#2 Chromebooks - What can I Download?

Hello, my good friends!

I know with my last blog (http://wcblitzy.blogspot.com/2014/08/1-chromebook-common-questions-part-1.html6) I mentioned it. However, I think I need to make a blog just for this very common question!

Let’s get down to business!

So, first off, “Where can I find new apps and extensions?”

You can only get your apps and extensions from the Chrome WebStore.

You cannot get your apps from Google Play Store. At the moment, Google Play is only for Android devices.

“Okay. Fine. I’m now at the Chrome WebStore. Now what?”

You’re at the right place!

You can get pretty much anything you want!

Just watch out for malicious apps/extensions. I’d recommend only getting apps and extensions that have a lot of user reviews (the majority of the reviews should be positive). If you somehow get a malicious app/extension, you can report it here: https://developer.chrome.com/webstore/faq and search for “How do I report an abusive app or extension?”

So, let’s say you download an app and want to run it. You go to your Files App and click on it. But hang on! You get a strange message that reads:

You ask yourself “What does that mean?”

What it means is just what it says.

You downloaded an app that could not be run on Chrome OS devices.

Here’s a list of file formats that are supported on Chromebooks:

Microsoft Office files: .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt (read-only), .pptx (read-only). Learn more about viewing and editing Office documents.

Media: .3gp, .avi, .mov, .mp4, .m4v, .m4a, .mp3, .mkv, .ogv, .ogm, .ogg, .oga, .webm, .wav

Images: .bmp, .gif, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .webp

Compressed files: .zip, .rar

Other: .txt, .pdf

Source: Supported File Types.

“OKay. Okay. Fine...But what about other programs? Like: Minecraft, Unity Player, Firefox, Skype, Photoshop?"

Nope. You cannot install them. You cannot install any third-party software on a Chromebook. As said above, you can only install apps and extensions from the Chrome WebStore.

That's all for now!

Hope this helps!