My Mom gave me a Chromebook for school years ago and I occasionally use it. Except now it’s saying I can’t get ChromeOS updates any more! How can I reset it either to fix the problem or to safely give it away without worrying about my personal data?
ChromeOS has always been built atop ChromiumOS, a part of the Chromium Project that also includes the core code for the Google Chrome browser. Chromium is open source, but while ChromeOS has Chromium at its foundation, it does add on some other proprietary Google components (like the ability to run Android apps). Given the intention of a budget OS for K12 use, ChromeOS has always had free updates on a pretty regular cycle. In fact, the most recent version of ChromeOS as of this writing is v133, which means that there have been (approximately) 130 upgrades to the original system!
While software keeps evolving, hardware is always stuck at the tech available at the moment you buy a device, and it can indeed become obsolete. I actually have a much used ASUS Chromebook that is stuck on ChromeOS 119 [which puts it 14 updates behind] that I’ll use to demonstrate how to “powerwash” or reset.
If your Chromebook can’t update ChromeOS because of obsolete hardware, realize that a system reset will not change the chips and circuit boards so it won’t change anything about this error. You can either just live with the gradually aging version of ChromeOS or give your computer away to a hobbyist who might try putting a Linux distro on it or opening it up for parts. If you’re completely done, don’t forget to recycle your old computer (after a reset) at somewhere like BestBuy.
NO MORE CHROMEOS UPDATES. EVER.
You probably know that you can open up Settings on your Chromebook and go to About ChromeOS to check for updates. My old ASUS surprised me a while back by showing this:
As you can see, it’s stuck on Version 119, released in November 2023, and won’t ever get a more updated version. Google’s suggestion is “upgrade to a newer model” which might not be a huge expenditure compared to a fancy Apple Mac or similar, but still, not everyone has a few hundred dollars for upgrades.
The choices at this point are to ignore the problem and keep using the computer or do a factory reset so that it wipes all personal information and logs out of all accounts. At that point it can be safely recycled (ya never know who might be grabbing hard disks to scan for info) or given away to someone. In the parlance of ChromeOS, this is known as “powerwashing”. Let’s do it.
CHROMEOS FACTORY RESET: POWERWASH
We’re not going through the carwash, this process is much easier. On the left click on “Advanced” within Settings, then look for “Reset Settings“:
There’s only one choice, so click on “Reset“.
Actually, before you do this, please ensure that you have made a reliable backup of everything on the computer you might want. ChromeOS makes this easier than most since probably everything’s on your cloud Google Drive account or Google account itself. Still, there’s no going back, so a redundant backup is better than realizing you didn’t have a copy of all those wonderful photos or critical documents.
The computer will need to restart to do the full reset, so the first prompt is:
Click on “Restart” to proceed.
POWERWASH DOES THE JOB
At this point I have to switch to photos of the screen because there’s no way to capture screenshots that won’t just be deleted along with the rest of the personal data. When the Chromebook restarts, it’s confusing because it will show you a login prompt:
Don’t log in, though. Just wait. After about ten seconds, the login screen is replaced by…
It says “Powerwash to reset your Chromebook to be just like new. All user accounts and local data will be removed.” To proceed, click on the “Powerwash” button on the lower right. If you’ve changed your mind or want to ensure you backed up everything, click “Cancel”.
I click “Powerwash” and receive a confirmation prompt:
This says “Your device will be reset and all user accounts and local data will be removed. This cannot be undone.”. Last chance to say no. Good to go? Click on “Continue“.
The graphical user interface will vanish, replaced by this progress message:
It says: “Powerwashes happen when critical errors are detected, or when you choose to reset your device. This will reset Chrome OS to be just like new, and you’ll be back in operation in just a minute.”
This will take a few minutes as it cleans up the entire hard disk and resets everything for first login.
CHROMEOS OUT OF THE BOX
Once it’s done, you’ll see the screen you saw when you first pulled the Chromebook out of its box, so many years ago:
That’s it. Fully reset, all personal information wiped off the drive. Now, about that new unit… 🙂
Pro Tip: I’ve been writing about ChromeOS since it was introduced and have accumulated a LOT of helpful tutorials. Please check out my ChromeOS Help Area while you’re visiting. Thanks!