What Older People Should Know About Chromebooks

Google’s cloud-based laptops make nice with Android and AI, but you need to be comfortable living mostly on the web

Edward C. Baig,

AARP

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Published September 02, 2025

three different laptops with a green and blue background

AARP (Google 3, Getty Images)

Editors invite AARP members and readers to submit pressing personal technology questions they’d like me to tackle in my Tech Guru column, including issues around devices, security, social media and how all the puzzle pieces fit together. This week, I’m addressing Chromebooks.

I’m in the market for a new computer and was thinking Windows PC or Mac. But then a friend recommended a Chromebook. I don’t know much about them, except I’ve heard they’re typically used by students. Why would I, as an older person, consider one?

Chromebooks have been around nearly a decade and a half now, and you are correct that they are often used by students. While not for everyone, Chromebooks have features that older people may also find appealing, especially those who spend most of their computing life online.

Start with the fact that with few exceptions, Chromebooks are less expensive than Microsoft Windows counterparts with roughly similar components, and way cheaper than Apple Macs.

Chromebooks also tend to be among the most secure laptops out there, and though no computers are invulnerable, peace of mind is a strong consideration.

Lest you wonder about keeping up with the times, more recent (and premium) versions of Chromebooks can exploit artificial intelligence, too.

For the uninitiated, Chromebooks are cloud- or internet-connected laptops that run applications via Google’s ChromeOS operating systems. Put another way, think hardware with a Chrome web browser at its core, though the machines can also run Android apps.

Chromebooks are manufactured and sold by the same brand-name companies that produce Windows PCs, including Acer, Asus, Dell, Lenovo and Samsung.

Why you might avoid Chromebooks

People who have shied away from them through the years have solid reasons for doing so.

Chromebooks typically lack the computing muscle or storage that power users and even some average folks demand, which may or may not matter much to you.

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Before buying, consider any specialized software you might need, say, for your job; chances are it won’t be compatible with a Chromebook. If you want a computer for heavy-duty video editing or because you’re an avid gamer, a Chromebook is probably not your best match.

Using Chromebooks offline. Moreover, because the very nature of Chromebooks means they typically require an internet connection, folks understandably question how they can get work done when they’re offline.

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It’s a valid concern, even today. Still, you can accomplish more than you might think when you lack internet. Google has bolstered the offline capabilities of Chromebooks, though for better or worse, it mostly means living in a Google-centric world.

For example, you can read, respond to and search Gmail messages while offline, but you can’t whisk them off until you’re connected again. You can also edit documents, spreadsheets and slides synced up with Google Drive, sans internet.

Dipping into Microsoft, Adobe apps and Android. It’s not all Google when you have a cyber connection. While you cannot install the Windows or Mac desktop versions of Microsoft Office on a Chromebook, you can play in Microsoft’s sandbox via an Office 365 subscription, which lets you access web versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, OneDrive and Outlook apps.

You can also install the Android flavors of Office 365 apps that are available in the Google Play Store.

Same goes for Adobe Photoshop. The desktop versions are off-limits, but a streamlined Photoshop on the web version is compatible with the most powerful Chromebook, known as Chromebook Plus, of which I’ll have more to say below.

Getting started on a Chromebook

To begin, connect a Chromebook to the internet, and simply log in with the same Google account credentials you use for Gmail, YouTube or the Chrome web browser on another device. Not much more to it than that.

You can sign up for a new Google account if you don’t already have one.

If you’ve logged in to the Chrome browser before, your bookmarks and web history will be preserved on the Chromebook.

Other installation shortcuts are available if you have an Android phone.

When I recently turned on an Asus Chromebook for the first time, the machine took about 20 minutes to fetch and install a software update. Google surfaced a message that said this would be the only time I’d have to wait for such an update, since future updates occur in the background.

Strong security. I mentioned Chromebooks tend to be secure, and these frequent background updates are a key reason. Chromebooks come with built-in virus protection, and Google promises 10 years of security patches and other support from the date in which the computer was made. The machines also boot up quickly.

In the past, some people have had trouble printing with a Chromebook, though I didn’t have to do anything special for the Asus to recognize an HP network printer in my house; when I had to print something it just worked, without any special setup.

Chromebook or Chromebook Plus?

Google’s partners sell two types of Chromebooks. The most affordable are called just that, Chromebooks, and I’ve seen many in the $100 to $200 range, though you find some for less and some for more.

The step-up versions are the aforementioned Chromebook Plus models, and you’ll find many in the $500 to $700 ballpark, though again, some are cheaper, and some higher priced.

The Plus models boast speedier processors, extra storage and memory, better cameras and displays, and sometimes a touch screen. Budget permitting, these represent smarter buys for folks who want to engage in a bit more hardcore computing as well as embrace generative artificial intelligence.

As an added perk, Plus users get 12 free months of Google’s more advanced AI Pro plan, including Google Gemini AI in Gmail and Google Docs. Consumers also get 2 terabytes of cloud storage.

Android and ChromeOS are merging. It’s been possible to run some Android apps on Chromebooks for awhile now, including Office 365 apps. But the relationship between Google’s separate operating systems is about to blur further. In a recent interview with the online outlet TechRadar, Google’s Android boss, Sameer Samat, indicated that ChromeOS, which is more desktop-oriented, and Android, which is mobile-first, will be combined into a single platform.

Google hasn’t said how soon this will happen or precisely how it will play out. The potential for the consumer is a more seamless process that, in theory, better ties these separate elements of Google across the product line. Not all Android apps run smoothly on Chromebooks, and confusingly, the machines have had two app stores: the Chrome Web Store and Google Play Store.

Bonus tip: Check out accessibility features in Chromebook

If you have certain physical challenges, Google provides a slate of accessibility tools in Chromebooks, including voice dictation, real-time captions for audio and video that play inside the Chrome browser, and an AI-powered feature that lets people with dexterity issues control the computer with facial gestures and head movements. A person can left-click the mouse just by smiling, for example.

You can tour these and other tools on Chromebooks by launching Settings | Accessibility to examine which features might help you or a family member.

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Edward C. Baig covers technology and other consumer topics. He previously worked for USA Today, BusinessWeek, U.S. News & World Report and Fortune, and is author of Macs for Dummies and coauthor of iPhone for Dummies and iPad for Dummies. Follow him on LinkedIn; Threads; and X, formerly known as Twitter.