How to Reset Your Chromebook

Once it’s done, your Chromebook will restart, erase all your information, and show you a new setup screen.

Turning off Developer Mode

Developer Mode is a cool feature that lets you customize your computer. Some people even install Linux alongside Chrome OS using Developer Mode.

If you want to delete all your data and settings, you need to turn off Developer Mode. Here’s how:

Step 1

When you restart your Chromebook, you’ll see a message that says “OS verification is OFF.” To skip this warning, press Ctrl+D. Now, press the Spacebar to enable OS verification. This will also disable Developer Mode.

Step 2: Getting Your Chromebook Back to Normal

Now, all you have to do is follow the simple instructions on your screen, and your Chromebook will be good as new in no time! But if you ever want to tinker with the operating system files again, you’ll need to enable Developer Mode. If not, you can just powerwash your computer.

What to Do If Your Chromebook Won’t Boot?

It can be really stressful when you can’t start up your device. And seeing those “Chrome OS is missing or damaged” messages doesn’t help either. But don’t worry, you can still do a hard reset, also known as powerwashing, on your laptop. It just requires a little more effort on your part.

Step 1: Creating Recovery Media

Start by making a recovery media on a different computer. It can be a macOS, Linux, Windows, or another Chrome OS machine. You’ll need this to fix your Chromebook.

Step 2: Using Chromebook Recovery Utility

To make things easier, you’ll need to download and install the Chromebook Recovery Utility from the Chrome Web Store. Once it’s installed, open the app and choose whether you want to create recovery media on an SD card or USB drive.

Step 3

When you turn on the Chromebook, you’ll still see the message saying “Chrome OS is missing or damaged”. But don’t worry, because now you can insert the SD card or USB stick and reinstall the OS.

Once the new installation is complete, you can go ahead and do a hard reset on your laptop, which is also known as Powerwash.

Bonus Tips

Even if you don’t see the warning message, you might still want to reinstall Chrome OS and do a hard reset. To do this, you’ll need to access the Recovery Mode.

To enter Recovery Mode, turn off your laptop, press the Esc and Refresh keys, and hold down the Power button. If you’re not sure where the Refresh key is, it’s in place of the standard F3 key.

On older Chromebooks, there is a hidden pinhole Refresh button, usually located in the lower right corner on the back of the laptop.

For newer models, you can initiate a hard reset by pressing the Refresh and Power buttons together. However, for older versions, you may need to disconnect and reconnect the power cable. And there are even some models that require you to remove and reinsert the battery.

How to Perform a Hard Reset If You Installed Windows

Step 1

If you’ve used a script to replace the Chromebook BIOS, you can use the same script to restore it.

The important thing is to run the script through a Linux environment, and the easiest way to do this is by using the Ubuntu ISO and Rufus utility. You’ll need to create a bootable disk using Ubuntu, and you can leave the ISO image mode as default.

Step 2

Insert the USB stick with Ubuntu into your Chromebook, and it should automatically boot up when you restart the laptop.

Connect to the internet and open the Ubuntu Terminal, then enter the following command:

cd ~; curl -L -O http://mrchromebox.tech/firmware-util.sh; sudo bash firmware-util.sh

Step 3

To restore the stock firmware, enter “9” and hit Enter. Next, you’ll need to create recovery media as described earlier. You can use the same USB stick, but you’ll need a different computer for this.

Step 4

Run the Chromebook Recovery Utility and follow the on-screen instructions. Once the process is complete, plug the USB stick into your Chromebook and boot into Recovery Mode.

Your computer should recognize the inserted USB and begin the recovery process. Once you have Chrome OS back, restart your laptop.

Starting Fresh

Performing a hard reset on a Chromebook may seem like a lot of work, but it’s actually quite simple and only takes a few minutes under normal circumstances.

What operating system do you use on your Chromebook? Do you prefer Chrome OS, Windows, or Linux? Let us know in the comments below.