How to Schedule Automatic Reboots for Managed Chromebooks

Introduction

Managing device uptime is crucial for maintaining a smooth and secure learning environment. Scheduling regular, automatic reboots for your managed Chromebooks ensures they consistently apply the latest updates, clear cached data, and run at optimal performance.

This guide walks you through setting up an automatic reboot schedule using the Google Workspace Admin Console.

Prerequisites

You must have Super Administrator privileges for your Google Workspace domain.
The Chromebooks must be enrolled in your domain and managed through the Admin Console.

Step 1: Navigate to Device Management Settings

Sign in to your Google Workspace Admin Console (admin.google.com).
From the home dashboard, navigate to Devices.
In the left-hand menu, select Chrome.
Click on Settings and then choose Device Settings.

Step 2: Select the Organizational Unit (OU)

You can apply the reboot schedule globally or only to specific groups of devices (e.g., student labs, specific grade levels).

On the left side of the screen, select the Organizational Unit (OU) that contains the Chromebooks you want to configure.
- Tip: If you want to apply the schedule to all devices, select the top-level organization.
Scroll down to the Device Update Settings section.

Step 3: Configure the Reboot Schedule

Within the Device Update Settings section, find the specific setting for rebooting.

Locate the setting titled Scheduled Reboot (the exact name may vary slightly, e.g., Device power and shutdown or Device Auto-Reboot).
From the drop-down menu for this setting, ensure the option is set to Enable Scheduled reboots.
You will now see fields to define the frequency and time. Configure the following:
- Frequency of Reboots: Choose the desired frequency (e.g., Daily, Weekly, or Monthly).
- Reboot Day (If Weekly/Monthly): If you chose Weekly, select the specific day (e.g., Sunday). If Monthly, select the date.
- Reboot Time: Set the time of day when the reboot should occur. We recommend setting this time outside of school hours (e.g., 2:00 AM) to avoid disrupting user sessions.
Click Save in the bottom left corner.

Important Note: If a user is actively logged in and using the device at the scheduled time, the device will not force a sudden reboot. Instead, the user will be prompted with a warning to save their work, and the system will wait for them to log out or close the laptop before executing the reboot.

This will help keep up with our current Google Cloud Policies and facilitates extension updates.