How to install and use Citrix Workspace on your Chromebook in 2023

Google has done a lot in recent years to turn Chromebooks into more diverse, capable machines, but millions of businesses, schools, and people across the globe use Citrix Workspace to remotely tap into the extensive power of full on Windows and Mac desktops and crush work. Citrix gives you access to all your work resources from anywhere at any time.

It doesn’t matter if you’re you’re a graphic designer needing to access Photoshop or Illustrator for company work, a medical professional needing to access patient records for processing outside of the office but in a secure and airtight environment, or even a student testing in a monitored setting, Citrix is the software you’ll be told to go and download.

A lot of you, especially if you’re reading this right now, have chosen a ChromeOS laptop (or your organization has) to do this. Today, I’m going to show you how to install Citrix Workspace and set it up on your Chromebook.

Installing Citrix Workspace from the web store

Getting the Citrix Workspace app up and running is simpler than you might think. Start off by heading over to the Chrome Web Store. Launch your Chrome browser and in the address bar, type in ‘Citrix Workspace’. It should pop right up in the search results, but you can just click the link I just dropped above.

You should see an ‘Add to Chrome’ button next to it as shown in the image above – click it. When the prompt appears asking you to confirm the installation, click ‘Add app’, and you’re pretty much done!

Setting it all up

Now, Citrix Workspace is part of your app arsenal, so how do you find it? All you need to do is click on the Launcher icon at the bottom left of your Chromebook or tap the ‘Everything button’ on your keyboard and type in the newly installed “Citrix Workspace”, of course! Open it up and you’re just one step away from setting up your workspace. Enter your work email or server address (provided by your organization) and you’re all set. You can often find the address itself by searching on the web, but these aren’t exactly universal – they’re unique to each institution or organization – sorry.

You may also need to select either “Desktops” or “Apps” once the Workspace spins up. Depending on what you want to do, you’ll be taken to either a virtual desktop environment or you’ll be brought directly into the app of your choice – say, Microsoft Office or Adobe Acrobat, for example.

I just want the steps!

1. Open the Chrome Web Store and type “Citrix Workspace” into its search bar
2. Click on the blue ‘Add to Chrome’ button and then confirm the installation by clicking ‘Add app’
3. Find Citrix Workspace in your Chromebook launcher and click on it to launch it!
4. Type in your username and Workspace address (provided by your organization) and submit it
5. Select “Desktop” or “Apps” to launch either a full remote desktop or a specific app experience
6. Crush your work from anywhere using a lightweight Chromebook

And there you have it. With Citrix Workspace on your Chromebook, you’ve got a powerful, flexible workspace at your disposal. I’m a big advocate of using web apps and web-based creative and productivity software for really anything I can muster, but using a web app to access a Windows desktop is next level useful. Even if you’re a Chromebook stan like me, there’s no shame in that!