google.com and click on Create account in the bottom left corner of the screen. Now choose to set up either an individual or a business account. Step 2 Enter your name into the boxes provided and choose your preferred gmail.com email address. If the name you want is already taken, you will be shown some alternatives; or you can try another of your own. Step 3 Complete the remainder of the information, including a phone number and alternative email address. Next click Express personalisation and Confirm (We are going back to this later!) and agree to Google Terms of Service to progress forward. Step 4 After completing the initial sign up process, you are taken to the core…

Understanding Google Search Results When you perform a search on Google the results are split into two categories: Paid and Organic results. Paid results can be thought of more like adverts, with their position on the results page determined by how much the advertiser has paid. The organic results are those which are most relevant, respected or popular for your search term. 1 Search Options 2 Paid Results 3 Organic Results Searching Images and Videos As well as being able to search for text in web pages, you can also search for images and videos amongst other things. Step 1 Open the Google search page for your country in your Internet browser. To perform a standard search, type your search term in the box and click Google Search. Step 2…

Setting Up Alerts Step 1 To get started setting up an alert, navigate to www.google.co.uk/alerts. Enter your query just as if you were doing a normal Google search. You can use the various Google search options, including quotes, minus sign, to exclude words and the site prefix to find specific types of website. Step 2 Using the Show options menu, you can choose to tell Google to only provide content of a specific type (videos, for example) or you can request that every type of result is sent to you. Everything alerts include results from Google Web Search, Google Blog Search and Google News. Step 3 The next step is to choose a delivery rate. The default is once a day: Google Alerts checks for new results once per day…

Changing the Theme Step 1 Open Chrome on your computer and click on the Chrome Menu button in the bottom right corner. Look for the Chrome options link, click this and select Settings and this window will open. Step 2 From this link you will open the basic customisation options of Chrome. From this pop up you can change the Chrome Browsers’ Background image, Chrome’s web Shortcuts and the Colour and theme. Click on each option and make your choice, we advise to set your Shortcuts to your Most-visited sites, for ease of use. Step 3 For more indepth customisation options, retrun to the Chrome browser home page and select the Chrome Web Store link, which shows web apps and extensions. To view the available themes, scroll down to the…

Installing Plug-ins Step 1 Assuming that you allow websites to use plug-ins, if Google Chrome detects that you’re missing a particular plug-in for a page you are trying to view, you will see a prompt to install the plug-in at the top of the web page. Step 2 Click Install plug-in in the message dialog. Some plug-ins begin the installation process by downloading a setup file to your computer. For those plug-ins, make sure that you confirm the download by clicking Save in the downloads bar that appears. Step 3 Once the download has finished, restart Google Chrome by closing all open windows to complete the installation process. This is an important step as Chrome needs to be restarted or it will continue to look for the plug-in you just…

1 Mailboxes These links let you display the messages in those mailboxes. A number next to any mailbox shows the amount of unread messages, rather than the total amount in the mailbox. 2 Labels Labels allow you to categorise your messages into various preset or custom folders. You can save messages under more than one label for better cross-referencing. 3 Chat Controls This section shows a list of your available Chat contacts, as well as containing the various chat controls: Add Contact, Status Update, etc. You can read more about Gmail Chat later. 4 Search Box Search for any message or contact in your Gmail inbox. Clicking on the small arrow at the end of the search box allows you to refine your search in several different ways. 5 Message…

Using Chat in Gmail Step 1 Before you can chat with someone, you need to set up Google Chat and then invite them and they will need to accept the invitation. The people you invite will see the invitation above their chat list asking if they’d like to be able to chat with you. Step 2 Press the + icon, then in the search box at the top of this menu, type your friend’s username. If they’re already in your Contacts, Gmail will prepopulate their username. If they are not in your contacts, type their email and click Invite to Chat. Step 3 Once someone has accepted your invitation (and if they are online) you will see a status button to the left of their name in your chat list,…

