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Lenovo Chromebook Wi-Fi Not Working (How To Fix)

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When your Lenovo Chromebook is not connecting, your computer will have no Internet access. Here’s how to get it fixed.

Check the configurations

At this point, Chromebook does not support all configurations of wireless networks. Make sure that you are using a secure network with WEP, WPA-PSK, or WPA-Enterprise settings.

Otherwise, you may need to turn off the password option and try connecting to the network as an open network.

Check the Network

A problem with connecting to the Internet with your Lenovo Chromebook is not always a problem with the Chromebook. Try connecting to the network with a different device, such as a smartphone or a Smart TV. If they can connect, try restarting your Chromebook.

Reasons Lenovo Chromebook Wi-Fi Is Not Working

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Since there are multiple reasons why your Chromebook may not be connecting to Wi-Fi, it’s a good idea to consider each of the possible solutions one by one. Review this list and try each to see which will fix the problem.

1. Disabled Chromebook Wi-Fi

If the Chromebook Wi-Fi is disabled, it will not connect to the Wi-Fi network. This is a simple solution to fix.

Open the quick access window at the bottom of your screen on the right. You can then look for the option where there is no network and select it.

If there are multiple networks in the area, you must choose the Wi-Fi network for your Internet connection. You will unlikely have any open networks in the area that do not require a password.

After selecting your personal Wi-Fi network, enter the password. It will take a few seconds, but the Chromebook should connect now.

If Wi-Fi has been completely disabled, you can turn it on in the same quick settings panel. There is a toggle switch that will allow you to turn it on and off.

Otherwise, you must enter the settings menu on your Chromebook and search for the Wi-Fi option. There should be a master switch that turns the Wi-Fi on and off.

The master switch is the same as the switch on the settings panel in the lower right corner of your monitor. Either one should work if there are no other Chromebook or Wi-Fi network issues.

2. Network Conflicts

There may be times when network conflicts occur. When that happens, you need to troubleshoot the problem to get it up and running again.

Before doing anything, try plugging directly into the router using an ethernet cable. This will allow you to determine if your Chromebook can connect to the Internet or if it is another problem.

Many Chromebooks do not have an ethernet connection, but you can get a converter to plug the ethernet into your USB C lightning port. This is a good option, and it will speed up your Internet significantly.

If you are able to connect to the Internet but can’t connect to Wi-Fi, it’s time to start looking for other devices in the area that could be causing a conflict. This can be anything from medical equipment to other computers or even a microwave oven. I once had an old VCR causing the conflict.

The easiest way to check this is to unplug everything in the area and plug them back in individually. After you unplug all the devices, connect to Wi-Fi and continue to test the Wi-Fi after each new device has been connected.

It is not common for this type of network conflict to occur, but it happens occasionally. If you find a conflicting device, you have a couple of choices.

First, you can leave the device unplugged for a few minutes and then plug it back in again. Sometimes, it will reconnect to the Wi-Fi network without conflict.

If you continue to have a conflict, you must decide which is most important in the area. If it is a piece of medical equipment or something that can’t easily be moved, you may need to move your Chromebook to an area where the conflict doesn’t exist.

One other option is to move the router closer to the Chromebook. If you have the network source close enough to the Chromebook, the conflict may not be a problem.

3. Communication Issues

There are times when you may have communication issues between your Chromebook and the Wi-Fi network. What can you do when this problem occurs?

The easiest way to fix a communication issue is to restart the network. Doing so is more than unplugging the router and plugging it back in again.

Disconnect the cables from the modem and router. This may include a coaxial cable if you are using a cable-based Internet service provider, or it could be a phone cable.

After disconnecting the network cable, unplug any ethernet cables from the back of the router and modem. This will fully disconnect the devices from anything they are connected to.

Finally, unplug the modem and router from the power source. You have to wait at least five minutes before plugging them back in again.

If you plug the modem and router in too quickly, some of the power may still be inside the device, and it may not have fully restarted. Allowing sufficient time for the device’s power to dissipate will be beneficial.

After waiting a few minutes, reverse the process. Plug everything back into the router and modem and allow them to restart fully. The restart process may take a few minutes and is finished when the lights on the modem have stabilized.

Some of the lights may continue to flash, as they do so by design.

If this doesn’t work, you can restart the Chromebook while everything else is reset.

4. Hardware Problems

Although this is uncommon, hardware problems inside the Chromebook can cause connection problems. If other devices at your home can connect to the network without any problem, you may want to consider this possibility.

