With a refresh button comes the ability to remove any glitches or bugs from your Chromebook, which provides a separate button for a refresh. Usually, regular-sized buttons don’t offer a separate button for refresh, and in some PCs, the F5 button acts as a refresh button. The refresh button can be used in combination with other keyboard buttons as well to create keyboard shortcuts.
In this article, we will explain further about the refresh button in a Chromebook and its role in rebooting and refreshing your system.
Also read: How to go incognito on Chromebook?
Locating the refresh button
Majority of the Chromebooks have the refresh button located in the top row of keyboard buttons. The refresh button is usually present as the fourth button from the left in the topmost row of your keyboard. The button will consist of a circular arrow going in a clockwise direction.
The keyboard shortcut for refresh
You can also a keyboard shortcut for refreshing your Chrome browser in addition to the refresh button already provided on Chromebooks. By pressing Ctrl + r simultaneously, you can refresh any open tab, be it normal or incognito.
Using the refresh button
You can use the refresh button on Chromebook for various purposes which is another reason why there is an entirely separate button for refresh. You can also hard reset or powerwash your Chromebook using the refresh button along with other buttons, as given below:
Hard reset your Chromebook
Usually, when any issue arises with your Chromebook, it can be resolved by a hard reset. You can reset your Chromebook by simultaneously pressing the refresh button and the power button. Follow the steps given as follows which will be compatible with many Chromebooks:
- Switch off your Chromebook.
- Hold the refresh button and then press the power button.
- Keep pressing the refresh key for a few seconds till your screen display lights up.
- After your Chromebook has started, you can stop pressing the refresh button.
By doing a hard reset, your Chromebook’s battery is restarted and all battery-related issues are fixed which includes issues like your Chromebook not charging. It will restart your Chromebook’s hardware. Another method includes:
Press and keep holding the back arrow key, refresh key, and power key for ten seconds.
On Chromebook tablets, you can press and hold the volume up and power buttons together for ten seconds before releasing them.
Try the hard reset method only after other ways haven’t worked out as this type of reset will remove some files in your Downloads folder.
Powerwash your Chromebook
You can also do a factory reset or powerwash with a keyboard shortcut. Since a factory reset will erase all the important and personal data from your Chromebook, it is necessary that all of your files and information are backed up before attempting a powerwash. You can back up your files on Google Drive or any other external hard drive. You can powerwash using the refresh button in the following way:
- Sign out from Chromebook.
- Keep pressing the Ctrl + Alt +Shift + r keys simultaneously.
- Select Restart and choose the Powerwash option when a pop-up box appears then click on Continue.
Alternatively, you can also powerwash your Chromebook from the settings by following the guide below.
Step 1: Open Settings by clicking on the gear icon in the taskbar in the lower left corner of your home screen or from the app menu.
Step 2: In the lower left, from the given options click on Advanced.
Step 3: From the drop-down options, choose Accessibility. Then click on the Reset button in front of the Powerwash option.
Your Chromebook will then continue to restart and then follow the steps shown to sign into your Google account. This will become the owner’s account and after setting up everything again, check to see if the previous errors have been resolved.
Only attempt a powerwash after you have backed up all of your files and stored private information securely in a cloud or hard drive to ensure it does not get erased during the factory reset.
Also read: How to fix the volume on Chromebook?
