What to Do If Your Chromebook Freezes

If your Chromebook suddenly stops responding, don’t panic. Most freezes are easy to fix. Here’s how you can get things working again—step by step.

Restart Your Chromebook

1. Hold the power button until the screen turns off.
2. Wait a few seconds.
3. Press the power button to turn it back on.

A simple restart often clears up temporary glitches.

Force a Hard Reset

If the screen stays frozen and won’t shut down:

1. Hold the Refresh (⟳) key.
2. While holding it, tap the Power button once.
3. Let go of both keys when the device restarts.

This clears system memory without deleting files.

Close Unresponsive Apps

1. Press Search + Esc to open the Task Manager.
2. Find the app that’s frozen in the list.
3. Select it and click End Process.

Closing one stuck app can free up resources and unfreeze your system.

Check for Updates

1. Click the clock in the bottom right corner.
2. Select Settings.
3. Scroll down and click About ChromeOS.
4. Click Check for updates.
5. Restart your Chromebook if an update is available.

Updates can fix system bugs that cause freezing.

Powerwash (Use Only If Nothing Else Works)

1. Back up your files to Google Drive or an external device.
2. Open Settings.
3. Scroll to Advanced, then click Reset settings.
4. Click Powerwash, then select Reset.
5. Follow the prompts to reset your Chromebook.

This returns your device to factory settings, so only do this if other steps don’t help.