Google Chrome OS Gains A Handy Storage Manager With Files App
Google just added a new feature to Chrome OS -- the company is experimenting with adding a storage manager that has been added to the latest developer update of the software. This update comes on the heels of the addition of Android apps and games to Chromebook devices.
When Chromebooks were initially released, they only came with 16GB of storage. The idea was that apps and user files would exist primarily online. Google has increasingly added offline features such as Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Drive. Newer Chromebooks will soon be running Android apps from Google Play offline.
Chromebook users will be able to see their total capacity, free space, and space used on their devices. The total capacity will be further broken down into downloads and offline files. This will let users know what space is being taken by system and apps and what has been personally downloaded. Google Play is currently only available on a few Chromebooks, including the ASUS Chromebook Flip, the first Chromebook with Android apps. Once it is released on en masse however, keeping track of capacity and space will become more important.
The ASUS Chromebook Flip
The new storage manager should be released to all Chromebooks in the coming weeks. Currently, you can check basic storage space information via the Files app's menu or typing chrome://quota-internals into Chrome’s address bar. This shortcut, however, is not nearly as detailed as the Storage Manager.
The storage manager is in early development and only available in the latest developer version of Chrome OS. Users can enable the storage manager flag using chrome://flags/#enable-storage-manager. Once users have restarted Chrome, they should see a Storage button that will provide them with information about their capacity and space.
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