Your Chromebook won't connect to WiFi? Follow these 6 steps

Publish date: 2024-07-09

Chromebooks are very user friendly, hence their popularity. The device needs a good Internet connection for almost any activity, although some apps can also be used offline.
When connection to WiFi is compromised, it's very hard to use a Chromebook. Luckily, troubleshooting the problem is not that hard and we're showing you how.
If you're a fan of the brand, check out our Chromebook dedicated section as well.
This article is part of a larger collection of guidelines that you can find in our Troubleshooting Hub.

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Since their launch in 2011, Chromebooks have been extremely successful in the Education sector because of the reduced costs with hardware and software maintenance. To use a Chromebook you rely heavily on an Internet connection, and when WiFi won’t work, the device is useless.

And yes, Internet connection issues are always possible, and not necessarily because there’s something wrong with your Chromebook, but sometimes because of service issues on the side of the Internet provider.

The most common issues are that the Chromebook can’t detect a WiFi network, the device fails to connect to any available network, or the device is connected to WiFi, but the Internet won’t work.

However, if the problem is really on your side, there are some things that you can check to restore the connection.

How do I restore a WiFi connection for my Chromebook?

1. Check the WiFi connection

Click on the Quick Settings Panel at the right lower side of your screen

It should say Connected to (network name).

Try disconnecting, by clicking on the network > Disconnect; then reconnect.

Or use an Ethernet cable instead of the router cable to establish the connection.

Alternatively, click on the Not connected icon > select a network > insert credentials > Connect.

2. Restart Chromebook and router

Shut down your Chromebook and also switch off your router to force a complete power recycle. This can solve any connectivity glitches that might have occurred when you turned on the device.

3. Remove all preferred networks

In your browser, type chrome://settings/clearBrowserData to remove cookies & cached data.

Then, type chrome://settings > click on the network that appears there.

Click on Preferred Networks.

Delete all available networks > Done.

4. Run Chrome Connectivity Diagnostics App

The Chrome Connectivity Diagnostics App is a Chrome extension that can be used to quickly troubleshoot whatever problem the device might detect.

It checks out connectivity as well, so if there’s an issue here, you’ll be notified of why and possible solutions.

5. Reset profile settings

In your browser, type chrome://settings/resetprofilesettings.

Click on Reset.

This will do almost the same things as clearing cookies did, plus deleting extensions and other browsing settings.

6. Completely reset Chromebook

Press CTRL + Alt + Shift + R simultaneously.

Select Restart.

Click on Powerwash > Continue.

Follow the prompts to complete the operation.

It’s possible that you can’t connect because of some wrong configuration, settings, or system file errors. So this solution will reset your Chromebook to factory default settings. It’s recommended to backup all your files and data.

Hopefully, you didn’t get to the last step to solve the problem. Any comments on your particular situation are welcome in the dedicated section below.

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