Step 1 The first thing you need to do is download and install the Boomerang software for Gmail. Open your Chrome browser and search for “Boomerang for gmail” or point your browser to www.boomeranggmail.com. In addition to letting you schedule emails, Boomerang offers several other features too. Step 2 With Boomerang installed you will see a new Send Later button with a Boomerang icon. You can now write an email when it’s convenient, then schedule it to send automatically. Just write the message, then click the Send Later button. Step 3 From the popup menu, schedule the sending time with either the handy calendar picker or text box. The smart menus display your most frequently used scheduling times for easy access. Boomerang will then automatically send your message at the…

1 Search Maps You can search for places (towns, cities, addresses) and businesses using the search box at the top of the page. Search for a location and the view will switch to show that location. Search for businesses and the view will remain the same but red dots will appear to show individual businesses. If you search for “railway stations Devon” the map will zoom to the location (Devon) and show all known railway stations in that area. You can also search for individual businesses by name. If there is more than one business with that name, a list will appear to the left of the map, showing the addresses of each of the businesses. Click on the business in the list to be taken there. 2 Pan Controls…

Step 1 Before you share a map, you need to zoom and scroll until the area you want to share is centred on the window. Only the visible portion is shared. You can also choose to share the map in Map view or Earth view. Step 2 If you have saved favourites on a map, only you will see them. Equally, if you embed the map and view it on your site, you see your saved places on the map. Your site’s visitors won’t see those saved places, they see a map built for them. Step 3 Directions can be marked on the map, and will be shared when you send it. Right-click on two points on the map to set your direction to and from those locations. Check that…

Step 1 If you have not already installed the Google Earth app on your smartphone or tablet device, you will need to do this before you can begin. Alternatively you can use it from the Google Earth webpage, click on the Learn more link in the bottom left corner of the screen and click on the Earth Pro link to start. Step 2 Click on the links to install the app. When installation is complete, you will need to refresh the page to load the Earth view. You should notice that the view changes to show detail that is more realistic. You can now zoom right out into space. Step 3 You can search for locations in Google Earth by clicking the Search icon in the side bar to the…

Uploading to Photos Step 1 Open the Photos app via the App icon and the drop down menu accessed from it. The first thing you will need to do with Photos is upload your images and videos into it. Unlike its predecessor Google’s Picasa, Photos doesn’t search your computer for files thus you will need to organise yours first. Step 2 Having placed the files you wish to upload to Photos in a folder, the quickest way to transfer them is to simply drag and drop the files on the Photos window as a group. You can choose to resize them from their original size to Storage saver, with a reduction in quality. Step 3 When your files have uploaded to Photos, they will be displayed based upon the date…

Adding Photos to Web Albums Adding photos that you have on your computer to your Web Albums is easy using the Google Photos software. Step 1 Open the Photos app and search through your photo folders to find the images you want. Each file acts as an individual but you can create new albums containing a mix of files if you wish. Step 2 To create a new album folder, click on the tick icon on the files you want to add to the folder. Now click the + icon in the top right of the main tool bar and select Album from the drop down list in the top right corner, as shown here. Step 3 You can choose to save to an existing Album to create a new…

Step 1 Sign in to your YouTube account if you haven’t already done so. At the top right of the screen, wherever you are in YouTube, you will see a Camera Icon. Click this to get started. Firstly you will need to create a Youtube Channel to upload your videos and, more importantly, allow others to find them and if they like them, subscribed to see more. Be careful to pick the right name as this is the your introduction to other Youtubers! Step 2 Click anywhere in the upload window on the next screen to start browsing for your videos. Alternatively, you can drag videos onto the browser window from any open folder. Step 3 Once you have added a video to the upload window, using either method, a…