One way to check this is to plug the router directly into the Chromebook using an ethernet or USB cable. If you have Internet on your Chromebook, then it may be a hardware issue causing the Wi-Fi to disconnect.

In some cases, you will not be able to fix this problem because it is internal. Aside from sending the Chromebook back to the factory to be repaired, you can purchase an external Wi-Fi device to connect to the network.

5. Software (app) Problems

As you continue to add software to the Chromebook, there may be times when conflicts occur. It doesn’t always happen, but it’s not out of the question.

Tracking down which app is causing the problem is not always easy. It’s not even the same app that you last installed in many cases, because it could’ve been an update that caused the problem.

When this occurs, you may need to remove the apps one by one and test the Chromebook to see if the Wi-Fi is connecting. You may need to restart the Chromebook after each app is removed.

Try sorting the apps by date rather than alphabetically. Doing so allows you to see which app was updated recently, making it easier to track down the problem.

Finally, it may be an issue with a Chrome OS update. You can enter settings to roll back the Chrome update to an earlier version.

6. Not Signing Into the Network

A common problem that occurs with Wi-Fi networks is for the network to change. This could cause difficulty, and it may even reset the network password.

It’s not always the fact that you can’t connect to the network, but sometimes, you just are connecting to it to the extent that you are online. This can often be fixed by reconnecting to Wi-Fi and reestablishing the password again.

Open the quick panel in the lower right corner of the Chromebook screen. Turn off the Wi-Fi network and turn it back on again.

If you don’t see your Wi-Fi network in the options, check to see if it has reset to the default name. Otherwise, restart the network by unplugging the modem and plugging it back in again.

If the Wi-Fi network is not connecting due to a password issue, look on the modem to see if the password has been reset to the original option. The password is something that many people change to make it easier to remember.

This is not a common problem but it does occur on occasion. It’s good to keep in mind in case you have a network conflict that does not allow you to connect fully.

7. Chromebook Needs Reset

There may be times when you have to reset the Chromebook. There are two different options for doing it, and this is the hard reset option.

Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on May 8, 2023.

The hard reset is often done when the Chromebook is not starting correctly. It may also fix Wi-Fi problems because it forces the Chromebook to shut down completely.

Hold the reset and power buttons until the computer turns off. Continue to hold the reset button until the computer restarts again. After a few minutes, the Chromebook will be refreshed, and the Wi-Fi may work again.

8. Chromebook Needs Power Wash

As a final option, you may need to perform a power wash. This is not something that should be done frequently because it will wipe out all of the data on the Chromebook.

Prior to doing a power wash, backup the device to an external hard drive or external backup service. Your Chromebook will typically back up to Google Drive automatically if you have the established settings.

Next, you should follow the steps to perform a power wash. Once the power wash is complete, you will be back at factory settings.

1. Sign out – Sign out of the account on your Chromebook. If you are signed into multiple accounts, make sure that you are completely out of all of them.

2. Press and Hold – Use the following key sequence to restart the computer and begin the power wash process. You will have to hold these keys in until the prompt pops up: Ctrl + Alt + Shift + R

3. Restart – In the prompt box, you will have the option to restart. Doing so will move you forward in the power wash process.

4. Powerwash – After your Chromebook restarts, another box will appear that allows you to begin the power wash process. Select Powerwash and then select continue.

5. Sign in – The computer will walk you through the process of signing into your Google account at this point.

Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on May 8, 2023.

6. Reset – After the power wash process is complete, you will have a reset Chromebook, and the Wi-Fi will be back to factory settings as well.

Troubleshooting Lenovo Chromebook Wi-Fi

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One of the top reasons we use our Chromebook is when we connect to the Internet. It is convenient for everything from watching online videos to checking your email. What can you do when it isn’t connecting to Wi-Fi?

Your Chromebook will not connect to Wi-Fi if Wi-Fi is disabled. This will lead to communication issues between the router and your computer. After restarting Chromebook, enter settings and reestablish Wi-Fi again. Doing so will allow your Chromebook to connect to the Internet.

It would be nice if all of the problems we experience with our Chromebook is as easy to fix as this. As you can imagine, there are other solutions that sometimes need to be considered.

Of all the different computers I work on, I enjoy working on Chromebooks the best. If something goes wrong, the solution is easy to find. They are also stable, making fixing them more straightforward than a Windows or Mac.

ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on May 8, 2023.

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