What are the pros and cons of working in the cloud on a Chromebook?

Written by Deanne

Edited on

18 February 2025

·

12:56

What are the pros and cons of working in the cloud on a Chromebook?

Chromebook models are laptops that run on the ChromeOS operating system. This operating system is based on the Google Chrome web browser. As a result, you work a lot in the cloud with different apps and programs. You'll mostly store files online. In this article, we'll explain the pros and cons of working in the cloud.

In short

Pros

  • You get 100GB of free online storage space from Google Drive when you purchase a Chromebook.
  • You have an automatic online backup of all your files.
  • You can open your files on any device with an internet connection.

Cons

  • You're dependent on an internet connection.
  • There's limited free storage space, which you can expand via subscriptions.
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Google Drive icon

Pro: a lot of storage space in the cloud

With a Chromebook, you get 100 gigabytes of free storage space from Google One (Google Drive). You can store all your files, documents, and photos. Want more storage space? Easily expand the storage. Choose 200GB, 2TB, or even 20TB of extra storage space. That way, you can be sure that you're that all your files get a place in the cloud.

How do you activate 100GB of Google One storage?
Google online backup logo on Acer laptop

Pro;: automatic online backups

All your documents are automatically saved to the cloud when you work on a Chromebook. You don't have to click 'Save' to save your text document, because it saves automatically. In addition, Google always makes a backup of your files. So you won't lose your reports and other documents that easily. Your files are well protected by Google's automatic security.

Chromebook connected to the internet.

Pro: your files on hand everywhere

The biggest advantage of storing your files in the cloud is that you have your files on hand wherever you go. You can save your documents in the cloud via your Chromebook and open them later via another device. You must be logged in with the same account on the other device to access your files. As long as your device is connected to the internet, you can access your cloud files anywhere on any device.

Ethernet cable in a laptop

Con: dependent on the internet

A disadvantage of working in the cloud is that you can only store files online with an internet connection. That doesn't mean that you can't use your Chromebook when it's not connected to the internet. You can easily store files offline via Google Drive, so you can continue working even if you don't have internet. As soon as the Chromebook connects to the internet again, it saves your edits right away.

Save online files on Chromebook to Google Drive

Con: limited free storage space

Another disadvantage of working in the cloud is that you're limited to the free storage that Google provides. You have 100GB of free storage space. Is your storage space full? Expand the online storage with a subscription. For a small fee, you can expand your storage space to 200GB, 2TB, or more. You can choose how much extra storage space you want, and whether you pay for it monthly or annually.

Conclusion

Working in the cloud on a Chromebook ensures that you have your files on hand wherever you go. And that you always have back ups. In addition, you get 100GB of free storage space to start. Want more storage space? Expand the storage space via Google. You do need an internet connection to store all your files in the cloud.

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Article by Deanne

Laptop Expert.

Deanne