Creating New Documents Step 1 There are several different ways of getting started with Google Docs. You can create a new online document, you can upload an existing document to edit or you can use a template from the templates gallery. Let’s start with a new Google doc. Step 2 To create a new document, go to your Drive, click the downward pointing arrow and select Google Docs from the menu, then pick either Blank or Template. Name the document by entering the text in the top left corner, this will also start auto-save. Step 3 Along the top of the document you will find the editing and formatting tools. If you have ever used Microsoft Word or OpenOffice Writer, you should be familiar with most of the formatting options…

Creating a Presentation Step 1 Just like creating any new document in Google Docs, to create a new presentation go to your Documents List, click the NEW button and select Google Slides from the drop-down menu. Step 2 When you give your document a name and start typing, Google Docs will automatically save your work. Auto-save will continue to save at intervals whenever the document is open and being worked on. You can work from a template or free hand. Step 3 There are several ways to format text and objects on a slide. To get started, click on the object you want to format, resize or move. To add custom formatting to text or to an object, you can use the Format menu or the Edit toolbar. Step 4…

Setting Up and Using Google Keep Google Keep is a great little app that enables you to create unique to-do lists that can be stored across various hardware platforms. So you can Google Keep your reminders safe! Step 1 Keep is part of Google drive when viewed on your computer, although there seems to be no simple Go to Keep button on the Drive main screen. Download the app for your platform and then you’ll see the Keep area of your Google account. Step 2 Assuming you have no notes created, the screen will be almost completely blank. To start a new note, click in the Add note field at the top of the screen. This will expand the box to show title and note fields, as well as some…

Get Started with Blogger The first thing to do is open www.blogger.com in your browser and sign in using your Google account username and password. Step 1 The main Blogger screen is fairly simple; until you create your first blog, barely anything is shown here. You will see a couple of buttons and some news from Blogger Buzz, the official Blogger blog. To get started, click the New Blog button at the bottom middle of the screen. Step 2 In the window that opens, you can type the name of your blog, which will appear as the heading, and choose the blog URL. Any Google hosted blog will have .blogspot.com at the end of the URL, with the part you add appearing before it. Try to choose a URL which…

Create and Manage Routines Learn how to customise, create and use Routines with your Google Home speaker and the Google Home app. Step 1 Your app comes with several pre-set routines. To view or edit these, tap the Menu button at the top left, and select “More settings”. Scroll down and tap the “Routines” section. Here you will see displayed all of the existing routines, for example “Good morning” or “Bedtime”. Step 2 Below each routine name, you will see the number of associated actions. Tap a routine to start editing it. While all routines can be edited, you will notice they have differing numbers of actions that can be added. The pre-set routines illustrate this difference. Step 3 Routines are split into sections: “When I say…”, (the command) “My…

Google Pixel 7 Key Features: The redesigned Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are here. Powered by our next-generation Google Tensor G2 processor and shipping with Android 13, these phones are at the center of our ever-expanding hardware portfolio that also includes a watch and earbuds. All of these devices come with the smarts you expect from Google and work together to help you. Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are sleek, sophisticated and durable. Plus the sleek aluminum enclosure for both phones is made of 100% recycled content, which is a huge plus point. With a 6.3-inch display and smaller bezels, Pixel 7 is purposefully more compact than Pixel 6 — packing more features and improvements into a smaller profile. Pixel 7 Pro has a 6.7-inch immersive display, a…

Step 1 The first step is to simply lift your Chromebook lid. Chromebooks are designed to kick things off as soon as you open the lid, so you’ll be greeted with a first-time setup. However, you may need to attach the power supply and plug the Chromebook in first. Many come with a brief charge, which may have drained away depending on how long it has been in the box. Hook up the battery, open the lid, and away you go. Step 2 The first question you’ll be asked is if you want to activate ChromeVox. ChromeVox is a screen reader technology that is designed to help those who can’t read the information displayed on-screen. You can opt for ‘No, continue without ChromeVox’, or, ‘Yes, activate ChromeVox’; the choice, of…

