MBAir to Chromebook?

Question

For the last 10 years I have been using a Macbook Air. Now I want to switch over to Chromebook.

What types of challenges I may come across with regard to getting my saved folders and files in MBA and how do I access them in my Chromebook via my saved external disk?

Answer 1

You have multiple options depending on your needs.

The most straight-forward option would be to format your external disk in the ExFAT format. This format is supported for both read and writes by both macOS and Chrome OS. It also supports large files, which is otherwise a problem with older versions of FAT.

Another option would be to format the external disk with HFS+. This format can be read and written to from macOS, and you can read the files from Chrome OS. You'll need to copy them over to other storage (internal/external) once on Chrome OS, as you will be able to only read the files - not write to them again on the HFS+ formatted disk.

Answer 2

Because you'll be using the Google OS, which is integrated with the Google suite of services (Gmail, Google Docs, Calendar, etc) You might want to check out this page at Google for information. All modern Chromebooks use a USBC (Thunderbolt3) external device connection. You will need the latest version of Chrome installed. Here's a summary derived from this page:

Step 1 Sign in to your Chrome browser First, grab your old Mac/Windows computer and make sure you're signed in to your Chrome browser with your Google account. This way all your bookmarks, passwords and settings will be saved for the switch.

Import your settings from Safari or Internet Explorer.

Step 2 Back up your files

Files Download Backup and Sync and sign in with your Google account. Then upload your files from your old computer and SD cards to safely store them in Google Drive. You can also back up your files to an external hard drive which you can later connect to your Chromebook.

Photos Upload your photos to Google Photos so you can instantly access them from your phone, tablet and Chromebook. Click the "Upload newly added photos and videos to Google Photos" option during Backup and Sync setup.

Music Add your favorite music collections to Music Manager, so you can enjoy them on Google Play Music.