Basic Troubleshooting Steps

My Chromebook doesn’t turn on.

• Ensure that you are NOT pressing any buttons after opening the lid of the Chromebook (especially the power button).

• Ensure that the battery is charged by plugging the included power cable into the electrical outlet and the Chromebook.

  • You will see the charging indicator illuminate if plugged in. If the indicator is orange, it is charging; if white, it is fully charged.

    • If you do not see this light come on, check the power cable to make sure none of the plugs are loose.

• Charge the device for at least 30 minutes.

• If you still cannot get the Chromebook to turn on, disconnect the power cable from the Chromebook, and close the lid of the Chromebook.

  • As long as the device shuts down, it will sign you out automatically.

  • With the lid closed, plug the power cable back into the Chromebook and open the lid without pressing any buttons on the Chromebook.

My Chromebook will turn on, but it doesn’t respond when I press keys/touchpad.

• Hold down the power and reset buttons (on the keyboard) for 5 seconds to force the Chromebook to restart.

  • The screen may flash as an indication that the Chromebook is restarting (stop pressing the keys at this point).

  • If this works, the Chromebook should restart and you will see the typical login screen.

My Chromebook is running slow.

• Turn the Chromebook off then on.

• Delete files in your downloads folder (files application) [click here for documentation].

• Remove or turn off any unnecessary extensions [click here for documentation].

• Close any unnecessary open tabs.

• Check for an update (see the "Update" resource below for instructions).

No sound on headphones.

• Make sure headphones are plugged in properly and there is no dirt in the plug.

• Make sure the mute button is not pushed and the volume for the speakers is up (using keys on the keyboard/audio menu - See "Microphone Test" documentation for reference).

The system is zoomed in/out too much.

• To ZOOM IN: Press the "CTRL" + "SHIFT" + "+" keys at the same time.

• To ZOOM OUT: Press the "CTRL" + "SHIFT" + "-" keys at the same time.

A website is zoomed in/out too much.

• To ZOOM IN: Press the "CTRL" + "+" keys at the same time.

• To ZOOM OUT: Press the "CTRL" + "-" keys at the same time.

When I try to access my Gmail, it says "Gmail sign in blocked."

• Power the Chromebook off by holding the power button and try again.

• Hold down the power and reset buttons (on the keyboard) for ~5 seconds to force the Chromebook to restart.

  • The screen may flash as an indication that the Chromebook is restarting (stop pressing the keys at this point).

  • If this works, the Chromebook should restart and you will see the typical login screen.

When I sign in to my Chromebook, it says "Chrome sign in blocked" and shows a frowning face.

• Power the Chromebook off by holding the power button and try again.

• Hold down the power and reset buttons (on the keyboard) for ~5 seconds to force the Chromebook to restart.

  • The screen may flash as an indication that the Chromebook is restarting (stop pressing the keys at this point).

  • If this works, the Chromebook should restart and you will see the typical login screen.

When I try to take a locked quiz that my teacher has assigned, it says "You can't access this quiz."

• Use this Google Form to tell us about this particular issue.  All other issues must come through the Main Office

The keys I press on the keyboard do not match up with what is typing on the screen.

• Ensure that the correct keyboard layout is being used (eg. US - United States, INTL - international).

  • Press the CTRL and SPACE keys simultaneously. The correct keyboard should be the US keyboard. An indicator will appear in the time menu, located at the bottom right of the taskbar.

A password reset screen appears when I try to sign into my Chromebook or my password does not work.

• If you see a screen that says, "To unlock and restore your local data, please enter your old Chromebook password:"

  • Below the password field, click "Forgot your old password?"

  • Click "Proceed anyway." This will clear the old locally cached data for the user and re-sync new user data from the cloud

• Students may have changed their Google account password, which will not allow them to sign in.

  • If you remember the password, type it in and you should be able to sign in.

  • If you do not remember your password, please reach out to a staff member to contact the NCS technology department.

I am unable to login into a website (i.e. EdPuzzle, Khan Academy) due to cookie issues.

• While signed in to your Chromebook, in Google Chrome, go to the three dots in the top right corner, and 

• Click on "Settings"

• Type "cookies" in the search box at the top.

• Click on "Cookies and other site data."

• Choose "Allow all cookies."

Resource Guides

Click on icon or text beneath to view the resource.