Chromebooks are a brilliant tool for those who prefer a simpler, faster, and more reliable way of being productive. They are cost-effective, user-friendly, and will often outlast other laptops running traditional operating systems.
When you buy a Chromebook, the installed operating system is called ChomeOS. What you might not know is that ChromeOS offers three different “channels” you can select from. Those channels are:
You're probably wondering which channel you should use. The answer is pretty simple… Stable. Why? Because most likely you don't want to have to deal with the problems associated with using untested/unproven software. However, if you really want to gain access to some of the new features, while still retaining a modicum of reliability, go with the Beta channel. On the other hand, if you like living on the edge (or you have a spare Chromebook lying around) give the Dev channel a try. The times I've tested the Dev channel have resulted in experiencing some cool features that may (or may not) become a part of the Stable channel in the months to come.
Personally, I generally run the Beta or the Dev builds for ChromeOS, but you should decide how much new features matter to you.
That being said, let's find out how to switch channels on ChromeOS.
Before we do this, know that changing channels will delete any files you've saved to local storage. If you do save any files to your Chromebook hard drive, either save them to an SD card or upload them to Google Drive, otherwise you will lose them. With that said, let's change channels.
Click on the system tray in the bottom right corner of your desktop. Click the gear icon near the top right of the popup to open the Settings app.
At the bottom of the Settings left sidebar, you should find the About ChromeOS entry (Figure 1).
In the About ChromeOS section (Figure 2), click Additional details.
In the resulting window (Figure 3), click Change channel.
In the popup window (Figure 4), select the channel you want to use.
In the resulting window (Figure 5), click Change channel and Powerwash.
After clicking Change channel and Powerwash, your Chromebook will go through the process of switching channels and rebooting to apply the changes. Once the system reboots, you will be required to log back in with your Google account. Upon successful login, you can start using your Chromebook again, with the new channel ready to deliver a different experience (depending on the channel you've selected).
Congratulations, you've just switched channels on your Chromebook. If you find the channel you've selected is too unstable, you can always switch back to the Stable channel in the same manner.