RapiLaser › RapiLaser on a Chromebook
Laser engraving software for Chromebook, nothing to install
Almost every laser engraving program is for Windows and cannot be installed on a Chromebook. RapiLaser is not installed anywhere: it opens in Chrome, the Chromebook's browser, and Chrome on ChromeOS has Web Serial, the same thing RapiLaser uses on Windows, macOS and Linux to talk to a GRBL 1.1 laser engraver over USB. The editor, the G-code and the sending to the machine run on the Chromebook itself.
Before you pay, what you need to know:
- The editor works on any Chromebook, as in any modern browser: designing, vectorizing, preparing images and generating the G-code.
- To connect the machine you need Chrome (or Edge) with Web Serial, which ChromeOS has had for years. On ChromeOS you do not install drivers: if the Chromebook sees the machine's USB port, RapiLaser can talk to it; if it does not, there is nothing to install.
- We have not tested it on a Chromebook ourselves. What is tested is RapiLaser with Chrome on Windows and on Android, which use the same technique. That is why the first step is the free Diagnostic, which tells you in a minute whether your Chromebook and your cable will do, before you pay anything.
- The connection is always by USB cable; there is no WiFi or Bluetooth. A Chromebook with only USB-C needs an adapter or a USB-C to USB-B data cable.
How to check it in a minute
- Turn the machine on and connect it to the Chromebook over USB.
- Open app.rapilaser.com/diagnostics in Chrome. It asks for no account or code.
- The “What this browser supports” panel tells you whether Web Serial is there; “Connect” shows you the port list, and if you pick the machine's, “Identification” tells you its firmware. If it identifies it, RapiLaser can work with it from that Chromebook.
- If the port list is empty, change the cable: many USB-C cables only charge and do not carry data.
If it works, request your 30-day trial license, free and with no card, and engrave from the Chromebook as from any computer. And if you try it, tell us how it went by WhatsApp or email: it will be the first machine we record as verified on a Chromebook.
What you can do from the Chromebook
- Design: shapes, text with your own fonts, pencil, curves, dithered images, vectorizing a logo or a photo, an outline for cutting, and the Personalizer for batches of pieces with different names.
- Generate the G-code for GRBL on the Chromebook itself and control the machine: connect, frame, focus, start, pause and the STOP always in view.
- Run the material test, which gives you the power and speed for your material on a single engraved card.
- Import SVG, DXF, images and projects from other programs, and export SVG, G-code and your projects as .rpl files.
All of it in English and Spanish, with a User Guide for beginners, for about US$2.70 a month or US$22 a year, with a free 30-day trial first.
Frequently asked questions
Does RapiLaser work on a Chromebook?
The editor does, on any Chromebook with Chrome. To connect the machine, Chrome on ChromeOS has Web Serial, the same technique RapiLaser uses on Windows; we have not tested it on a Chromebook ourselves, so check it for free with the Diagnostic before paying.
Do I have to install a driver for the machine?
On ChromeOS you do not install drivers. If the Chromebook sees the machine’s USB port, the Diagnostic shows it in the port list and RapiLaser can talk to it. If it does not show up, try another cable: many USB-C cables only charge.
Will a school Chromebook work?
It depends on what the school manages: some block access to USB ports from the browser, or pages that are not on their list. The Diagnostic tells you in a minute without paying anything.
Which machines work?
Diode engravers with GRBL 1.1 or compatible firmware: Atomstack, Sculpfun, Ortur, Creality Falcon, TwoTrees, Longer, NEJE and most of the ones sold online. Newer xTool models, LaserPecker and CO2 machines with Ruida or DSP do not work.