How to Change Primary Account On Chromebook

The first account that logs into a Chromebook becomes to primary account or Owner. To change the primary account on your Chromebook, reset and log in using the new account.

Change Primary User of Chromebook

To change the Owner of your Chromebook:

Log into your Chromebook using the current owner account.
Open Settings > Advanced > Reset settings.
Click Powerwash. Click Restart to confirm. This will reset your Chromebook and remove all the data.
When your Chromebook restarts, log in using the new account that you want to make the “owner” of this Chromebook.

That’s the gist of this article. Now, let’s get into the details.

Who is “Owner” in Chrome OS

The first user who logs into a Chromebook becomes the “Owner” user. This is similar to the Administrator accounts on other computers.

Here are a few things that only an Owner user can do on a Chromebook:

Sign-in permissions
Network management
Time zone
System channel setting
Usage statistics and crash reports

Change Owner (Admin) On a Chromebook

The first user who logs in to a Chromebook becomes the Owner user. So, if you reset the Chromebook and log in using the new user account, that new user will become the Owner of the Chromebook.

Factory resetting Chromebook to change Owner may not be the best possible solution, but for now, this is the only method that Chrome OS provides to change Owner account.

However, Chrome OS is different from other operating systems and can be set up quickly after a reset. Also, if you are changing the Owner to give your Chromebook to someone outside your family, it is a good idea to reset the device before giving it away!

So, how do you reset a Chromebook? Read How To Factory Reset a Chromebook, a guide from Chrome Story.

After resetting your Chromebook, log in using your new owner account. You can use this method when you hand over your Chromebook to a family member or sell your device.

School or Office Chromebooks

If your school or company IT administrator manages your Chromebook, you may not be able to do this.

You will need to contact your Chrome OS administrator to reset and change the Owner in such a case.

January 3, 2017

Chromebook

9 responses to “How to Change Primary Account On Chromebook”

Greg

September 19, 2020

That didn’t work. I wasn’t able to log in any other account but the previous owner account due to the “GOOGLE lock” u can’t change any phone without having the original google email address you open ur brand new device with. Unless you have an older model ex: Samsung s6 u can any phone older than that u cant. I lost a lot of phones due to google lock

Reply
1. Dinsan – Bangalore, India – Digital Minimalist & Content Developer. Drinks Tea and writes Stuff (mostly about Chromebooks). My views are mostly copied from others.
  
  Dinsan Francis
  
  September 19, 2020
  
  These instructions are for Chromebooks. Are you referring to changing account on a Chromebook?
  
  Reply
Eve

January 7, 2021

How can i change the owner primary email account on the chromebook without loosing all of my files?

Reply
1. Dinsan – Bangalore, India – Digital Minimalist & Content Developer. Drinks Tea and writes Stuff (mostly about Chromebooks). My views are mostly copied from others.
  
  Dinsan Francis
  
  January 8, 2021
  
  You should first back up your files to another location, local storage (USB or SD card) or Cloud (Google Drive or Dropbox etc).
  
  Reply
Emma

September 6, 2021

what if i dont have a hard drive and cant get one but i want to change the owner of the account without deleting anything?

Reply
Allen

September 18, 2021

I power washed my chromebook and signed in with the account I wanted to be owner (an already existing account), however when I sighed out to add more users, it make me got through the setup process again. I’ve restarted my laptop a few times now and it keeps making my go through the setup process, how can I fix this?

Reply
Kelly Maher – I currently reside in Atlanta, Georgia, after working for 30 years in the radio and digital communications fields. Twenty-five of those years were spent as a salesperson and marketing consultant. I have experience working with my neighbors in homeowners’ associations as well, having served as Secretary of my HOAs in both Atlanta and Orlando, Florida. I am currently serving on an ad hoc group for the TAO community that is currently reviewing and revamping policies for property managers and homeowners who rent their units. And I am also serving on the newly formed Safety Committee. I am anxious to retire soon to my MEI condo so that I can be even more active in the TAO community. Regarding communications, “Over-communicating and constantly managing expectations are two key traits that you need to be successful!”

Kelly

October 14, 2021

I am not given the “powerwash” option. I’m on an HP Pavilion Notebook PC which seems to be not quite a PC and not quite a chromebook. My only option is “reset settings” and that didn’t remove my google account. Suggestions?

Reply
aripramudyantoro

January 7, 2022

I want to set my office/school Google account (@ugm.ac.id) as my default account in my chromebook. How can I do that? After power washing chromebook dan setting my school email address as owner, it was not directed to UGM single sign on page and if I forced writing down my school password it said wrong password

Reply
Daniel Salcedo

May 24, 2022

this did not work for me too

Reply