The Chromebook Search key will now be the Everything Button

Chromebook
(Image credit: CC Photo Labs / Shutterstock)

Google is rebranding the Search/Launcher key on their Chromebooks as the Everything Button as they transition more shortcut functionality to make use of the key.

According to Android Police, the Everything Button, which lives above the left Shift and below the Tab keys, replaces the Caps Lock button on a standard keyboard. 

Currently, the Search or Launcher key would open up the Chrome OS launcher or initiate a search, depending on the context. Now, Google hopes to move several more keyboard shortcuts to the newly-named Everything Button to improve functionality on their increasingly popular Chrome OS. 

Google continues with Chrome OS 86 roll out after apparently pulling it from their update server

Meanwhile, Google is continuing with its Chrome OS 86 update after its launch appeared to suddenly run aground in the last few days. 

Android Police reports that the latest Chrome OS update introduced a host of new features and improvement – and, at least according to some users, broke the print functionality of their Chromebook and even possibly locked some students out of their devices entirely. 

Given Chromebooks' importance as a low-cost solution for school districts, that's obviously bad, if true.

Google apparently took the update off its servers a few days before the update was pushed to all eligible devices before putting it back up on their stable channel this week, possibly after fixing the reported bugs. 

Google hasn't acknowledged that there is an issue with the OS itself in a statement made to Chrome Unboxed, however, and blames the apparent delay in the roll out on a bug in the update channel reporting itself, which made it appear like there were inconsistencies with the update schedule.

Google says that the update will be fully rolled out shortly and that the apparent delay has nothing to do with a problem with the OS itself, so we'll have to see if the reported issues – as yet unverified – become a reality for more users.

John Loeffler
Components Editor

John (He/Him) is the Components Editor here at TechRadar and he is also a programmer, gamer, activist, and Brooklyn College alum currently living in Brooklyn, NY. 

Named by the CTA as a CES 2020 Media Trailblazer for his science and technology reporting, John specializes in all areas of computer science, including industry news, hardware reviews, PC gaming, as well as general science writing and the social impact of the tech industry.

You can find him online on Threads @johnloeffler.

Currently playing: Baldur's Gate 3 (just like everyone else).