Tuesday Tech Tip: Signing into Chrome (Synced Bookmarks, Apps, etc.)

One of the great things about using the Chrome browser is accessing your tabs, bookmarks, and apps across all of the devices you might use.  And, since students across our district will soon be using Chromebooks, we should be aware of how to make their browser experience consistent, regardless of the device.

Signing into Chrome

If you log into a Chromebook, you are automatically logged into Chrome; however, if you are working on another computer (like a PC or Mac), you need to log into Chrome to get access to your bookmarks, tabs, and apps.  You should only sign into Chrome on a computer that you log into with your username & password.  If you sign in on a shared or public computer where you don't log in with your account, the next person who logs in will see your synced bookmarks, apps. etc.

Here are Google's directions for logging into Chrome on a computer (other than a Chromebook):

Follow these steps to sign in:

1. Open Google Chrome.
2. Click the Chrome menu  on the browser toolbar.
3. Select Sign in to Chrome
4. Sign in to your Google Account in the dialog that appears.

Once you have signed into Chrome, your bookmarks, extensions, and apps that you have added will "follow" you wherever you go.

As a reminder, this is really designed for computers that you log into with a username & password (or a personal machine).  If you're on a shared computer and you aren't logging into it with your credentials, you won't want to sign into Chrome.

Signing in on a Mobile Device

If you're using an Android or iOS device, you can install the Chrome browser for those systems as well and get to your bookmarks.  When you launch Chrome, it will ask you to sign in.  That will give you access to any bookmarks you've saved, tabs you might have opened on other devices in Chrome, and your history from signed-in devices.

If you want to know more about signing into Chrome (or why you would want to), check out Google's help area.