Troubleshooting

While working from home, or even from school, you may encounter issues with your Chromebook. While some issues need to be taken care of by the Technology Integration Specialist or county technicians, much can be done on your own. See below for some fixes to common Chromebook problems.

1. Performing a Hard Reset


Cycling a Chromebook through a hard reset with often solve many issues with your Chromebook, including freezing, keyboard and touchpad issues, sound and mic issues, and general glitches. To perform a hard reset:

  1. Locate the Refresh key (above the 4) and the Power key (often on the upper right side of the keyboard).

  2. Press Refresh and Power at the same time and hold them down for 5 seconds.

  3. Release the buttons, and wait 10 seconds before powering the Chromebook back on.

2. Resetting Browser Settings to Default

If you are having issues with the Chrome browser, it may be caused by recently installed Chrome extensions. These often becoming outdated or cause issues with the browser, which can glitch some websites. To reset browser settings:

  1. Click the stacked circles in the upper right corner of the web browser.

  2. Select settings.

  3. Scroll to the bottom of the settings page and select Advanced.

  4. Scroll to the bottom of the Advanced page and select Restore setting to their original defaults.

  5. Select Reset Settings

For more help, watch the video provided.

3. Mic, Camera, and Sound Issues

If your mic, camera, or sound is not working for specific webpages on the Chrome browser, you may have accidentally blocked it. To check this:

  1. Select the stacked dots in the upper right of the Chrome browser.

  2. Select Settings

  3. Scroll to the Privacy and Security section on this page.

  4. Under Permissions, select Camera and be sure that the website you need your camera enabled for is not blocked.

  5. Select the Back arrow (beside camera) and select Microphone. Be sure the website you need the microphone enabled for is not blocked.

  6. If this does not work, see instructions for Resetting Browser Settings to Default below.

4. Update your Chromebook Operating System

While your Chromebook usually will update itself, sometimes you will need to force it to update when things are not working properly. To do that:

  1. Be sure you are connected to the internet first.

  2. Click on the clock in the lower right corner.

  3. Select the Gear Settings icon.

  4. On the left side, select About Chrome OS at the bottom.

  5. Select Check for Updates. If it does need to update, this may take some time.

  6. When finished, restart your Chromebook.

5. Removing a Profile

Often times when receiving a new Chromebook, it will have other student profiles on the login screen. That's because Chromebooks are cycled through the school at different grade levels. However, removing a profile is easy to do on your own.

Sometimes you may need to remove your own profile to fix an issue as well. If you ever receive a profile error, often a red triangle beside your profile name, then you need to remove your profile and log back in.

To remove a profile:

  1. While on the login screen, click the V (down carrot) to the right of your name.

  2. Select Remove User Profile. Choose that option again when prompted.

Your computer will then return to the login screen and you will need to re-login. After logging in, give your computer a few minutes to sync your Google account settings.

6. Deleting Internet Cache and Cookies

Chromebooks store a lot of Internet information. All of that can sometimes make it difficult for your Chromebook to run effectively. Deleting your Internet cache and cookies can often help solve this issue. To delete these:

  1. Hit Ctrl + H

  2. On the left, choose "Clear Browsing Data"

  3. A new tab will pop up. Select to clear history, cache, and cookies. You are unable to delete the history since the device is property of Monongalia County Schools.

  4. Choose the time range, "All Time" and "Clear Data"


7. Chrome OS Missing

If this error pops up on your computer screen, then your Chrome operating system isn't working properly. Try following these steps to see if the issue can be resolved:

  1. Plug your computer in using the charger.

  2. Turn it on and give it one minute.

  3. Turn the computer off using the power button.

  4. Wait about 5 - 10 seconds, then repeat steps 2 and 3 until the login screen returns.

This may not work on the first try. If your computer will still not go to the login screen after about ten tries, then you will need tech help from the school.