How to Powerwash a Chromebook

The Chromebook is slow, stuck on an error, or about to be handed to someone else, and a full reset is the next step. Powerwash is that factory reset: it erases every local account and every file stored on the device. Files in Google Drive, bookmarks, and synced settings come back after signing in again, but anything saved only on the Chromebook is gone for good.

Back up anything stored locally

Open the Files app and look in Downloads, Play files, and any Linux files folder. Copy what matters to Google Drive or a USB drive. Downloads is local storage, not cloud storage, so screenshots, downloaded PDFs, and offline video in that folder are deleted by the reset.

Open Powerwash in Settings

Go to Settings, System preferences, Powerwash. On older versions the path is Settings, Advanced, Reset settings, Powerwash. Click Reset.

Confirm the reset

Click Restart. The Chromebook reboots, then shows a Powerwash confirmation box. Click Powerwash, then Continue. The wipe takes a few minutes and the device restarts into the out-of-box setup screens.

Reset from the sign-in screen instead

If the account cannot sign in, press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + R at the sign-in screen. Click Restart, then Powerwash, then Continue. This path needs no password and is the one to use for a forgotten password or a profile that will not load.

Sign back in

Pick the language and network, accept the terms, and sign in with a Google account. Drive files, extensions, bookmarks, and settings sync back automatically over the next few minutes.

On a school or work Chromebook. A managed device re-enrolls in its organization automatically during setup, and the same policies return. A student or staff account cannot remove management this way, and signing in with a personal account first may be blocked. Check chrome://policy before resetting, and ask the administrator rather than attempting to work around enrollment.

Powerwash does not fix a damaged ChromeOS install. For a device showing "ChromeOS is missing or damaged", use the Chromebook Recovery Utility and a USB drive to reinstall the system. Powerwash also does not remove enterprise enrollment or a hardware fault.