Students & Chromebooks

Students are resourceful and tech-savvy—sometimes a little too much so. It's not uncommon for students to search online for ways to intentionally alter Chromebook settings, which can make the device appear to be malfunctioning.

If you encounter a Chromebook that isn't functioning as expected, or a student claims their device "doesn't work," this guide is designed to provide clarity and helpful tips to troubleshoot the issue and regain control.

How Students Are Factory Resetting Their Chromebooks?

Pressing the ESC + REFRESH + POWER at the same time on older Chromebook models
Pressing the Ctrl + Alt + Shift + R buttons at the same time on newer Chromebook models

This will force the Chromebook to reboot it into "Developer Mode" where students can fully wipe the Chromebook back to factory settings with the press of a few keystrokes.

In fact, there's resources like YouTube that show a step by step process of resetting a Chromebook.

NOTE: When this happens, it disconnects the Chromebook from the school Wi-Fi and un-enrolls it from our VUSD Google Database. When Chromebooks are not enrolled, they disable our ability to send apps, commands, grade level settings, etc.

To re-enroll your Chromebook and bring it back to the way it's supposed to be in a classroom setting click here.

If you're having trouble, please Request a Technology Specialist for assistance.

What you should know

The reason why some students generally do this has been to make a staff member or a teacher believe that their Chromebook "doesn't work", thinking it will get them out of taking a test or accessing their Google Classroom assignments.
Thankfully, everything is saved in Google, including the student's profile and all their work. So there's no reason to panic. The Chromebook will just have to be re-enrolled again and its very easy to fix.

Other Things to Look For

Flipping the Screen

Is the student's Chromebook screen upside down? To rotate the screen, press the following keys at the same time:

CTRL + SHIFT + REFRESH

Magnifying the Screen

Is the student's Chromebook zoomed in too much? Try this out:

Make the page bigger: Press CTRL and +
Make the page smaller: Press CTRL and -
Reset zoom: Press CTRL + 0

High Contrast Mode

Is the student's Chromebook screen look all wrong or have inverted colors?

High contrast mode inverts colors to make on-screen content easier to read for people with low vision or for those working in bright environments.

Press "CTRL + Search + H" to invert colors on your Chromebook instantly or to revert it back to normal.
You can also go to Settings -> Accessibility -> Display and Magnification.

Refresh Power

Hard reset that forces the student's Chromebook to instantly reboot.

Keyboard Shortcuts

To find a comprehensive list of Chromebook keyboard shortcuts, look no further than within the Chromebook.

On your Chromebook, at the bottom right, select the time.
Select the Settings icon (Cogwheel)
Under “Device,” select Keyboard and inputs and then View keyboard shortcuts.

Accessibility Features

On your Chromebook, at the bottom right, select the time.
Depending on your model Chromebook:
- Select Settings > Accessibility
- Or just simply click on "Accessibility"