Chromebook Care Guide

Alright, you probably came here because you want to make sure your family doesn’t get charged over a really stupid mistake. If that’s not the case, I have no clue why you’re reading this—but hey, maybe you’ll learn something along the way!

Proper Care

Some of my first recommendations: don’t eat or drink near your Chromebook. Believe it or not, it’s not waterproof, and it’s definitely not breakfast pancake syrup-proof. On top of that, general cleaning—just gently wiping your screen with a microfiber cloth— is highly recommended.

Please, use the case that comes with your Chromebook (it’s not just for looks), and don’t lose your charger. Those cost money too, just like everything else around here. While we’re at it: do not peel off your screen layers, keyboard keys, or warranty stickers. Picking at things is fun—until it isn’t, and someone’s sending an invoice home.

Most of these tips will probably sound like common sense, and that’s sort of the point. After three years in the helpdesk class, I’ve watched people get charged for truly avoidable mistakes, and trust me: it was always their fault. So just treat your Chromebook with care—unless you really want to go back to pencil and paper. Personally, I think that sounds pretty terrible.

Just Don’t

These are things you really shouldn’t need to be told not to do—but we still get plenty of Chromebooks in with these irritating problems, and most of them end up costing someone money.

• No sticker-bombing or gum-wrapper art projects.
  I get it, you want your Chromebook to look unique and you probably have a stack of stickers from your classes. But sticker bombing (or covering the thing in gum wrappers, seriously) makes repairs way harder and these Chromebooks aren’t your property forever.
• No warranty sticker peeling.
  Yes, it’s shiny and tempting, but if you remove or peel off your warranty sticker, you’re heading for a headache (and probably a fee).
• No unscrewing, no key-popping, or “exploratory disassembly.”
  Leave the screws, keyboard keys, and any other little parts alone. Taking things apart or off usually ends with a repair bill and some awkward conversations.
• Don’t remove your rubber feet from the back if you still have them.
  We get plenty of Chromebooks that get their screens shattered from being accidentally knocked off desks. Save yourself the trouble — and your family the fee — by keeping these little rubber protectors on.

Speeding Up My Device

If some of you are having issues or slow device speeds and don't feel as though you should send it in, you can try clearing your browser cache. Just follow these steps:

1. Open Chrome and click the three dots (⋮) in the upper-right corner of your browser window.
2. Hover over History and click History from the submenu (or you can go directly to Settings).
3. Select Clear browsing data.
4. In the window that appears, choose a Time range (select All time for a full cleanup).
5. Check Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files.
6. Click Clear data.

This often fixes slow performance, glitchy pages, and lets your device load newer, better versions of websites. After clearing, close and reopen Chrome, then check to see if your device is running smoother, please make sure you don't accidentally clear you’re devices passwords while doing this.