That means, it removes everything that was installed on your Chromebook, including Chrome OS (and everything that was part of it) and anything additional you installed, for example, your Linux partition. That includes all the accounts that you signed into and everything that comes with those accounts (extensions, apps, files, and settings etc.). It removes anything that you added to the operating system. Powerwash resets Chrome OS, the operating system on your Chromebook.
When to use Recovery ModeĪccording to the Google Help Center article, you will use the recovery mode in the following situations: In such situations, you need the ultimate reset, using Recovery Mode. Recovery will remove and reinstall the OS.
Especially if you have gone into developer mode and installed Linux and additional partitions. Use this keyboard shortcut from the login screen: CTRL + ALT + SHIFT + R Reset Chromebook using Recovery ModeĬhromebooks experts like my friends Jim and Denny will not agree when I say Powerwash is complete factory reset. You can do a Powerwash while you are on the login screen too.
When to PowerwashĪ factory reset erases all the information on your Chromebook’s hard drive, including all the files in the Downloads folder. In this section, I will explain how to do Powerwash and also what happens when you do it. Powerwash is the official version of Chrome OS factory reset. Here are the things that will be changed back to their defaults:
If you have signed into Chrome and opted to sync everything, (bookmarks, history, and passwords etc), these are stored in Google Cloud. This article assumes that you have backed up anything that you have stored on your Chromebook. So, if you have this message on your Chromebook, don’t panic, you can create a recovery media and get your Chromebook back to how it was when you got it. This is a clear sign that you need to use recovery mode to reset your Chromebook. Based on the situation itself, the type of reset suggested also will vary. There are different situations where a reset is recommended. Hence, you will occasionally see Chromebook experts recommending a reset. This has a lot of benefits and one of them is that you can reset your Chromebook and start over without losing any data.