Next to Chromebook’s App Launcher icon, you’ll see several additional application icons. These are shortcuts to frequently used applications on your Chromebook. If you find yourself frequently using applications like Gmail, Calendar, Docs, or Drive, adding shortcuts to these apps on your shelf is a great way to streamline your user experience.
Pin app shortcuts
You can add application icons to your shelf by following these steps:
Click the App Launcher icon.
The App Launcher appears.
Navigate to the application that you wish to add directly to your shelf.
This may require moving between App Launcher windows.
While holding down the Alt key, click on the application.
A menu with several options appears.
Select Pin to Shelf from the top of the list.
Your application shortcut has been added to your shelf.
A second option for pinning apps to your shelf is the drag-and-drop method. Simply click and hold the icon for any application you want to pin and drag it down to the shelf. You can easily move the icon to any position you desire. Then, just release to drop it in place.
Don’t worry — pinning icons to your shelf doesn’t remove the application from the App Launcher. It simply creates an additional shortcut to the application so that you can quickly move between your frequently used applications.
Once you pin an application to your shelf, you can place your icons in the order that you desire simply by clicking and dragging icons left or right along the shelf.
Remove app shortcuts from your shelf
If you want to remove an application shortcut from your shelf, you have a few options. Here’s one easy method:
Hold the Alt key and click on the application icon.
This reveals a pop-up menu with several options.
Select Unpin to remove the icon from your dock.
This won’t delete the application from your machine; it merely removes the shortcut from your shelf.
Another easy method: Just click and drag the icon you wish to remove off the shelf. (If you have a touchscreen, you can just tap and drag the icon off the shelf.)