How to Delete a Chroot in a Chromebook

Last Updated: September 11, 2021 References

If you've installed Crouton on your Chromebook, you may be wondering how to delete a chroot after Crouton has been installed. There are multiple methods to go about it.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:
Using Powerwash

1
Know what Powerwash is. Powerwash is a feature in the Chromebook that factory resets the device. Be aware that your data will be erased. This can also be called 'factory reset'.^{[1]
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2
Open the settings. Scroll down to advanced settings, and click Powerwash.^{[2]
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3
After the Powerwash is complete a dialog box will appear. Click restart.^{[3]
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4
Setup your Chromebook, just like when you first got it.^{[4]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:
Using Crosh

1
Use Crosh with caution. It is one of the most efficient ways to delete a chroot, but it's also risky if you don't know what you're doing. If you don't want to do this method, try Powerwash instead.
2
Open up Crosh. You can do this by pressing Crtl+Alt+T^{[5]
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3
Enter Shell. Type shell. If you're in developer mode this should work.^{[6]
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4
Type sudo delete-chroot precise into Crosh.^{[7]
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Community Q&A

Question

It doesn't work. When I type in "sudo delete-chroot precise", it says "/mnt/stateful_partition/crouton/chroots/precise not found". Any idea why?

Community Answer

You will need to replace "precise" with your chroot name (ex: /mnt/stateful_partition/crouton/chroots/xenial).
Question

What do I do if I typed in sudo delete-chroot unity and it didn't work?

Community Answer

If you installed the Chroot "unity", you'll need to type this instead of what you typed: sudo delete-chroot xenial .
Question

Can you explain what a "chroot" is in simpler terms and why I would want to get rid of it?

Community Answer

A chroot is a Unix-like operating command that changes the apparent root directory for the current processes that are running (like tasks). This includes its children too.
Question

How do you install Windows on an Acer Chromebook c670?

Community Answer

Make a boot pendrive and change the boot from the bios (when the machine starts F1 or F2). Then boot from the pendrive that you made and click "install windows".