Have you changed the keyboard shortcuts on your Chromebook but now want to use the default keys pattern? Although this process seems a little complicated, you can do so without much effort.
To reset the Chromebook keyboard shortcuts, reset your device. To do this, press and hold the Ctrl + Alt + Shift + R keys and choose “Restart”. Select “Powerwash” in the new window and click “Continue”. Follow the on-screen prompts to log in to your Google account and set up the Chromebook.
To make things more understandable, we took the time to write a comprehensive step-by-step guide on how to reset Chromebook keyboard shortcuts with easy instructions.
Resetting Chromebook Keyboard Shortcuts
If you are wondering how to reset your Chromebook keyboard shortcuts, our following 2 step-by-step methods will help you go through this process quickly.
Method #1: Resetting Keyboard Shortcuts Manually
If your Chromebook keyboard shortcuts are acting up or you have configured them earlier but want to use the default ones now, you can do so manually by doing these steps.
- Click the time icon in the bottom right corner of your Chromebook screen.
- Click the gear-shaped icon that appears to access Settings.
- Click “Device”, scroll down to sub-settings, and select “Keyboard” to see a list of keys you have customized.
- Select the default option next to every keyboard shortcut.
For example, if the Ctrl key is customized as an Esc key, select Ctrl in the drop-down menu to reset it to the default shortcut key.
Method #2: Factory Resetting the Chromebook
Another way to reset keyboard keys is to reset the Chromebook back to its factory or default settings in the following way.
- Press the Escape key, the Refresh key, and the power button on your Chromebook.
- Press the Ctrl + D keys and press Enter to move through the next pop-up screen.
- Press the Spacebar to enable OS verification.
- Wait for the system to reboot, your Chromebook will be like new, and the keyboard shortcuts will be reset.
Method #3: Powerwashing the Chromebook
If the factory reset process fails to restore the default keyboard shortcuts, you can powerwash your device with these steps.
- Log out of your Chromebook and press and hold the Ctrl + Alt + Shift + R keys.
- Choose the “Restart” option on the “Reset this Chrome Device” window.
- Choose “Powerwash” in the new window.
- Select “Continue”.
- Follow the on-screen instruction to log back into your Google account.
- Again follow the on-screen prompts to set up your system and verify that the keyboard shortcuts are reset.
The Chromebook reset process depends on the model you own. For example, you may need to press a special reset button on some models. In contrast, on other models, you just need to unplug the power cable or re-insert the battery to perform a complete reset that clears your settings, including keyboard shortcuts.
If you sign in with a new Google account after resetting your Chromebook, it will be your owner account.
You can also powerwash your Chromebook through the Chrome browser to reset keyboard shortcuts.
- Launch Chrome.
- Click the menu button on the top-right corner, represented as the three vertical lines, to open up a drop-down menu.
- Click “Settings”.
- Scroll down to the bottom and click the “Advanced” option.
- Find “Reset Settings”.
- Select “Powerwash”.
- Choose “Restart” under the “Restart this device” dialog box.
Your Chromebook will now restart to complete the powerwash process. Next, sign in with your Google account, and you will notice that the keyboard shortcuts are reset.
Method #4: Hard Resetting the Chromebook
It is also possible to reset your Chromebook keyboard shortcuts by hard resetting the machine with the steps mentioned below.
- Power off your Chromebook.
- Press and hold the Refresh key and the power button on the keyboard.
- Once your Chromebook boots up, release the Refresh key and let the system load with default settings.
Changing the Chromebook Keyboard From INTL to US
Sometimes, your Chromebook may display “INTL” on the bottom right of the screen, meaning that the keyboard settings and shortcuts are changed to the International keyboard instead of the US Standard keyboard.
In this case, some keys will not act according to the keyboard symbols, which can also affect shortcuts. It happens when you accidentally press the Ctrl and Spacebar keys together.
To fix this issue, press the Ctrl + Spacebar keys on the keyboard, and your shortcuts will reset back to US settings.
Summary
In this guide, we’ve discussed resetting Chromebook keyboard shortcuts manually, factory resetting the device, powerwashing, and hard resetting. We’ve also discussed changing the keyboard from INTL to the US input to get the keyboard keys working correctly again.
Hopefully, your query has been answered in this article, and you can now quickly use the same key you used.
