Chromebooks, like Android phones, require Google Account sign-in. And although most Android phones can do without a Google Account (if you don’t need Google services), you can use Chromebook only in Guest mode, with limited capabilities. So, you need the account. But, what if you added a primary account and want a different one or got a Chromebook that has the primary account you want to replace with yours? In that case, you’ll need to change the primary account on your Chromebook. Learn how below.
How do I delete my primary account on my Chromebook?
The primary account is the account you used when setting up your Chromebook for the first time. You may look at it as the Administrator or Owner account. In this manner, Chromebooks are closer to Android smartphones than Windows PCs. You can remove it only if you Powerwash (factory reset) your Chromebook. Of course, unless your Chromebook is administrated by the school, university, or employer. In this case, you can’t do much except contact the administrator.
The Powerwash (factory reset) will, of course, delete all your data so we suggest backing it up before you do anything else. Again, if you’re looking for a way to remove administrative permissions from your school or work, there’s no way to do it. Nothing can be done in this regard with enterprise-enrolled Chromebooks, only with personal devices. Another thing to remember is that you’ll need to be signed in to the current primary account in order for Powerwash to delete it.
Now that we got that out of the way, here’s how to delete your primary account on your Chromebook:
- Open Settings.
- Select Advanced from the left pane.
- Open Reset settings.
- Click Reset and then click Restart.
- After the procedure wipes your Chromebook clean, add the new account you want to use.
- Follow the instructions to configure the Chromebook.
If you can live with it, you can add another Google Account and use it instead while keeping the primary account. You can do that in Settings > Accounts > Add Google Account. This is probably not what you were looking for but the secondary account can do everything the primary can and you don’t have to go for the Powerwash.
With that said, we can conclude this article. If you have any questions or suggestions feel free to share them in the comments section below. Thank you for reading and we look forward to hearing from you.
