Chromebooks are online computers that only used to run Google Chrome browsers until Opera decided to optimize its browser for Chromebooks. That’s right! Opera is now the first third-party web browser that has been optimized for Chromebooks, which means that you can now run Opera on all models of Chromebooks. Read on to find out everything you should know about Opera optimized for Chromebook.

The Opera browser for Chromebooks is the fastest and most lightweight browser, as per the company. It is built like the Opera browser for Android. What’s more, you can now even sync the Opera browser on your Chromebook with the Opera browsers on other computers, including iOS, Windows, and Android, thanks to a little new feature called “Flow.” 

To use this feature, you will need to scan a QR code which will sync all your files, links, images, notes, bookmarks, and more between your Opera browsers. This will make it incredibly simple for you to switch between devices. In addition to Flow, there are many other features such as messaging apps, a free VPN, and more, which we will be discussing later in the article.

The New Opera Browser for Chromebook Users

Ever since the pandemic hit our world, we have seen a huge influx in the demand for remote communications, schooling, and work devices. As a result, the number of Chromebooks sold in 2020 was more than 30 million. According to experts, this number would have been even more in 2021.

Most Chromebook users are only familiar with the Google Chrome browser as that is the only one that they have been using on their Chromebooks. While other web browsers exist, such as Firefox, Opera, and DuckDuckGo, only Opera has been able to optimize their browser for Chromebooks so far. It is important to note here that the new Opera browser would not completely replace Chrome and that you cannot make it your default web browser. However, you can still use it on your Chromebook as an alternate web browser.

Features

The newly optimized version of Opera for Chrome comes with the following features:

1. The Messenger Mode

The new Opera optimized for Chromebook comes with a Messenger mode, which will give you the option to combine all of your messenger apps, including Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, Twitter, and other accounts, into one Messengers tab that appears on the left of your Opera browser. That’s right. One tab for all messaging apps.

2. Flow

The flow mode allows you to chat and collaborate with yourself by saving bookmarks, links, images and taking notes by mirroring the “My Flow” experience between your connected smartphone and your Opera browser.

3. Ad Blocker

A free ad blocker also comes built-in with the Opera browser that allows you to get rid of all those annoying ads on the internet. Be it the ads on web pages or the ads that appear in between the videos, you can now block all of the ads with the help of this built-in ad blocker.

4. Built-In VPN

Opera for Chromebooks also comes with a built-in VPN that allows you to safely secure your browsing experience by enabling the VPN. This feature works with all of your private browsing sessions to ensure that your browsing data and history are safe.

5. Overview Mode

The overview mode clearly shows where Opera was optimized for Chromebooks. Like on Chrome, you can use the overview mode on Opera to see all the open webpages. The experience is very similar to that on the Chrome browser. What’s more, you can even use all the hardware shortcuts on Opera, such as Ctrl+T for opening a new tab and Ctrl+L for focusing on the address bar. This seamless optimization makes Opera look like a traditional browser.

6. Night Mode

Do you use your Chromebook a little too much? Now you can enable the built-in night mode in Opera for Chromebook to ease your eyes while you work late at night. Whether you are surfing the web or streaming netflix, this mode will reduce the blue light on your screen to offer better visibility.

7. Crypto Wallet

Opera for  Chromebook also comes with a crypto wallet that allows you to efficiently manage all of your cryptocurrency accounts by using a quick launch option in the browser. You can now manage all of your crypto accounts from one place.

8. Color Themes

Want to customize how your browser looks? Use the 5 color themes in Opera in light or dark modes to change the way your browser looks.

Performance

We downloaded Opera for Chromebook on our Pixel Slate and it turned out to be really fast, just as the company promised. We also found the messaging tab with all the messaging apps in one place really handy as it is easy to go through all of your messages in a single tab throughout the day.

However, we think that the way all of the websites appear on Opera is pretty terrible. We tried both mobile modes and desktop modes and the web content was nearly illegible and centered on the screen. Maybe that’s because we were using a huge screen with 3000×2000 pixels resolution.

Although we could easily zoom out and zoom in to view the content, scrolling the pages up and down and left and right was not worth it. When we used the same websites on the Chrome browser, our experience was much better.

When using it on a Chromebook laptop, however, Opera really turned out to be fast and lightweight. Since the browser has been made with custom optimizations to deliver a great laptop experience, we found it very user-friendly. You can even use the default keyboard shortcuts that you use for Chrome on Opera, such as Ctrl+T to open a new tab and Ctrl+R to reload a web page.

We were also able to seamlessly sync Opera with other web browsers on our iOS and Android devices as well as Windows computers. The Flow feature really makes it simple to sync devices by just using a QR code. The QR code creates an end-to-end encrypted session with yourself to take notes and save links, files, bookmarks, and more.

Verdict

It’s great to see a new browser for Chromebooks other than Google Chrome, that we have practically been seeing since the beginning of time. Chromebooks are widely used all over the world by students, so this is a great addition for them as they will get to experience something besides Google Chrome, especially if they are already accustomed to the Opera browser on their tablet or smartphone.

Opera is a popular browser with a lot of features. The free VPN and ad-blocker features are just cherries on top. However, it remains to be seen whether Chrome OS users will be comfortable enough with Opera to use it for their primary browsing needs and ditch the good ol’ Chrome browser. One thing is for sure though that Opera has brought in a lot of competition to the table for other browsers in the market.

How to Download Opera for Chromebook?

You don’t need to go through long installation processes or buy the new Opera browser for your  Chromebook. It is a completely free app that we definitely recommend you install. Opera is available to install on the Google Play Store like other Android apps.

Conclusion

Opera optimized for Chromebook is great news for all Chromebook users. It is a super cool addition as an alternate browser to Chrome. It offers the best performance on Chromebooks with a big screen. With agile mouse input, keyboard shortcuts, and perfect optimization on your laptop, you can enjoy an all-new experience and added features that are nowhere to be found on Chrome.