Recover your Chromebook

If you can sign in to your Chromebook, try these steps first:

1. Turn your Chromebook off, then back on again.
2. If your Chromebook still has an error, reset to factory settings.

If neither of those steps fix the error, continue to Step 2.

On the working computer (not the Chromebook with the error):

1. If you're using a Mac or Windows computer:
   1. If you haven't yet, install Chrome.
   2. Open Chrome .
   3. Install the recovery extension.
2. To open the recovery extension:
   1. At the top right of your browser window, click Extensions .
   2. To launch the extension popup, click on the "Chromebook Recovery Utility" extension. If the extension popup doesn't automatically appear on your screen, make sure it's turned on.
3. Click Get started.
4. Click Select a model from a list, or type in the model number of the Chromebook you want to recover. To find this number, look at the bottom of the error message on your Chromebook screen.
5. Click Continue.
6. Insert your USB flash drive or SD card into the computer.
7. In the dropdown menu, choose the USB flash drive or SD card you inserted.
8. Click Continue.
9. Click Create now.
10. When you see a message saying that your recovery media is ready, remove the USB flash drive or SD card from the computer.

On the Chromebook with the error:

1. If you have anything connected to this Chromebook (such as 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.
     • On some Chromebook models: Press and hold Esc + Maximize , then press Power . Let go of Power.
     • When a message shows on the screen, let go of the other keys.
   • Chromebox: First, turn it off. Using a paper clip or similar object, press and hold the recovery button. Press the Power button to turn the Chromebox back on. When you see a message on screen, release the recovery button.
   • Chromebit: First, unplug it from power. Using a paper clip or similar object, press and hold the recovery button. Plug the Chromebit back in to power. When you see a message on screen, release the recovery button.
   • Chromebook tablet: Press and hold the Volume Up, Volume Down, and Power buttons for at least 10 seconds, then release them.
3. You'll see one of these messages:
   • "Chrome OS is missing or damaged. Please insert a recovery USB stick or SD card."
   • "Please insert a recovery USB stick or SD card."
4. Insert the USB flash drive or SD card that you used to create recovery media.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions.

1. On your computer, open Chrome .
2. At the top right, click Extensions Manage extensions.
3. Next to “Chromebook Recovery,” toggle the switch to the right.
4. Optional: You can also click Details and toggle the switch to the right.
5. Once the extension is on, in the extension panel in your browser, click on the extension to open the popup.
6. Optional: If you use the extension frequently, you can pin it .

After recovering your Chromebook, you’ll need to erase the recovery media if you want to reuse your USB flash drive or SD card to store other files.

To erase the recovery media:

1. On your computer, open Chrome .
2. At the top 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 or SD card you'd like to erase.
7. Click Continue.
8. Make sure the storage device you used for recovery is listed.
9. Click Erase now.
10. The tool will erase everything on your USB drive or SD card. When you see the message "Your recovery media has been erased," click Done.
11. Remove the USB flash drive or SD card from the computer.
12. Format the storage device using a tool provided by your operating system.

1. Erase the storage device, then try recovery again.
2. Try using a different USB flash drive or SD card to recover. Some USB flash drives and SD cards don’t work well with recovery.

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

First, remove anything that's connected to your Chromebook, such as a mouse, SD card or external hard drive. Then follow the steps to enter recovery mode.

First, make sure that you inserted the USB drive or SD card that you used to create recovery media.

If you're using the correct storage device, but still see this error, the storage device might not be working properly.

1. Erase the storage device, then try recovery again.
2. Try using a different USB flash drive or SD card to recover. Some USB flash drives and SD cards don’t work well with recovery.

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

First, ask our experts for help:

• If you use your Chromebook at work or school, contact your administrator. Administrators: contact Google support.
• Chat with experts on the Chromebook help forum.

If you’re still having problems, contact your manufacturer to repair your Chromebook. Learn how to contact your manufacturer.

On some Chromebooks, you start recovery by using a paper clip to press a recovery button. Here’s where you can find the button:

• Acer AC700
• Asus Chromebit
• CR-48
• Samsung Series 5
• Samsung Series 5 550
• Samsung Series 3 Chromebox
• Other Chromeboxes

When you see a message on screen, continue with recovery.

1. On the Linux computer, download the Recovery Tool here: https://dl.google.com/dl/edgedl/chromeos/recovery/linux_recovery.sh
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. Continue recovering your Chromebook by following the steps above.