How to enable Developer Mode on Chromebook

Developer Mode on Chromebooks allows you to perform a series of advanced tasks like installing Android apps from outside the Google Play Store, switching to Canary Channel, or modifying the system in different ways. So how to enable Developer Mode on Chromebook?

Developer Mode will disable verified boot on your Chromebook and give you access to the "root" shell. Technically, this is only necessary if you're using ChromeOS Canary Channel builds, installing a completely different operating system, or setting up an unofficial 'Crouton' Linux environment. However, most modern Chromebook models cannot run alternative operating systems without driver issues, and development on Crouton has ended in favor of a mainstream Linux environment. wake in ChromeOS.

These days, Developer Mode mostly serves as an unlock method for installing Android apps from APK files, or as a prerequisite for installing ChromeOS Canary. You can enable a Linux environment on your Chromebook without enabling Developer Mode because Linux software runs in a protected container on ChromeOS.

Before start

There is an issue you need to keep in mind before activating Developer Mode. First, turning Developer Mode on and off will erase all data on your Chromebook. The system will be "reset", so all user accounts and local data will be deleted. You'll have to re-login to most websites and re-download all of your Android and/or Linux apps. Not all Android and Linux apps sync data to an account, so make sure to back up anything important before you get started.

Second, Google does not provide support for Developer Mode. It may expose your Chromebook to hardware, software, or security issues, and some use cases may void your device's warranty. If a problem occurs, you may need to disable Developer Mode before receiving warranty support or other repair options.

How to enable Developer Mode on Chromebook

The first step to enable Developer Mode is to start your Chromebook in Recovery Mode. If you have a regular Chromebook laptop, press and hold the Esc and Refresh keys on the keyboard, then press (but don't hold) the Power button.

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Some Chromebook models have the power button near the keyboard, but on models like the ASUS Chromebook Flip, the button is on the side of the device. You can release all keys when you see the message on the screen.

If you have a Chromebox or desktop Chromebit, there will be a small recovery button somewhere on the chassis, as shown in the image below. You need to turn off the computer, push a paperclip or pushpin into the hole, then turn on the Chromebox. You can take out a paperclip or pushpin when you see a notification on the screen.

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If you have a ChromeOS tablet, hold down the Volume Up, Volume Down, and Power buttons for at least 10 seconds, then release.

The Recovery Mode screen may display the message "Chrome OS is missing or damaged". Don't worry, there's no problem at all. Newer devices often only require you to insert a recovery USB drive or SD card as this process is mainly aimed at rebuilding the ChromeOS installation.

Next, you need to press the shortcut Ctrl + D on the Recovery screen. This shortcut is not listed on the screen to avoid Chromebook users activating the shortcut without knowing what they are doing.

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You will see a screen that says "To turn OS Verification OFF, press ENTER". Press Enter to enable developer mode.

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Your Chromebook will reboot and you'll need to press Ctrl+D again. The device will be erased and Developer Mode will be activated.

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Finally, when the process is complete, the Chromebook will reboot. You need to press Ctrl+D again to continue and reset your device.

Boot the system with Developer Mode enabled

You will now see a message saying "OS verification is OFF" when starting your Chromebook. This means the system cannot currently verify the files on your Chromebook; In other words, the Chromebook is in Developer Mode. If you ignore this notification long enough, your Chromebook will beep urgently to get your attention.

This screen is designed for security purposes. Chromebooks in developer mode don't have the usual security features. For example, you can install a keylogger on your Chromebook using developer mode access and then pass it on to someone. If they enter a password, you can get that password and track them. The startup message mentioned above helps keep regular users safe, guiding them through the process of disabling developer mode if they don't know what's going on.

To continue starting your Chromebook, you need to press Ctrl+D each time you start it. That will allow you to boot quickly without hearing annoying beeps. You can also wait a few seconds—after the beep, your Chromebook will start automatically.

Welcome to Developer Mode

You now have full and unrestricted access to your Chromebook. To access the root shell, press Ctrl+Alt+T to open a terminal window. In the Crosh shell window, type shell and press Enter to get the full bash shell. You can then run other commands using the sudo command to execute them with root access.

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In case you want to disable developer mode on your Chromebook, first restart your Chromebook and at the initial warning screen, press the Space key as instructed. Your Chromebook will revert to default settings and delete the files on it. You will have to sign in again with your Google account but everything will return to normal.

Micah Soto

Update 27 April 2024