1 Background/Wallpaper As with any other operating system, Chrome OS features a customisable background, or wallpaper, for you to change and personalise. There are plenty available from within Chrome OS itself, including works of art, fantasy, and even solid colours; you’re also able to include your own images. 2 Welcome Page When you first log into Chrome OS you’re presented with a welcome page. This includes details and quick tutorials on how to accomplish the most frequently used tasks within the operating system. It’s worth spending a few minutes going through what the Welcome Page has to offer, to help familiarise yourself with the new OS. 3 Searching & Apps Still within the Launcher, you can enter anything into the text box provided to search the files stored on the…

Online Passwords If you are anything like us, the number of passwords that you need to remember grows on an almost daily basis and because of this, it can be tempting to use the same or similar passwords for several different websites. This is a bad idea, particularly if your chosen password is something easy to guess such as your name or date of birth. Here are a few tips to consider when creating passwords. Keep them Unique Having a unique password for each website you are required to log in to is a very good idea, particularly for things like email and online banking. Although security on a banking website is likely to be very good, if you use the same password on a website with less stringent security,…

Shopping Search This feature allows you to search only shopping results for any term you enter into the search box on Google. Step 1 You can open the Shopping search screen by typing www.google.co.uk/shopping into your browser address field. Your browser should automatically detect your location and filter any results to your own currency. Step 2 You will see that the shopping search screen is very different from a standard Google search screen, with products shown in sections such as electronics, clothing and even as specific as Nexus 7. What is shown depends on what items are found in your search history in Google. Step 3 Clicking on one of the products shown will display a list of results for that type of product. Alternatively, you can type a search…

Step 1 Navigate to the Google trends website trends.google.com to be presented with this home page. This is a far complex application so be advised to take a few moments to get used to the layout and the control options you will find here. Step 2 Scrolling down through the home page you will find the various options including latest stories, insights and updates, historical data and recently trending search results. We will look at all of these but to start let’s focus on the main search bar. Step 3 In the search bar, enter your term and click on the magnifying glass to activate your search. Some will bring a variety of different searches or similar terms, if this is the case a drop down menu will appear enabling…

Signing in to Chrome Before you can sync your Chrome settings, you will need to sign in using a common Google account. Step 1 Open Chrome on your computer and click on the Chrome User button in the top right corner. Now follow the on-screen instructions and sign into your account. Click this and a new window will open. Step 2 You will now need to sign in using the Google account that you use on your other devices (smartphones, tablets, etc.). You probably only have one account but if you have more than one, make sure you check this. Step 3 A Sync Settings windows should now open but if not, go to Chrome Menu > Settings > You & Google > Sync and Google Serives. Here you can…

Step 1 The first time you fill out a form, Google Chrome automatically saves the contact information that you enter, like your name, address, phone number or email address, as an Autofill entry. You can store multiple addresses as separate entries. Step 2 Chrome can also save your credit card information, with your permission. When you do this on a form, Chrome asks you at the top of the page whether you’d like to save the information. Step 3 If your Chrome Autofill information is correct, you don’t need to do anything more. If you have changed address recently, or some of the other information has changed, it can be frustrating for Chrome to keep suggesting the wrong info. Step 4 To manage your Autofill entries, open Chrome and click…

Apply a Theme OK, so this isn’t going to make Gmail work any better, run any faster or deliver emails in a different way but it does brighten things up a bit and makes Gmail more personal to you. Step 1 Sign in to Gmail on your computer and open the main inbox. In the top right corner of the page you will see the Settings icon (the gear icon). Click this and select Themes from the listings displayed on this page. Step 2 The available themes are split up into categories, with basic colour themes at the top of the page, then HD themes that use background images, custom themes and classic Gmail themes. Step 3 Click on any theme to activate it. You will see the background change,…

Step 1 When you open one message in a conversation, all of your related messages are stacked neatly on top of each other, called Conversation View. In Conversation View, each new message is stacked on top of the ones that arrived before it, so that the newest message is always the one you see first. Step 2 To see all the messages in a conversation, just click the Expand all button. A conversation will break off into a new thread if the subject line of the conversation is changed, or if the conversation reaches over 100 messages. Step 3 If you like, you can change this setting so that replies aren’t threaded into conversations but appear as individual messages in your inbox. To do so, go to the General tab…

