Many users have reported that their Chromebook is asking for the old password. This can be tricky, especially if you forget or habitually change your old password.
The error accompanies this message: Your Google Account password has changed since you signed in to this computer. Because Chrome OS securely encrypts all your data, you must enter the old password now to unlock the data.
In this article, we’ll delve into the causes of this issue and present a few fixes to get you out of this situation quickly.
Why does Chromebook ask for an old password?
Usually, Chromebooks ask for the old password after you have changed your Google account password or your device’s encryption key.
What happens is that when you change your Google password on any other device or your Chromebook is off during this time, your Chromebook does not get synced immediately. It still uses your old passwords to secure your data. Therefore, when you try to log in with your new password, your Chromebook cannot access your device data and asks you for your old password.
Another reason is that your Chromebook was not synced with your Google account for a long time.
A third reason could be problems with ChromeOS, such as outdated or corrupt software.
Also read: How to change the Chromebook owner?
How to fix a Chromebook asking for an old password?
You can fix your Chromebook by asking for old password issues in various ways, depending on the cause.
Here are a few ways to troubleshoot this problem:
Use the old password
If you remember the old password, use it. Some people habitually note the password offline or through a password manager for safety purposes.
If you’re such a person, then you’re in luck. Type the password and proceed with your work.
Do not forget to sync your local data with the Google account; otherwise, the problem will persist.
Use the ‘Forgot your old password?’ option
On the other hand, if you don’t remember your password, you can use the ‘Forgot your old password?‘ option.
Click on this option and then click Proceed anyway to sign in with your new password. After that, click on Reset to erase your local data and start using Chromebook.
The only downside of this method is that you’ll have to erase all your data.
Hard reset your Chromebook
Another step that you can try is to reset your Chromebook hard. Here’s how to reset the Chromebook:
- Hold down the refresh and power buttons simultaneously for about ten seconds.
- After 10 seconds, release the buttons and wait for the Chromebook to boot up.
This can fix any minor bugs in the OS.
Thus, a Chromebook asking for an old password can be a serious issue if you haven’t synced your Google account with the device. But if you have, you have no worries; you can log in with the new password.
Also read: What type of Chromebook do I have?
