When might you have to do this? 

Here are a couple of times you might need to hard reset your Chromebook: 

• Won't Turn On

• Frozen Screen

Yes, it is generally safe to perform a hard reset on a Chromebook, but it's recommended to try other troubleshooting steps first and back up important files before proceeding. A hard reset restarts the Chromebook's hardware, potentially resolving issues caused by software glitches or unresponsive devices. However, it may also delete files stored in your Downloads folder, so backing up those files is crucial.