Give it a good scrubĪ couple of clicks from a clean Chromebook. The Powerwash only deletes what's on your Chromebook's built-in storage. You can copy and paste files to Google Drive or external storage or just drag and drop them. If your Chromebook has a microSD card slot, for example, you can save files to a card or attach an external drive. You'll also see your Google Drive folder (that's what I use for backups) as well as external storage. The left-side navigation panel in Files shows you all your folders. To see and back up those and any other files, open the Files app (or search for Files with the Launcher). Linux and Play files are also stored locally. What doesn't automatically get synced are files saved locally to the Downloads folder. Click on Sync and Google services and select Manage what you sync.)īack up files from your Files folder before you Powerwash your Chromebook. (To see what's set up to sync, go to the Accounts section of the Settings menu. This isn't as painful as you might think because a lot of what you do on a Chromebook is already synced to your Google account - from apps and extensions to passwords and Wi-Fi networks. Since you'll be wiping your Chromebook's internal storage, you'll want to back up any files you want to keep to the cloud or an external drive. The same goes for other wonky behavior you may experience.Īlso see: Best Chromebook 2021 Back up your files first Uninstalling the offending extension or app can typically fix the problem, but if that doesn't work, a reset should do the trick.
You won't need to worry about them accessing your information.Īlso, though Chromebooks are inherently secure, that doesn't mean you can't install a malfunctioning extension or a web app that misbehaves.
(Just make sure to check your Chromebook's Auto Update Expiration date before passing it on.) All you need to do is Powerwash your Chromebook, and someone else can use it. It's also one of the features that make Chromebooks so good for sharing. Google calls the feature Powerwash and it can be done in under a minute. That might seem strange, but it's a simple way to keep your Chromebook running smoothly.
But my favorite feature is how fast and easy it is to perform a factory reset. Chromebooks have a bunch of features to boost your productivity and help with accessibility.