Google has introduced a new “Sanitize” feature to its Chromebook operating system. The feature is part of ChromeOS 128, the latest version of Google’s operating system that rolled out earlier this month, and it’s a sort of gentler alternative to the existing “Powerwash” capability.
Powerwash works similarly to a factory reset on other devices. It erases all user data, including files, custom settings you’ve applied, and any apps you’ve installed, returning the Chromebook to an essentially “empty” state, ready to start over from scratch.
Want to clean up your Chromebook without erasing everything? The new Sanitize option is ideal. Chrome Unboxed spotted the recently introduced functionality, but note that you won’t be able to find Sanitize if you search in your Chromebook’s settings because it’s so new.
How do you find it? Just look for the Powerwash option, which will appear, and you will see the Sanitize button right below it.
Google hasn’t yet provided extensive documentation on this feature, but Chrome Unboxed provides a screenshot of a notification that tells us in a nutshell what Sanitize does. It reads:
“Are you getting unwanted pop-ups or other unexpected behavior? Sometimes apps and extensions you install can change your ChromeOS settings without you knowing.
“This will disable extensions and reset your settings to safe defaults. Tabs, files, and cookies will be preserved.”
It sounds pretty simple and will simply reset certain settings, leaving your files and installed apps where they are. If your Chromebook has been acting strange, Sanitize will neutralize elements such as browser extensions and any settings that have been modified that might be causing problems. Hopefully, this will rid your Chromebook of any strange behavior and get it running smoothly again, without having to do a full reset (where you lose everything).
How Sanitize works in practice
Chrome Unboxed tried out the feature and found that after running Sanitize, a summary window is presented letting the user know what has changed. You can then roll back any changes you don’t like, and also see suggestions for other settings to explore if you want to dig deeper into other possibilities.
For people who don’t do much customization on their Chromebook or don’t use many Chrome extensions, this might not be a big deal, but it’s still useful to know.
It’s certainly a useful way to untangle things that could be causing serious problems without doing anything too drastic that will affect your device and your data. Sanitize isn’t the most difficult troubleshooting or cleanup process to try, and it’s a useful measure to use if you’re having issues with your Chromebook and don’t want to go to the extreme of Powerwashing.