Your Chromebook password is the key to your Google Account

Changing your Chromebook password means changing the password to your Google Account — the two are the same thing. When you sign into your Chromebook, you are signing into Google. If someone knows your password, they can access your email, your files in Google Drive, your browsing history, and anything else tied to that account from any device, anywhere.

You change this password through Google's account settings, not through your Chromebook itself. The process takes about five minutes and works the same way whether you are using a Chromebook, a phone, or a computer.

Key Takeaways

  • Your Chromebook password is your Google Account password, so changing one changes the other across all your devices.
  • You change your password by going to myaccount.google.com, not through your Chromebook settings.
  • Google will ask you to confirm your identity before letting you change your password — usually by sending a code to your phone or recovery email.
  • After you change your password, you will need to sign back into your Chromebook with the new password.
  • If you forget your password, you can recover your account using a recovery phone number or recovery email address you set up beforehand.

How to change your password step by step

Open any web browser and go to myaccount.google.com. You can do this on your Chromebook or on any other device. Sign in with your current Google Account password if you are not already signed in.

On the left side of the page, click Security. Scroll down until you see Password and click it. Google will ask you to sign in again to confirm it is really you — enter your current password.

In the box that says New password, type a password you have not used before. Google will show you a strength meter as you type. In the box below it, type the same password again to confirm. Then click Change password.

Google will send a confirmation message to your recovery email address or phone number. You do not need to do anything with this message — it is just letting you know the change went through.

What happens to your other devices after you change your password

Your Chromebook will not automatically sign you out. You can keep using it normally. However, if you sign out of your Chromebook or if it restarts, you will need to sign back in with your new password.

Any other devices signed into the same Google Account — a phone, a tablet, another computer — will also need your new password the next time they try to sync or sign in. Most devices will prompt you to enter the new password. Some may sign you out when ready.

If you have a recovery phone number or recovery email set up on your account, Google will send you a notification on those devices letting you know your password changed. This is a security feature: if someone else changed your password without your permission, you would see that notification and could recover your account.

Why you should change your password regularly

You do not need to change your password every month just because time has passed. However, you should change it if any of these things happen: you used the same password on another website that got hacked, someone else may have seen your password, you shared your Chromebook with someone and then got it back, or you have not changed it in several years.

A strong password is one that is long (at least 12 characters), uses a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols, and is not a word you can find in a dictionary or a pattern like 123456. Google's strength meter will tell you if your password is weak.

If you forget your password

Go to the Google sign-in page and click Forgot password? Google will ask you to enter the email address or phone number associated with your account. Then it will ask you to enter the last password you remember.

If you cannot remember any password, click Try another way. Google will offer other ways to prove you own the account: answering a security question you set up, using a recovery email address, or using a recovery phone number. You must have set up at least one of these beforehand for this to work.

If you did not set up a recovery email or phone number and you cannot answer your security question, you may not be able to recover your account. This is why setting up recovery options now — before you need them — matters.

How to set up recovery options so you can get back in

Go to myaccount.google.com and click Security on the left. Scroll down to find How you sign in to Google. You will see options for Recovery email and Recovery phone.

For recovery email, click the option and enter an email address you control and check regularly — ideally one that is not a Gmail address. For recovery phone, enter a phone number where you can receive text messages or calls. Google will send a code to confirm you own that number.

You do not need both, but having at least one gives you a way back into your account if you forget your password or if someone else gains access. Test your recovery options by trying to sign in with a wrong password and seeing if you can recover your account.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will changing my password sign me out of Gmail and Google Drive?

Not when ready. You will stay signed in on your Chromebook and any other devices until they restart or you manually sign out. The next time you try to use a Google service that requires signing in again, you will need your new password.

Can I change my password if I do not remember my current one?

No, Google requires you to enter your current password before letting you change it. If you do not remember it, use the "Forgot password?" option on the sign-in page instead. You will need access to your recovery email or phone to prove you own the account.

What if I change my password and then realize I typed it wrong?

You can change it again. Go back to myaccount.google.com, click Security, click Password, and follow the same steps. Google will ask for your current password again, so make sure you enter the password you just set.

Does changing my Google password change my Chromebook PIN?

No. Your Chromebook PIN is separate from your Google Account password. If you set a PIN to lock your Chromebook screen, that PIN stays the same. You can change your Chromebook PIN in Settings under Security and Privacy if you want to.

Can someone use my old password to sign into my account after I change it?

No. Once you change your password, the old one stops working everywhere. Anyone trying to sign in with the old password will see an error message.