Chromebooks have evolved over the last decade, becoming real powerhouse machines for productivity. The best Chromebooks come in different form factors. They can come as regular computers, convertibles, or detachable keyboard/tablets, fulfilling any niche needed. ChromeOS has a dedicated mode for tablets that creates a touch-friendly interface. Depending on the application, tablet mode is helpful, but occasionally, your Chromebook gets stuck in this mode. This guide discusses what tablet mode is and how to turn it off when you need to.
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What is tablet mode on a Chromebook?
Tablet mode is a mode on Chromebooks that creates a touch-friendly interface. Instead of the typical desktop layout, all your apps are shown in a scrollable list with large app icons. Several touch gestures are also available, from swapping apps to changing desktops. It’s also a great way to handwrite text when needed. You can still do all the things you can when your Chromebook is in its normal state, just slightly differently.
How to deactivate tablet mode on a Chromebook
You can turn off tablet mode on your Chromebook in a few different ways. There isn’t an official software method to do so, but you can try a few tricks to fix the problem.
Plug in a peripheral into your Chromebook
The most straightforward way to get out of tablet mode is to plug in a peripheral. A peripheral is an accessory like a mouse or keyboard that you can use on your device. Plug the wireless dongle or peripheral wire into your Chromebook, and it switches to desktop mode. Depending on your Chromebook’s ports, you may need a dock or docking station to plug in your peripheral.
Try using a keyboard shortcut
You may have forced tablet mode with an experimental shortcut feature via chrome://flags/#ash-debug-shortcuts, which enables the debugging keyboard shortcuts flag. Using ctrl-alt-shift-T will force the Chromebook into tablet mode if it’s already in desktop mode. But using ctrl-alt-shift-T again will revert the change.
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Restart your Chromebook device
All devices have problems sometimes, and as the IT saying goes, have you tried turning it off and back on again? A quick restart can often solve strange software issues and could resolve this issue. To restart, either press and hold the integrated power button or tap the time in the lower-right corner and tap the power button to restart. After restarting your device, the Chromebook may revert to desktop mode.
Reset your Chromebook hardware
You can restart your Chromebook, and you can restart its hardware, like the keyboard and trackpad. Your Chromebook might be stuck in tablet mode because it doesn’t sense the keyboard or trackpad of the device. If you have a regular or convertible Chromebook, press and hold the refresh (shaped like an arrow in a circle) button and tap the power button. When the device restarts, release the refresh button.
Alternatively, press and hold the back, refresh, and power buttons for at least 10 seconds until the Chromebook restarts. If you have a dedicated Chromebook tablet, press and hold the power and volume up buttons until the device restarts.
Powerwash your Chromebook
If you’ve tried everything else and nothing has worked, it may be time to powerwash your Chromebook. Powerwashing a Chromebook means that you factory reset your device. Doing this causes you to lose all the files you downloaded, so it’s best to back up your Chromebook before doing so. To do so, tap the time in the lower-right corner, tap the settings gear, select Advanced > Reset settings, and tap Reset. The device takes a moment to wipe all its data and then reset to factory settings.
Get back to desktop mode ASAP
Tablet mode is a valuable feature of Chromebooks, but sometimes, a desktop is better for completing your work. There are ways to revert to desktop mode if it becomes stuck in tablet mode. If you run into other issues with your device, the Chromebook Diagnostics app is the go-to source for troubleshooting.
