Your Chromebooks, unlike other PCs, run on the Chrome OS developed by Google. It is a Linux kernel-based operating system designed for speed, ease of use, and security. Chromebooks are known to be quite reliable and fast since much of the computing is done online using the google apps.
However, this doesn’t mean you can’t face challenges found in other computers running Windows, Linux, or macOS. They can become unresponsive, get stuck during boot, or freeze when carrying out your daily tasks. Luckily, there are solutions you can try before taking your Chromebook back to the seller.
Fix a Frozen Chromebook
Let’s look at some of the things you can do to get your Chromebook working again.
1. Remove any connected peripheral devices
That can range from USB drives, headphones, your mobile phone, or any other external device. A faulty USB drive can have a severe impact on the general performance of your system. Try disconnecting everything and see how your Chromebook responds.
2. Close running apps from the task manager
Like any other operating system, the Chrome OS comes packaged with a task manager to view all your running applications. You can launch it using the keyboard combination Shift + Escape. Scan through and close tasks that consume a lot of memory.
3. Check for error messages
If your Chromebook shows an error message while frozen, use another device to search for this error on the internet. You can also get further guidance from the Chrome OS Help website.
4. Perform a hard reboot
Assuming all the above methods don’t help you, you can try performing a hard reset. Hold on the power key until the Chromebook shuts down. Turn it back on and see if that solves the issue. You can also launch the task manager now and see the tasks consuming a lot of memory.
5. Drain the battery
If the Chromebook doesn’t shut down even after long pressing the power key, you will need to take a longer route. Unplug the charger if it was connected and wait for it to drain the battery. That might take up to three hours or longer if it was full. Give the CPU some time to cool down before connecting the power source and booting it up.
6. Perform a Powerwash (Factory reset)
If your Chromebook doesn’t respond to any of the methods above, you can consider performing a factory reset. That will, however, delete all the local files and connected user accounts. Please read our guide on how to Powerwash your Chromebook.
If none of these methods solve the problem, you are really having a bad day. You may want to take your Chromebook to a specialist for troubleshooting hardware issues or if in warranty, take it to the store where you bought it from.
