There’s a good chance that one of the best Chromebooks is up to date if it works well. Why? When Chromebooks connect to the internet, they automatically keep themselves up to date. But if you’re having common Chromebook issues, you’ll know that manually updating your Chromebook is a good idea. Also, technology only sometimes does what it says it will do. In case your Chromebook doesn’t update itself, here’s how to do it.
Here are the steps you need to take to update your Chromebook by hand:
- Go to the “Settings” menu.
- Click “Check for updates” on the “About” page.
- Update and start over.
If you need more help, the parts that follow will walk you through the details of each step.
Step 1) Open the “Settings” menu
Most of the time, when a new version of the operating system comes out, your Chromebook should update itself. But this doesn’t always work, and you should check that a particular patch has gone through. You can change by hand in these situations. Here’s how to start.
Step 1: Make sure your Chromebook is online by logging in. In Chrome OS, look down at the desktop. To the right of it is the System Tray, which is where the clock is. To go on, click the clock.
Step 2: Open the System Tray and look at the icons at the top of the window. Choose the image that looks like a gear.
Step 2) Access “Check for updates” on the About page
Step 1: Open the main menu in Settings. This will show you details about your network connections. In the bottom left corner, find the last item on the left menu that says “About Chrome OS.” This will give you more details about your updates.
Step 2: Now your Chromebook will display information regarding the version of Chrome OS you are using. Select “Check for Updates” from the right-hand menu.
Step 3: Add updates and start over
If your Chromebook finds an update, it should start the update process immediately at this point. Do these things.
Step 1: You need to wait for the update to finish downloading. In Google Chrome OS, you can see what portion of the update is done. Right now, you don’t want your Chromebook to shut down on its own, so make sure it’s plugged into a power source if you need to.
Step 2: Once the download is done, you’ll see a message telling you to restart to finish the update. Make sure you don’t need to save any work, and then click “Restart.” It could take a few minutes or more for the process to finish before Chrome OS starts up again.
Step 3: Check the Google Chrome OS area and click on See What’s New below it if it is a big update. If any new features were added in a recent Chrome OS update, this will show you them.
Troubleshooting failed updates
If something goes wrong, you won’t be able to update because the system update won’t be able to download. There are some things you can try to fix the issue if it shows up for you.
Step 1: Once more, make sure that your Chromebook is plugged in and not in a low-power mode.
Step 2: Before you try to start the update process, turn your Chromebook off and then back on again.
Step 3: Make sure your internet link is strong. You might not be able to get the fix if you are in a place with spotty Wi-Fi.
Step 4: If you are connecting your Chromebook to the internet through a cell data plan, try either Wi-Fi or Ethernet and try again.
Need more help with your Chromebook? Read our tips on how to reset a Chromebook and how to fix common issues with Chromebooks.