Add Stars to Messages You can mark a conversation or message that appears next to the item in your inbox with a star. Stars can be an eye catching way to mark a special message or even a great visual reminder to follow up on an item later. Stars will only appear to you and not to anyone else, so you won’t offend your friends by starring their messages rather than reading them. To star a message from your inbox, just click the Star icon next to the sender’s name. You can also add a star when reading a message by clicking the icon on the top right of the message. Customise Display Density Gmail automatically adjusts the amount or “density” of information on a page when you adjust your…

Step 1 Click on the Apps icon at the top right of the Google Search home page and select Maps. The map, normally zoomed out on the country you live in, will be shown on the page and a search box, which will act as your navigation hub. Note: If you aren’t signed in to your Google account, do so now. Step 2 Click on the blue arrow on the search box. Two boxes will appear in the blue bar, these are start and destination input points, along with buttons to choose your mode of transport. These include travelling by car, on foot, by public transport or by bicycle. Click on the mode of transport you will be using. Step 3 In the start box, type the starting point for…

Step 1 Open Google Maps on your desktop. The map should be centred on the country you live in, even if you have not shared location information with Google. Photo tours can be found using the satellite imagery (Earth view). Step 2 Having entered your search criteria, if photo tours of a location are available, they will be displayed as a series of photo thumbnail images on the pop up left side menu. These photos will show a side facing circular arrow icon in the bottom left. Step 3 Photos, See inside and street views can also be displayed along the bottom of the map, by clicking the Yellow man icon. Photo Spheres are marked with a small blue circle, See Inside with an orange icon and street views with…

Setting Up Translate Google Translate is far more than just a basic translate tool. You can use this in several different ways. Step 1 Unlike Google Earth or Maps, the Translate app is far less graphically intense but its lack of visual gloss is replaced with a very powerful tool that can prove as essential, so let’s take a look. Open the Apps menu on the tool bar and select Translate from the choice of applications. Step 2 This is the main control window of Google Translate, from here you can decipher any communication break downs. Notice the two boxes on screen. The left (input) is where you enter the original text and the right (output) is where it is translated. Step 3 Just like a standard Google search you…

Step 1 Starting with a collage, the first task is to select your photos. You can select a single folder by clicking on it in the folder panel or you can select numerous images by clicking on the tick icon on the top left corner of each of the images you want. Step 2 Once all the images you want are selected, click the + icon located in the top right of the preview window. A new menu will open; from the options you are given, select Collage. Photos will now auto generate a collage based on your images. Step 3 You can edit your image collage by tapping the edit icon located to the top right of this screen. You have a series of options and filters that you…

1 Search You can search YouTube just as you would search on Google and as you type your search term, suggestions will appear below the search box. Previously searched terms that are similar will show at the top of the suggestions box. Search results are displayed in order of relevance. 2 Upload Controls This drop-down menu contains a direct link to the upload screen as well as links to your uploads dashboard; here you can see all of the content you have uploaded and your analytics, which shows how many times your videos have been viewed and, if you have a channel, how many subscribers you have. These controls give access to figures charting your channel. 3 Account Controls Here you can see your viewing history, channel subscriptions, playlists you…

1 Search You can search Google Drive in the same way that you can search Gmail or one of the other Google products. 2 New Click the New button to open a new document, spreadsheet, presentation, form or drawing. 3 Folders Your preset Google Drive folders are shown here, along with any that you have created. Click More to see Labels. 4 Current Folder The contents of the currently selected folder are shown here. You can change how items are displayed (List or Grid). 5 Display Controls Change how items in your folders are displayed and how they are sorted. The gear icon lets you access the G Drive settings. 6 Upload List When you upload multiple items to Google Drive, the Upload box appears, to show you the progress…

