To turn on Developer Mode on Chrome OS (Chromebook), follow these steps:
- Power off your Chromebook completely.
- Enter Recovery Mode:
- Press and hold the Esc key + Refresh key (usually the F3 key).
- While holding these keys, press the Power button to turn on the device.
- Keep holding Esc + Refresh until you see a screen that says "Chrome OS is missing or damaged" or a recovery screen.
- Enable Developer Mode:
- Press Ctrl + D on the keyboard.
- You will see a message warning you that you are attempting to enable Developer Mode.
- Press Enter to confirm.
- Some devices may ask you to turn off OS verification; press Enter if prompted.
- Wait for the transition:
- The Chromebook will reboot and begin transitioning to Developer Mode. This process can take about 15 minutes.
- During boot, you will see a screen warning you that you are in Developer Mode. Press Ctrl + D to bypass this screen on future boots.
- Complete setup:
- After the reboot, you may need to go through the initial Chromebook setup again.
- Your device is now in Developer Mode, allowing you root access and the ability to customize the system beyond standard limits.
Important Notes:
- Enabling Developer Mode will wipe all locally stored data on your Chromebook, so back up important files before starting.
- Developer Mode disables some security features like verified boot, making the device less secure.
- The "You are in Developer Mode" warning screen will appear every time you boot until you disable Developer Mode.
- If your Chromebook is managed by an organization, Developer Mode may be blocked by policy.
This method is confirmed by multiple sources and video tutorials