Connect your Chromebook to Wi-Fi

To connect to the internet, turn on your Chromebook’s Wi-Fi and use a compatible network.

Step 1: Find your Wi-Fi info

Find Wi-Fi network details
  1. On your Chromebook, at the bottom right, select the time and then Settings .
  2. On the left, select Network and then Wi-Fi.
    • You can:
      • Join a Wi-Fi network .
      • Find "Known networks."
      • Turn on Wi-Fi.
Turn on Wi-Fi
  1. On your Chromebook, at the bottom right, select the time.
  2. Select Not Connected .
    • If you find your Wi-Fi network name and a signal strength, your Chromebook is already connected to Wi-Fi.
  3. Turn on Wi-Fi.
  4. Your Chromebook will automatically look for available networks and show them to you in a list.
  5. Choose the Wi-Fi network that you want to connect to.

Step 2: Pick a network and connect

  1. On your Chromebook, at the bottom right, select the time and then Settings .
  2. On the left, select Network.
  3. Choose one of the options below:
Connect to an open or public network

If you connect to this network, your info is available to other people.

  1. Select the open Wi-Fi network .
  2. Select Connect.

Tip: If you connect to a public network, you get a prompt to go to a sign in page in your browser. Learn about connecting to public networks.

Connect to a secure network
  1. Select the secure Wi-Fi network .
  2. Type the network password.
  3. Select Connect.
Connect to an unlisted or hidden network

Administrators may hide networks so only certain people can use them. To connect to a hidden network:

  1. Select Add connection and then Add Wi-Fi.
  2. Enter the network information in the box that appears.
  3. Select Connect.
  4. To automatically connect to this hidden network:
    1. On your Chromebook, at the bottom right, select the time and then Settings .
    2. On the left, select Network.
    3. Under "Network," select Wi-Fi and then Known networks.
    4. Select the hidden network you just connected to.
    5. Turn on Hidden network.
    6. Select Save.

Tip: Information for this network is automatically saved so you can connect automatically later.

Connect to an enterprise network

Step 1: Check if your certificate is installed

  1. Open Chrome Chrome.
  2. In the address bar, type chrome://settings/certificates and press Enter.
  3. Select Authorities.
  4. Using information from your administrator, look for your server certificate in the list. If the server certificate isn't installed, your administrator might ask you to install the server certificate.
  5. [Optional] If you're connecting to an EAP-TLS network, you might need to install the user certificate.

Step 2: Connect to the network

  1. At the bottom right, select the time.
  2. Select Settings .
  3. Under "Network," select Add connection and then Add Wi-Fi... .
  4. Enter your network information.
    • If the server certificate is installed, in the "Server CA certificate" field, choose Default.
  5. Select Connect.

Fix Wi-Fi connection issues

Manage network preferences

Automatically connect to a network

Important: Make sure that your Chromebook is connected to a Wi-Fi network.

If you have multiple Wi-Fi networks in your area, you can automatically connect to a specific one:

  1. On your Chromebook, at the bottom right, select the time and then Settings .
  2. Under "Network," select Wi-Fi and then your network.
  3. Turn on Automatically connect to this network.
Prefer a network

Important: Make sure that your Chromebook is connected to a Wi-Fi network.

If you have multiple Wi-Fi networks in your area, you can tell your Chromebook to prefer one network over another:

  1. On your Chromebook, at the bottom right, select the time and then Settings .
  2. On the left, select Network.
  3. Under "Network," select Wi-Fi and then your network.
  4. Turn on Prefer this network.
Forget a network

When you connect to a network, your Chromebook saves network info. To delete that info:

  1. Sign in to your Chromebook.
  2. At the bottom right, select the time and then Settings .
  3. On the left, select Network.
  4. Under "Network," select Wi-Fi and then Known networks.
  5. Find the network that you want to forget.
  6. Next to the name of the network, select More and then Forget.
Sync your network across devices

If you use multiple Chromebooks, you can sync them all to the same Wi-Fi network. Learn how to share the same network across devices.

Find your MAC address or IP address

To prevent outsiders who find private info on the network, some administrators restrict network access. To use the network, you might need to give your Chromebook's MAC or IP address to your administrator. To find the MAC or IP address:

  1. If you haven't yet, sign in to your Chromebook.
  2. At the bottom right, select the time.
  3. Select the Wi-Fi network .
  4. At the top of the box, select Information .
  5. You'll find your Chromebook's IP address and IPv6 address. Your MAC address is labeled "Wi-Fi."

Get more help

If your Chromebook can't connect to a network, learn how to fix problems connecting to Wi-Fi.

Related resources

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