How to create a USB Recovery Drive on a Chromebook

Need to create a USB Recovery Drive and don't have one made or a computer to make one on? Don't worry, you can make on right on the Chromebook you want to wipe and restore.

1. Get a USB flash drive that has at least 4 GBs on it
2. Type in chrome://imageburner in the URL bar
3. Click "OK" to erase what's currently on the drive and make the Recovery Drive (this will take a few minutes)
4.  You'll see a success message saying you can take out the flash drive

Then you just hit esc+refresh+power and plug in the flash drive.

The good thing about this, is that it puts the proper image on your flash drive. You can use the Chrome OS Creator program on your computer but then you have to search for the image version, you need a separate computer...this way just seems more slick.

I have noticed though, differences in the exact image version in the Chrome OS Image Creator, Chrome Recovery Utility and doing it on the Chromebook. I noticed a difference in the Summer when one of those ways (I think the Chrome OS Image Creator) wasn't giving me an updated version of ChromeOS in the image.

Also...I think the Chrome OS Image Creator program might be going away for the new Chrome packaged app Chrome Recovery Utility. I can't even find the Chrome OS Image Creator download but it's still on my computer. So I think they are phasing out that for the Chrome App.


Related Links

• Restore your Chromebook
• Use the Chromebook Recovery Utility