Chromebooks are great portable devices, but if your WiFi keeps disconnecting, the experience could be pretty miserable — to put it kindly — because arguably the only thing that Chromebooks excel at is allowing you to browse the internet.
Here we’ve discussed why your Chromebook keeps disconnecting from the WiFi and what you can do to fix the issue as quickly as possible without turning to a service centre.
Also read: Chromebook won’t turn on: 9 Fixes
Why does Chromebook keeps disconnecting from WiFi?
The issue doesn’t necessarily have to be with the Chromebook, as frequent WiFi disconnection issues have been reported for several gadgets, including those running Windows, Mac, Android and iOS.
If the issue isn’t with the Chromebook software or settings, the router or its settings are to be blamed.
Also watch: Can your WiFi get hacked? Is sharing WiFi passwords a bad idea?
13 ways to fix the Chromebook keeps disconnecting from WiFi issue
Before we begin, let’s first determine if the issue is with the WiFi or Chromebook. It’s simple. Try connecting your Chromebook to another network and see if the disconnection issue persists.
If the Chromebook works fine on other networks, the issue is with the router or ISP; if not, you’ll have to go through some troubleshooting on Chromebook settings to fix the problem. Don’t worry; we’ve covered all the possible fixes below.
You can also use the Chrome Connectivity Diagnostics tool by Google to pinpoint the reason for WiFi disconnection issues.
Here are 13 ways you can fix the Chromebook keeps disconnecting from WiFi issue.
Make the WiFi network your preferred one
If the disconnection issue is happening at your home, it’s recommended to make that WiFi network your preferred one. This setting will make sure that Chromebook connects only to the selected WiFi whenever it’s in range.
Follow the steps mentioned below to make a WiFi network the preferred one on Chromebook.
This is especially useful in case you’ve multiple WiFi connections at home, all connected to your Chromebook or if you had recently connected to a neighbour’s network and the device keeps trying to connect back to it even though the network is poor as it’s located further from you.
Step 1: Open Chromebook’s settings using the notification menu from the home screen or the app menu.
Step 2: Then click on WiFi under Network.
Step 3: Click on the network you’d want to set as the preferred WiFi connection.
Step 4: Click on the toggle button beside Prefer this network to make it your Chromebook’s preferred connection point whenever in range.
If you haven’t already, enable the Automatically connect to this network option to ensure that the Chromebook automatically connects to the selected WiFi network whenever in range.
Also read: How to fix WiFi Authentication error?
Choose the correct router frequency
If your router supports two frequencies — 2.4GHz and 5GHz — ensure you’re connected to the right one.
While the 5GHz frequency delivers significantly better speeds than 2.4GHz, it lacks the range. If you’re setting too far from the router or obstructions between the router and your device, the network can get spotty.
So, if you’re situated away from the router, it’s always recommended to use the 2.4GHz band so that Chromebook doesn’t keep disconnecting from WiFi.
Check the router
You can also check the following things in your router to fix the issue.
- Router’s age: Old routers can often cause compatibility issues while connecting with Chromebooks as the latter keep on updating the network protocol implementations. So, if your router is old and hasn’t received a firmware update in a while, chances are it’s the one causing issues due to obsolted protocols.
- Encryption: Make sure the encryption is set to WPA2-PSK with AES or at least WPA/WPA2. Selecting only WPA isn’t secure. Now, disable TKIP, WPS, WMM, and QoS.
- Interference: Check for interference from Bluetooth. Switch off Bluetooth on Chromebook and try to reconnect. If it does, change the WiFi channel. Alternatively, interference from other WiFi networks could also be causing the issue. Use a WiFi analyser tool to see what’s causing the issue.
Reboot the router and Chromebook
Switch off the router for five minutes to flush its cache and perform a hard restart by pressing and holding the Refresh key and Power button.
A hard restart clears the cache and RAM of the Chromebook.
Then turn on the router first, let it establish a connection. Then turn on the Chromebook and connect to the router.
If this doesn’t fix the Chromebook keeps disconnecting from WiFi issue, follow the guide below.
Also read: How to invert colours on Chromebook?
Firmware update
As mentioned above, routers that implement old network protocols can often cause disconnection errors while connecting to devices with updated and more secure protocols.
To avoid this error, go to your router’s settings via the Chrome browser and update its firmware. If the router still keeps disconnecting after the firmware update, you can follow the guides below, but there’s a chance you’d still have to replace your router sooner or later.
Temporarily disable firewall
A misconfigured firewall can often cause issues with WiFi connections. Disable the Firewall temporarily and see if that helps in resolving the issue. Turn it back on and move to the following guide if it doesn’t.
Change the name servers
You can change the name servers from the defaults provided by your ISP to Google’s name servers (8.8.8.8 or 8.8.4.4) or a custom one.
Follow the steps mentioned below to change the name server.
Step 1: Open Chromebook’s settings using the notification menu from the home screen or the app menu.
Step 2: Then click on WiFi under Network.
Step 3: Click on the connected WiFi network.
Step 4: Click on Network and then scroll down, select Google name servers and enter them.
The Chromebook keeps disconnecting from WiFi issue should be reolsved.
Avoid using a hidden SSID
Hidden SSIDs don’t really contribute to improving the security of your WiFi networks, and some Chromebook models could face issues connecting with hidden SSIDs. So, it’s recommended to disable hidden SSIDs.
Also read: How to delete screenshots on Chromebook?
Update Chrome OS
If you’re able to sign in but the Chromebook keeps crashing now and then, quickly check for Chrome OS updates and install if any are available by following the two steps below.
Step 1: Open Chromebook’s settings using the notification menu from the home screen or the app menu.
Step 2: Select About Chrome OS at the bottom left of the screen and click on the Check for Updates button. If there is a new OS update, Chromebook will automatically start downloading.
Sign in as a guest user
Apart from OS issues, malfunctioning apps can also cause Chromebook keeps disconnecting from WiFi issue.
If that’s the case, you can try logging in as a guest user or signing in to the device as a new user. This will allow you to experience the WiFi connection without any additional apps. If the WiFi is working fine, it’s probably an app that’s causing the WiFi to disconnect.
Uninstall apps
Chromebooks can run thousands of Android apps natively that can be downloaded via the built-in Play Store. An issue with one or more apps can hinder the device’s performance and cause the ‘Chromebook keeps disconnecting from WiFi’ issue.
Uninstall any unwanted or rarely used apps from the device. Alternatively, you can also uninstall every app that you’ve downloaded from the Play Store and re-download them again later.
You can either uninstall apps directly from the app menu or through the Play Store.
Also read: How to turn off the touch screen on Chromebooks?
Factory Reset/Powerwash your Chromebook
If nothing else has worked so far (apart from uninstalling apps — see the guide below), you can powerwash your Chromebook as a last resort. Keep in mind that doing this will remove all of the user accounts connected to the Chromebook, and you’ll have to set it all up again. However, a powerwash will most likely resolve any software issues causing the ‘Chromebook keeps disconnecting from WiFi’ issue.
Step 1: Open Chromebook’s settings using the notification menu from the home screen or the app menu.
Step 2: Select Advanced, located near the bottom of the options towards the left.
Step 3: Click on Accessibility, followed by the Reset button beside the Powerwash option.
Also read: How to change the time on Chromebook?
Report the bug to the Chrome team
WiFi disconnection issues were widely reported by ChromeOS users in 2020. While the Chrome team fixed that bug in an update, you can report it using the ALT + SHIFT +I keyboard shortcut if you’re still facing it.
You can also check if there’s a similar bug report ticket in Chromium’s log here.
Also read: How to eject a USB from Chromebook?
