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. 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]
  2. 2
    Open the settings. Scroll down to advanced settings, and click Powerwash.[2]
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  3. 3
    After the Powerwash is complete a dialog box will appear. Click restart.[3]
  4. 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. 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. 2
    Open up Crosh. You can do this by pressing Crtl+Alt+T[5]
  3. 3
    Enter Shell. Type shell. If you're in developer mode this should work.[6]
  4. 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
    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
    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
    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.
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About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 59,437 times.
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Co-authors: 7
Updated: September 11, 2021
Views: 59,437
Categories: Chromebook
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