Recover your Chromebook

When your Chromebook'due south operating system (Os) isn't working properly, y'all can recover it. Recovery is removing and reinstalling the OS.

Important: Recovery permanently erases everything on your Chromebook's hard drive, including your downloaded files. If possible, before you recover your Chromebook, back up your files.

If you lot employ your Chromebook at work or school, ask your administrator for aid. If you're an administrator, for more aid, contact Google back up.

When to recover

You might desire to recover if:

  • You see this error message: "Chrome Bone is missing or damaged"
  • Y'all've tried other troubleshooting steps and zip has stock-still your issue
  • You lot've asked the experts in our help forum for help fixing your issue, and they recommend recover

Before yous recover, try less invasive steps

If yous tin can sign in to your Chromebook, try these steps showtime:

  1. Plough your Chromebook off, then back on again.
  2. If your Chromebook withal has an fault, reset to factory settings.

If neither of those steps fix the error, continue to recovery.

Enter recovery manner

On the Chromebook with the error:

  1. If y'all have annihilation connected to this Chromebook (such every bit a mouse or external hard drive), remove it.
  2. Enter recovery mode:
    • Chromebook: Press and hold Esc + Refresh , then press Power . Let go of Power.
    • Chromebox: First, turn it off. Using a newspaper clip or similar object, press and hold the recovery button. Press the Power push button to turn the Chromebox back on. When you see a message on screen, release the recovery button.
    • Chromebit: First, unplug it from ability. Using a newspaper clip or similar object, press and concord the recovery push. Plug the Chromebit back in to power. When you see a message on screen, release the recovery button.
    • Chromebook tablet: Press and hold the Book Up, Volume Downwards, and Power buttons for at least 10 seconds, then release them.
  3. If your computer has Cyberspace access, select Recover using internet connection and follow the on-screen instructions. If your computer doesn't have Internet access or the pick to recover using the Internet doesn't appear, go on to "Traditional recovery."

Traditional recovery

Pace 1: Collect these devices

  • The Chromebook with the "Chrome OS is missing or damaged" mistake
  • Another Chromebook, or a Windows or Mac estimator with Chrome installed
  • A USB wink drive that tin concord at least 8 GB, and that you don't mind erasing

Footstep ii: Download a new copy of the OS

Stride 3: Begin recovery

On the Chromebook with the fault, select Recover using external deejay and follow the on-screen instructions.

Make sure the recovery extension is turned on

Optional: Reuse your USB flash drive

Once you've recovered your Chromebook, you'll need to erase the recovery media if you want to reuse your USB flash drive to store other files.

To erase the recovery media:

  1. On your computer, open up Chrome Chrome.
  2. At the meridian right, click Extensions .
  3. To launch the extension popup, click on the "Chromebook Recovery Utility" extension.
  4. In the extension popup, click Settings.
  5. Click Erase recovery media.
  6. From the dropdown menu, select the USB drive you lot'd similar to erase.
  7. Click Continue.
  8. Make sure the storage device yous used for recovery is listed.
  9. Click Erase now. The tool will erase everything on your USB drive.
  10. When y'all go the message "Your recovery media has been erased," click Washed.
  11. Remove your USB flash drive from the calculator.
  12. Apply a tool provided by your operating system to format the storage device.

Fix problems with recovery

"An unexpected fault has occurred"

  1. Erase the storage device, then endeavour recovery again.
  2. Try to use a different USB flash drive to recover. Some USB flash drives don't work well with recovery.

If you're still having bug, contact your Chromebook manufacturer for help. Learn how to contact your manufacturer.

"Please remove all connected devices and get-go recovery"

Kickoff, remove anything that's continued to your Chromebook, such equally a mouse or external hard bulldoze. Then, follow the steps to enter recovery mode.

"The device y'all inserted does non contain Chrome OS"

Starting time, make sure that you inserted the USB drive y'all used to create recovery media.

If you used the correct storage device, simply still encounter this error, the storage device might non be working properly.

  1. Erase the storage device, then effort recovery over again.
  2. Effort to use a different USB wink drive to recover. Some USB wink drives don't piece of work well with recovery.

If you still take problems, larn how to contact your manufacturer.

"The security module on this device isn't working"

Other means to recover a Chromebook

Press the recovery button

Use a Linux computer

  1. On the Linux computer, download the Recovery Tool.
  2. Change the script permissions to allow execution with the following command: $ sudo chmod 755 linux_recovery.sh
  3. Run the script with root privileges with the following command: $ sudo bash linux_recovery.sh
  4. Follow the on-screen instructions to create recovery media.
  5. To continue to recover your Chromebook, follow the steps to a higher place.

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