There are times when it is necessary to resent Chromebooks back to their factory settings. Maybe its time to refresh the whole fleet, or there is a Chromebook not receiving the same settings as other Chromebooks in an OU. In years past, you might have collected Chromebooks individually or in a return event, wiped them down, checked for damage, and power washed them. Instead, you might be looking for another opportunity to digitally clean Chromebooks while they stay with users.
Recently, Google updated the Admin console to provide more controls for resetting devices. If you navigate into the Admin console and head to Devices > Chrome > Devices you can see a list of the devices in your console. Then you can either click on a serial number to open a specific device or check the box next to the devices you want to affect. You will see the following prompt.
The first option clears user-profiles and purge logins in order to free up space locally. This option can be helpful after a long break or before a testing window. The second option gives you the equivalent of a power wash. It shows a warning about making sure the device is setup to auto re-enrollment, which is a setting you can enable in the Admin console.
Let’s make sure this setting is configured correctly.
Head into the Admin console and navigate to Devices > Chrome > Settings > Device Settings. The first setting you see on this screen is called Forced re-enrollment and should be set to Force device to automatically re-enroll after wiping. This ensures that any power wash done to the device will result in full re-enrollment even if a user doesn’t sign into the device right away. This setting is essential for ensuring devices stay enrolled in your domain during the power wash process. Another caveat is that pre-configured Wi-Fi settings are removed with a power wash and devices need access to a network to grab those policies again. Make sure your device has access to a network to regain these policies.
Once you have all of your settings configured, you are free to remotely power wash your devices to your heart’s content! You can refresh your devices and trust that they will end up enrolled right where you expected them to be. Happy refreshing!
About the Author |
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| Kendal Shomura, Google Consultant | |
| Kendal Shomura joined the CDW Amplified for Education team in 2018 after 7 years working in Public Schools as an educator, Instructional Coach, Technology Integration Specialist, and as a Professor in the Masters of Educational Technology program at Touro University. He spent 3 years as a Google Administrator while training staff on how to integrate Google Workspace tools into their classrooms. Kendal’s wide array of experiences with Educational Technology allows him to understand the important nuances of technology in schools. Today, he is a Google for Education Consultant who works to help schools better understand their Google environment and empowers them to configure Google Workspace in the most optimum way for student safety while still allowing for robust usage of the tools. |