Create and Save Spreadsheets Step 1 There are different ways of getting started with Google Sheets. You can create a new spreadsheet, upload an existing spreadsheet from a computer or use a template from the templates gallery, to create a spreadsheet with a specific purpose. Step 2 To create a new spreadsheet, go to your Google Drive, click the NEW button and select Google Sheet from the drop-down menu. Once you name the spreadsheet or start typing. Google Sheets will automatically save your work every few seconds. Step 3 Give your Sheet a title. At the top of the spreadsheet, you will see text that indicates when your spreadsheet was last saved. You can access your spreadsheet at any time by opening your Drive at www.drive.google.com. Here you will see…

Browse the Template Gallery Step 1 Open Google Drive and click on the NEW button on the left of the window. Select Document, Presentation, Spreadsheet or Form from the drop-down menu (depending on what type of document you want to create). Step 2 From within one of these document types, click File > New > From Template. This will open the main Google Docs template gallery. You can now scroll down through the listings to see which one would be the best fit for your project. Step 3 By default, the most popular templates from all categories will be shown on screen when you first enter the gallery. You can choose to view specific types of template using the links on the left-hand side of the screen. Step 4 You…

Setting Up Google Pay Google Pay is a secure system, but as with anything to do with money and payments, it is important to make sure that you set everything up properly. Step 1 You will need to make sure that you have your credit/debit card or cards close at hand, and have all the details available (account numbers, sort codes, security numbers, etc.) You will also need to download the Google Pay app from Google Play, if you don’t already have it on your phone. Step 2 Once installed, tap the app icon and then tap “Get Started” and choose the Google account to use with the app (if you have more than one). If you already have a credit or debit card registered to your Google account it…

Setting Up Google Home All of the setup for your Google Home speaker is done through the Google Home app for Android. Use this app for future access and changes to the settings. Step 1 Plug in your Google Home device and wait for the audio cue to show it is ready to be set up. Make sure that the switch that controls the microphone is set to “On”. If you accidentally turn the microphone off on your speaker, the device will inform you accordingly. Step 2 Currently, Google Home is only available for Android devices, and most have it pre-installed. If you don’t already have it, find the app on the Google Play store, download and install it on your mobile device (phone or tablet). Once installed, open the…

Play Music on the Home Speaker Being able to play music stored on your phone or tablet through the Google Home speaker is a useful addition to its bag of tricks and opens up a host of new audio possibilities. Step 1 Open the Google Home app and tap the name of the device you want to connect with via Bluetooth. In the top right corner of the device info card, tap the device settings menu and then find the Paired Bluetooth devices heading and tap it. In the next screen, tap the Enable Pairing Mode button. Step 2 Now open the Bluetooth settings on your mobile device and turn Bluetooth on. The device will scan for available connections, and you should see the name you gave your speaker appear…

Accessing Overview Overview allows you to quickly see and scroll through all of the apps you have been using and that are waiting in the background. To open the Overview, slide your finger upwards over the small pill-shaped button at the bottom on the screen. You can then scroll left and right through the open apps, and even access the settings and search. Quickly switch between apps Previously, switching between the last two used apps could be done by double tapping the Recent Apps button. With Pie on your Pixel, this function is still there, but is achieved by swiping left or right over the small Home button. You can also swipe and hold over the button to open a carousel of previously used apps (just like opening the Overview,…

1 Forward/Backward Keys The Forward and Backward keys will move you through any webpages; obviously forwards and backwards through the pages you’ve already viewed. While it may not seem to revolutionary, once you start using them you’ll come to realise how useful they really are. 2 Reload/Refresh The Reload, or if you prefer, Refresh, key will complete reload a webpage you’re currently on. Think of it as hitting the F5 key on a Windows computer or laptop, when you need to quickly refresh and reload the page. 3 Full Screen Mode Pressing the Full Screen Mode key will open the currently active window on the Chromebook in full screen. Tap it again to shrink it back to its previous size. 4 Display Open Windows Tapping this key will display all…

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