How To Use Find My Chromebook To Locate Your Computer

This article explains how to locate your Chromebook using your Google account.

What to Know

• On your Google Account page, select Security > Manage devices and select the Chromebook you want to locate.The Chromebook device page contains information about the current status of your ChromebookIf you can’t recover your Chromebook and want to protect your Google account, select Sign out.

Find My Chromebook Using Google Account

As long as the Chromebook is still online, you can see its current location.

• Sign in to your Google Account page from another device, such as a computer.
• In the left panel, select Security.
• Scroll down to Your devices to choose from all the devices you’ve recently used to log into your Google account.
• Select Manage devices.
• Select your lost Chromebook.
• On the Chromebook device page, you’ll see information about your Chromebook’s current status. Under Recent Activity, you’ll see the Chromebook’s most recent location if Google accesses its IP address.
• If your Chromebook is permanently lost and you must protect your Google account, select Sign out.
• You’ve disconnected your Chromebook from your Google account. Anyone with access to the Chromebook won’t be able to log in to your Google account without the password.

How to Remotely Connect to Your Lost or Stolen Chromebook

Using Google’s Remote Desktop service, you can establish a remote connection between your PC and Chromebook. As long as this connection is active (even when you’re on your Chromebook away from home), you’ll be able to connect to it from your Windows PC.

Sign in to your Google Account page from another device, such as a computer.

In the left panel, select Security.

Scroll down to Your devices to choose from all the devices you’ve recently used to log into your Google account.

Select Manage devices.

Select your lost Chromebook.

On the Chromebook device page, you’ll see information about your Chromebook’s current status. Under Recent Activity, you’ll see the Chromebook’s most recent location if Google accesses its IP address.

If your Chromebook is permanently lost and you must protect your Google account, select Sign out.

You’ve disconnected your Chromebook from your Google account. Anyone with access to the Chromebook won’t be able to log in to your Google account without the password.

This remote access session is active until you no longer confirm the session on your Chromebook. You’ll need to initiate the session whenever you’re going mobile with your Chromebook, so it’s not a perfect solution. However, it lets you establish a remote connection before taking your Chromebook somewhere where the threat of losing it is high.

• On the computer from which you want to access the Chromebook, launch Chrome and navigate to the Google Chrome Remote Desktop page.
• Select the Remote Access tab.
• In the Set up Remote Access box, select the blue down-facing triangle.
• A Chrome Web Store tab will open. Select Add to Chrome to add the Chrome Remote Desktop extension. Select Add Extension to confirm.
• Select Accept and Install and select Yes to confirm.
• The installer package will download. Double-click to open it and then follow the installation prompts.
• Choose a name for the host computer and select Next.
• Enter a PIN and select Start.
• To share the screen with your Chromebook or another computer, select the Chrome Remote Desktop extension from the Chrome toolbar.
• On your Chromebook, navigate to the Google Chrome Remote Desktop website and select Remote Access.
• Double-click the computer on which you already set up remote access and enter the PIN you previously created.
• Select the arrow to connect.

On the computer from which you want to access the Chromebook, launch Chrome and navigate to the Google Chrome Remote Desktop page.

Select the Remote Access tab.

In the Set up Remote Access box, select the blue down-facing triangle.

A Chrome Web Store tab will open. Select Add to Chrome to add the Chrome Remote Desktop extension. Select Add Extension to confirm.

Select Accept and Install and select Yes to confirm.

The installer package will download. Double-click to open it and then follow the installation prompts.

Choose a name for the host computer and select Next.

Enter a PIN and select Start.

To share the screen with your Chromebook or another computer, select the Chrome Remote Desktop extension from the Chrome toolbar.

On your Chromebook, navigate to the Google Chrome Remote Desktop website and select Remote Access.

Double-click the computer on which you already set up remote access and enter the PIN you previously created.

Select the arrow to connect.

• How do I take a screenshot on a Chromebook?
• To take screenshots on a Chromebook, go to Quick Settings and launch the Screen Capture tool. Select Screenshot and select the area you want to capture. Or, to capture your Chromebook’s entire screen, press Ctrl + Window Switch.
• How do I right-click on a Chromebook?
• To right-click on a Chromebook, using the Chromebook keyboard, hover the cursor over the item you want to right-click, press and hold the Alt key, and tap the touchpad with one finger. On the Chromebook touchpad, hover the cursor over the item you want to select and use two fingers to tap the touchpad.
• How do I restart a Chromebook?
• To restart a Chromebook, press and hold the Power button until the device turns off, and then turn it on again. To perform a hard restart, shut down the Chromebook, and then press and hold the Refresh and Power buttons simultaneously. Release when Chromebook starts back up.

To take screenshots on a Chromebook, go to Quick Settings and launch the Screen Capture tool. Select Screenshot and select the area you want to capture. Or, to capture your Chromebook’s entire screen, press Ctrl + Window Switch.

To right-click on a Chromebook, using the Chromebook keyboard, hover the cursor over the item you want to right-click, press and hold the Alt key, and tap the touchpad with one finger. On the Chromebook touchpad, hover the cursor over the item you want to select and use two fingers to tap the touchpad.

To restart a Chromebook, press and hold the Power button until the device turns off, and then turn it on again. To perform a hard restart, shut down the Chromebook, and then press and hold the Refresh and Power buttons simultaneously. Release when Chromebook starts back up.

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