If you are used to working on a Windows device or MacBook computer then you know that you can change the login password easily via settings or system preferences. Changing the password for logging into your Chromebook is slightly different.
The login password on your Chromebook is linked to your Google account. It is the same password you would use for Chrome, Gmail and YouTube. If you were to change your password on any of these applications, your Chromebook password would automatically change.
In this article, we will go over how to change your Google password and the implications of doing this for your Chromebook. We will also discuss setting up two factor verification on your Google account to increase the level of protection and how to set up a pin on your Chromebook.
Changing the password on secondary accounts is not possible. These are limited accounts, where the Chromebook owner can have significant control over what content the secondary user can view. This type of account is a good option for parents with young children, hence changing the password regularly should not be necessary anyway.
Table of Contents
Changing your Google Password
You can access your Google account settings from any Google application, this includes YouTube, Gmail and Chrome. Chrome might however be the easiest for most people. We will discuss that here. Follow the steps below to change your Google password:
- Launch your Chrome browser
- Open Google
- In the upper left corner, you will see your profile picture (if you haven’t set a profile picture you will see a picture with a silhouette) -> Click the picture
- A menu will appear under your picture select Manage Your Google Account
- You will be directed to the settings page this will consist of a menu on the right-hand side and further options in the center
- On the right-hand side menu select Security
- You will then have a number of options in the center of the screen, scroll down and select Singing into Google
- Select Password -> Enter your current password when prompted, you may also be prompted to enter a two-factor verification code if you have already set this up
- Once you have done the above you can select your new password and confirm it
Note that it is really important to remember your old password as you will be prompted to enter this the next time you login on your Chromebook. If you cannot recall this your local data will be deleted to help protect your information.
Once you have changed your Google password you will be required to enter the new password on all your google applications on all your devices. Therefor it’s a good idea to make sure to change your password at a time where you have a few minutes to do this.
Activating Two Factor Authentication
Two factor authentication or “two factor verification” as it’s termed by Google is generally a good idea. It allows you to feel safer by providing an extra layer of security. Each time anyone tries to login using your Google account on a new device a code is sent to your phone via call or text message, this code needs to be entered for the login action to be completed. This is in addition to entering your password.
Two factor verification is very easy to set up, however there is one very important step you must take for your own comfort and ease of mind. When you set up two factor verification Google gives you an option of receiving two security codes that will override the verification. This is especially useful if you ever lose your phone.
Once you activate the security codes you must write these down somewhere safe. This can be in a notebook, or a document saved in Dropbox or iCloud, but it must be somewhere you can access without accessing your Google account. For extra security you should put a password or a pin on the document. We advise avoiding naming it something obvious like “passwords” or “passcodes”.
Now to set up two factor verification follow these steps:
- Follow steps 1-7 for changing your google password above, then,
- Select 2-Step Verification
- Select get started
- You will be prompted to enter your password and then you will be able to select what type of 2-factor verification you would like, the options include phone call, text message and security key
- You will need access to the phone that you have set this up with to confirm
- You can set up a backup code now as well
- If you select to activate the backup codes write these down now
- Each backup code works once so if you need to use it you will need to set up and write down the new one immediately
Setting Up a Pin on Your Chromebook
If you have chosen a difficult password to help keep your Google accounts safe, typing this every time you want to use your Chromebook might be laborious. In this case you can set up a six-digit pin on your Chromebook. Note that your password will still need to be entered once every 24 hours.
To set up a pin follow these steps:
- Click on the clock (time) on the bottom left corner of your Chromebook screen
- Select the cogwheel settings icon
- A window will pop up, on the left sidebar in this window select people
- Select screen lock and sign-in you will be prompted to enter your password
- Once you’ve entered your password you can select pin and then click set up pin
- You can now enter your desired pin of a minimum of six digits
We hope this article has helped you understand the security features of your Chromebook a little better and how these are linked to your Google account.
