Official ChromeOS Update Lets You Customize Shortcuts, Mouse, and More

Google’s just announced an update for ChromeOS, the operating system that powers Chromebooks and more. The release is named M123 and should roll out to devices soon.

The update adds keyboard shortcut personalization, letting you assign your own specific key combos to your shortcuts. Want to add ‘myaddi’ as your address shortcut trigger? Go right ahead. Your mouse gets an update too, with the ability to assign one of your multiple mouse buttons to specific actions, like inserting an emoji, taking a screenshot, or muting your mic. There’s even a way to modify that action with a specific keypress on your keyboard. 

In addition, ChromeOS will now offer hotspot tethering, letting you share the network on your cell-powered Chromebook with others. It only supports T-Mobile for now, but Google promises it’s working on other partners for the future.

Need a different language in a specific app? Now you can change it on a per-app basis. Just drop into Settings, Apps, Manage your apps, and then hit App Language.

Text-to-speech voices have gotten a lot better lately, and ChromeOS M123 gets a few new natural-sounding voices that even work offline. They’re available in 31 languages, too.

Google reminds us all, though, “This update and the features associated with it, will be progressively rolling out over the coming days. Your device may not immediately be eligible for this update.”