Sometimes a Chromebook will not turn on using the power button even when you know it is charged.

1. Close the lid of your Chromebook.
2. Plug in your Chromebook power cord into a wall outlet and then plug the other end into your Chromebook.
3. Open the lid of your Chromebook without pressing any keys

After a few seconds you just might see that beautiful white screen with the Chrome logo on it. If no try performing a hard reset by pressing and holding the Refresh button then press the power button (On non-tablet models, it is on the keyboard. On tablet models, it is on the side of unit.)

Note: Chromebooks ship in a state that requires you to plug in the power cord to turn them on the first time. It’s possible for your Chromebook to re-enter this state.

I’ve had Chromebooks sent to me for repair that are reported to not turn on. The first thing I do when troubleshooting is plug in the power cord and try to turn the Chromebook on. One thing I’ve noticed is one Chromebooks that do turn on is often the battery charging status is around 1%.

Basically, what has happened is between the time that the issue was reported and when I received the Chromebook, the battery died. That flushed whatever the issue was and the Chromebook worked correctly when I plugged it in and powered it up.

I’ve run into charging issues on most of the Chromebooks models we have at some point. Plug in the power cord and see if the light on the Chromebook next to the plug, lights up.

• Orange / Red = charging
• Green/ White= charged (Dell chromebooks, white can also mean unit is powered on)
• No Charging Light = bad news

Some Chromebooks let you know they are charging by blinking their LED light. Basically, if you get any color light you know the Chromebook is accepting power from the power cord.

If you do not see a light then probably have a bad charger, a bad charging port, or system board issue.

Google has forced all manufacturers to standardize on USB-C charging going forward. This makes the power cables for all future Chromebooks more or less universal. Some chromebooks such as Dell require 65W supplies whereas HP and Acer take 45W. We supply replacement power packs with 65W capacity as it will work for all three brands of Chromebooks.

Sometimes the issue is the power connection on the Chromebook. Most of the newer Chromebooks have the USB-c port soldered on and take miniature soldering equipment to replace. If the issue is the system board, there’s not much you can do. Unless the Chromebook is covered under warranty it is not worth the cost of replacing the system board.

This tip is one I wouldn’t believe unless I’d tried it. It has surprisingly worked a few times. Connect your Chromebook power cord to a wall outlet and then plug the other end into your Chromebook. Now open the lid. If nothing happens, walk away.

I have left Chromebooks sitting this way overnight figuring what did I have to lose. On more than one occasion, the next day I found the Chromebook on the logon screen.

If none of these tips work and you see a power light when you press the power button, you may have a broken screen. Some Chromebooks have an HDMI or micro HDMI port you can use to test with. Connect the Chromebook to a TV via an HDMI cable.

New Chromebooks may only have USB-C ports. For those, you will need a USB-C to HDMI Adapter. These will be useful for connecting your Chromebook to a projector as well.

For the purpose of the test, if you see an image on your TV screen, but do not see an image on the Chromebook, you may have a bad/broken LCD screen (likely) or a bad LCD cable (less likely.)