How to change your password on a Chromebook

Chromebooks run on Google’s Chrome OS, making them a little different in some aspects. A Chromebook centers around your Google account, so it doesn’t have a dedicated password. Thus, the login password for your Chromebook is the same as the password for your Google account. So changing your password on a Chromebook can be a bit tricky.

Read more: The best Chromebooks you can buy

How to change your password on a Chromebook

To change your password on a Chromebook, you will need to use Google Chrome to change your Google account password. Click on your profile picture in the top right corner. Choose Manage your Google Account.

Click Security in the left navigation pane, scroll to the Signing in to Google section, and select Password.

Enter your current password, and click Next. If you already have 2-step Verification on, you will have to enter the code next. Enter your new password in both fields, and click Change password.

You will need to log back into your Google account on all your other devices since a password change will log you out.

See more: What is Chrome OS, and who is it for?

How to change your password on other devices

Like we mentioned before, your Chromebook password is your Google account password. As such, you can easily change the Google password on other devices. Changing your Chromebook password on different devices will need you to use the same method above.

Just find a device that runs Google Chrome, and follow the steps above. After you change your password on another device, you may need to use the old password to log in to your Chromebook the first time. This is because Chromebooks may not sync until they boot.

Replacing your Chromebook password with a PIN

If you’re tired of entering your Google account password every time you want to log in to your Chromebook, there’s a way out. You can set up a PIN to replace the password to log in to the Chromebook.

Open the Settings app on your Chromebook. Click Security & Privacy in the left navigation pane. Click Lock screen and sign-in. Enter your password and click Confirm.

Click PIN or password–>Set up PIN. Enter a PIN of at least six digits and click Continue. Re-enter the PIN and click Confirm.

Also read: How to fix a Chromebook that won’t turn on or stay on

How to keep your account more secure

There are a few ways to keep your account more secure. First of all, you can enable two-step verification for your Google account. Open Google Chrome and click on your profile picture in the top right corner. Click Manage your Google Account.

Click Security in the left navigation pane, scroll to the Signing in to Google section, and select 2-Step Verification.

Click Get Started.

Enter your password and click Next.

Select the device you want to use to get the two-factor login prompt. Alternatively, click Choose another option, and click the Security Key option, or the Text message or Voice call option.

You will need to approve the two-step verification from the selected device. Add a backup option by typing in your phone number, or click Use another backup option if you don’t want to add your phone number. Keep these backup codes safely, copied, printed, or written down.

Enter the one-time code you get on your phone number.

Click Turn on to finish activating two-factor authentication.

You can remove password sign-in on a Chromebook by switching to a PIN in the security & privacy settings on your Chromebook.

Can you factory reset a Chromebook without the password?

You can factory reset a Chromebook without the password. Just restart it and press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + R when on the login page. You will get the Powerwash option without a password prompt.

What do you do if you forget your Chromebook password?