Chrome OS 100 brings a new Launcher design to Chromebooks

Chrome OS has finally reached its 100th version like its Chrome browser counterpart. Google fully updates its operating system every four weeks or so. The new version comes with a unique design for the Chrome OS launcher intended to make it more intuitive and customizable for Chromebook users.

The launcher (for Windows users, it is the equivalent of the start menu) has a friendlier design than previous launchers, with more rounded corners. Now, it opens from the side of the screen instead of the centre. (This is where the Windows start menu was for a long time; interestingly, it was moved to the centre in Windows 11.)

There are also new options for sorting the icons: you can manually arrange them and organize them by name or colour. The search bar will show more detailed Google previews as you type, and you can search through your Chrome tabs if you have a bunch open.

This launcher has been around for a while; it was seen on the here-be-dragons canary channel last summer. Unfortunately, its early days had some issues, which presumably Google has had plenty of time to iron out.

Other updates that are coming to Chrome OS include a new dictation editing feature: You can now say "delete" while dictating to delete the previous letter you typed or "move to next character" to make the cursor skip forward one letter: GIFs in the camera app, YouTube monitoring in Family Link, and a new YouTube app with offline access. Finally, for IT administrators, the Google Admin Console has a new report "for a quick look at which devices need attention."