Fife Public Schools - Zoom on Chromebooks

GETTING THE MOST FROM ZOOM ON YOUR CHROMEBOOK

On this page you will find installation instructions for using Zoom on your Chromebook as well as some tips for getting the most of your Zoom experience on this device. If you run into consistent performance issues on your Chromebook, remember that Zoom will also run on your phone (install the Zoom app from your phone's app store) as well as any Windows- or MacOS-based devices.

Downloading Zoom on Your Chromebook

To start using Zoom on your Chromebook:

1. Install the Zoom app from the Chrome Web Store. After locating the Zoom Chrome app in the Web Store, simply click the blue "Add to Chrome" button (see image at right).

2. Go to the app launcher (the circle in the lower left corner) and locate then click on Zoom. You can also open a new browser tab and find the Zoom app listed under the Google search bar (see image at right).

3. Join your meeting OR if prompted, sign in using your school-issued Zoom credentials. For Fife Public Schools students and staff, this should be signing in with your Google login (see image at right).

Zoom for Chromebook offers much the same functionality as Zoom on a Windows- or Mac-based device. However, on a Chromebook, teachers hosting a Zoom class on the Chromebook app may notice some missing features compared to their Windows- or Mac-based devices (more on that below). Additionally, when sharing the entire screen, your camera is turned off by default, but you can toggle this setting in the meeting controls.

Chromebook classroom participants can:

View a teacher’s shared screen
Use nonverbal feedback like Thumbs Up and Thumbs Down
Raise their hand to ask a question
Chat with the teacher

Here is a list of some features you may find on a Windows- or Mac-based device that are missing entirely or function in a pared-down fashion:

Coming Soon...

Additional Tips to Maximize Your Chromebook's Performance

Video-conferencing is a very system-intensive process, especially when both video and audio are enabled. Here are some tips for anyone using Zoom’s Chromebook app:

Sit as closely as possible to your wireless router in your home while using Zoom. The further away you sit, the weaker your signal strength is and the slower your internet becomes. For even better performance, you can connect your chromebook directly to your router using a USB-C to Ethernet adaptor with an ethernet cable. This adapter is readily available on Amazon for under $20 and an ethernet cable can also be purchased for $5-10. If you are experiencing performance issues with your Chromebook, you may want to try this. It is definitely less expensive than buying a new device or upgrading your internet. Scroll down for a step-by-step guide to connecting your Chromebook directly to your router.
Always upgrade to the latest version of Chrome OS for the best performance. This should happen automatically with Fife Schools Chromebooks as updates become available.
Reduce the number of open browser tabs and apps to avoid spreading out your CPU usage. Even just having Gmail open in a tab is a considerable drain on RAM for your Chromebook. In short, close anything you don't need to have open!
Extensions: If you love to browse the Chrome Web Store for new extensions, you’re probably not doing the system any favors. The more extensions you have installed, the more things that are running in the background. You can easily turn off extensions you don't need. Simply click on the Three-Dot Menu in the upper-right corner of your Chrome browser, select More Tools and then Extensions. Click the slider switch on each extension to turn off any you don't need or click on Remove to delete it completely.
Avoid connecting multiple monitors to minimize CPU load constraints.
When not necessary, turn off your video camera. Audio-only takes considerably less system resources to process than a video connection.
Periodically delete all of the files in your Chromebook's Downloads folder. You can find this folder by clicking on the Launcher (the circle in the lower-left corner) and locating and opening the Files app. You can actually see how much space is being used by clicking on the Three Dot Menu in the upper-right corner of the Files window and looking at the last option showing how much space is available. To delete files, click on one file in your Downloads folder, select Ctrl+A (for all) to select all files, right-click with a two-finger tap on the trackpad, and select Delete.
Periodically delete your browsing history. To do so, with your Chrome browser open, press Ctrl+h (for history). On the left-hand side, select Clear Browsing Data, select All time for the time range, and then press Clear data.

Steps for Connecting Your Chromebook Directly to Your Router

Follow the three steps below to connect your Chromebook directly to your router for better potential performance when using Zoom.

1. Purchase a USB-C to Ethernet adapter. They are readily available on Amazon for under $20. See the image at left for a visual of what this adapter looks like.

2. You will also need an ethernet cable. They are available in a variety of lengths, typically from 6' on up. The longer the cable, the more flexibility you will have in how close you have to sit to your router during your Zoom sessions. Again, these are available on Amazon for $5 on up. See image at left for a visual of what this cable looks like.

3. You should find ethernet ports available on the back of your router. Simply connect one end of the enternet cable into an available router port, connect the other end to your USB-C to Ethernet adapter, and connect the adapter to your Chromebook. When you turn your Chromebook on, it should automatically detect that you are hard-wired to your router, and the wifi connection should be disabled. See the image at left for an example of a router with open ethernet ports.

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