Hands-on with Chrome OS’s Peeking Launcher (and how to enable it) [Video]

Chrome OS’s app launcher is a bit old hat compared to some of Google’s other UI designs. We’re still waiting on Chrome OS’s touchscreen-optimized overhaul to better support 2-in-1 laptop designs, but the new app launcher, dubbed “Peeking Launcher,” is already available with a little work.

Enabling Peeking Launcher is a simple process, with little to no risk to your device or data — very little information is stored locally on a Chromebook, after all. To get started, jump into the system settings and navigate to About Chrome OS>Detailed Built Info>Change Channel. You’ll want to switch from the stable channel over to the developer channel.

Note that once you switch to the developer channel, going back to the stable channel with require a master reset or “Powerwash” of your device.

You’ll need to check for updates and let the device change you over to the developer channel. Once it’s finished, open Chrome and type “chrome://flags” and look for “peeking” in the list that follows. Once you enable Peeking Launcher, you’ll be prompted to restart the browser, after which you should be able to access Peeking Launcher by either pressing the search button on the keyboard or tapping the app drawer icon in the lower lefthand corner of the screen.