Chromebook Tips & Tricks

Google Chromebooks function a bit differently than a Windows laptop or an Apple Macbook. If a Chromebook is giving you any kind of trouble, check out these helpful tips and tricks that may help you in the moment to get it back up and running again

It’s the beginning of the school year and my students are going to log in to their Chromebooks for the first time. What can I expect?

Logging in for the first time, there will be moments where it seems slow to get in. Don’t panic. This is normal. What the Chromebook is doing is building their student profile locally to the machine. This takes a bit of time, especially if the entire class is trying to log in at the same time.

Best practice is to have a few students log in at a time. Staggering the amount of logins will help a smoother flow of internet traffic.

You can imagine that if every single class on campus was trying to log in to their Chromebooks at the same time, you will experience what the Technology Department likes to call an “internet traffic jam”.

After their profile is complete, they should be able to log in with ease for the rest of the school year.

My Chromebook is frozen or won’t turn on. What can I do?

On your Chromebook keyboard, press the Refresh and Power buttons at the same time. This will force it to reboot and wake up.

Powering Down the Chromebook

Closing your Chromebook does NOT power it down. To fully power down your Chromebook, on your keyboard, press and hold the Power button for approximately 10 seconds.

Chromebook Hotkeys

Chromebooks have a variety of key combinations for control. Click here for more information.

Still stuck or won’t turn on? Make sure it’s fully charged.

Still having trouble? Request a Technology Specialist for assistance.

I have a student who cannot log in. What can I do?

Make sure they are typing in their S-Number correctly and that they are typing their password correctly. Sounds simple enough. But what the Technology department has experienced, especially during the first week of school, S-Numbers have been input incorrectly, or they were given an incorrect S-Number on their student card or student folder. Same goes with their passwords. What has helped in the past is to pull up the student’s info in Aeries and make sure their S-Number matches what they were given.

Also best practice is to make sure their Chromebook is connected to Wi-Fi (see below)
Still having trouble? Please Request a Technology Specialist for assistance.

My Chromebook doesn’t seem to have a Wi-Fi connection. What can I use?

Click the Wi-Fi icon on your Chromebook’s taskbar.

Then click on the Network box as shown on the left.

When you get a list of Wi-Fi networks to choose from, click on:

VL-Chromebook

Password: Click Here

After it connects, it will auto reconnect to CW2018, the Chromebook’s primary Wi-Fi connection.
Still having trouble? Request a Technology Specialist for assistance

My student’s password changed and it won’t let them log into their Chromebook. It keeps asking for their old password. What Should I do?

At the login screen, click on the drop down arrow next to the account name. When the next window pops up, click on “Remove Account”. This will take the profile off the chromebook completely.

After that, all you have to do is click “Add Person”, located at the bottom above the taskbar. Have the student sign in again from scratch with their S-Number and new password.

Still having trouble? Request a Technology Specialist for assistance

My Chromebook doesn’t seem to hold a charge. What can I do?

When you plug in your Chromebook to its charger in the classroom Chromebook cart, make sure there is a solid orange light. That means it’s charging. If there is a solid white light, that means it’s fully charged. However, if the unit will not turn on, and, if trying the Refresh and Power button combo doesn’t work either, Request a Technology Specialist to get this fixed.

My Chromebook Cart isn't charging all the Chromebooks at the same time

There are some Chromebook Carts in classrooms that are built differently than others. Some will only charge sections of the cart at a time. This is an energy efficient mode programed by the cart. Some carts have the option to override this, some do not. If you have questions or want someone to take a look at your Chromebook Cart, Request a Technology Specialist for assistance.

My Chromebook Cart isn't charging

any of the Chromebooks.

What can I do?

Check to make sure your Chromebook Cart is plugged in and turned on. There's a silver button on the side of the cart. If the button is illuminated green, that means its on. If it is not, press the button. You may find yourself pressing it a couple of times before it turns on. However, if the button doesn't illuminate and turn on your cart, Request a Technology Specialist for assistance.