ChromeOS Powerwash

Performing a Factory Reset, also known as a Powerwash, on a ChromeOS device is easy and will both securely delete any locally stored data and revert your device to a factory state. This is useful if you intend to retire a ChromeOS device you no longer wish to use, or if you make any modifications to the ChromeOS operating system that you wish to revert. A Factory Reset is also required if you wish to enable or disable developer mode on a device or to downgrade from a dev, beta or canary build of ChromeOS to stable. 

Triggering a Factory Reset (Powerwash)

There are three primary ways to trigger a Powerwash on a ChromeOS device; From the ChromeOS Settings Application, From the ChromeOS Login Screen or by using a Factory Recovery Image. Additionally this process will also be automatically triggered when switching between developer mode/verified mode and when downgrading from a test release of ChromeOS to stable. 

From the Lock Screen

From the ChromeOS Settings Application

From a ChromeOS Recovery Disk Image

A ChromeOS Recovery Image is used to not only securely delete all data on a ChromeOS device but will completely re-install ChromeOS. This is useful if you wish to upgrade the built-in storage of a ChromeOS device (assuming your device supports the ability to replace the internal storage drive). This process can also be used to repair a corrupt ChromeOS installation, potentially caused by a failed upgrade or if the power was lost on a ChromeOS device when performing an upgrade.  In most cases, it will be able to succeed if any of the other above methods fail and it is strongly advised to keep a ChromeOS Recovery Disk in a safe place in the unlikely event that it is needed.

You can create a ChromeOS Recovery Disk using a ChromeOS Device, MacOS, Windows or even Linux by following the instructions on the ChomeOS Guide to Creating a ChromeOS Recovery Image if you do not already have a recovery disk.

Performing The Factory Reset

Once a Factory Reset/Powerwash starts, the process is fully automated and cannot be canceled at any point in the progress. This process generally takes under a minute on most devices but may take longer if you are recovering your device from a ChromeOS Factory Image due to the amount of time it takes to transfer the Operating System partitions from the USB image to the Chrome OS Device. During this process, you will see the following screen to inform you that the Factory Reset/Powerwash is in progress and not to interrupt it. If you are using a Chromebook, ChromeOS Convertible or ChromeOS Tablet, it is strongly advised to keep your device connected to a power source until the reset completes.

When the reset has been completed, your device will automatically reboot and you will be presented with the ChromeOS Initial Setup.

If this process fails or is interrupted, you may need to obtain a ChromeOS Recovery Image which will do a complete re-installation of ChromeOS.