How-To

How to Put a Chromebook in Airplane Mode

By Brian Burgess

Published May 26, 2022

There isn’t an airplane mode function on a Chromebook, but there is a way to achieve the same effect. This guide will show you how.

What’s the best way to prepare your electronic devices for travel on an airplane? Switch them to airplane mode.

As the name suggests, airplane mode is a feature on devices like your laptop or smartphone that disables any built-in wireless radios. That includes your Bluetooth, GPS, WiFi, and more.

One device that lacks an easily activated airplane mode is a Chromebook. If you want to put a Chromebook in airplane mode, you’ll need to change some settings manually. This guide will show you how.

How to Put a Chromebook in Airplane Mode

As we’ve mentioned, Chromebooks lack a built-in airplane mode. Instead, you’ll need to disable your WiFi, Bluetooth, and mobile data connections.

To put a Chromebook in airplane mode:

1. Click on the system tray (battery and time) in the lower-right corner.
2. Select the Wi-Fi button to turn it off.
3. Click the Wi-Fi icon again and verify the switch is off.
4. Next, click the Bluetooth button.
5. Verify the Bluetooth signal is disabled by toggling its switch off.
6. If you’re using the Nearby Sharing feature, turn it off from the menu.
7. If your Chromebook has a mobile data connection (such as LTE), make sure to also disable it via this menu.

How to Put a Chromebook in Airplane Mode via Settings

Instead of using the menu on the system tray, you can also put a Chromebook in airplane mode via the Chrome OS Settings menu.

To use Settings to put Chromebook in airplane mode:

1. Launch the menu from the system tray and click the Settings icon.
2. When Settings launches, select Network from the list on the left.
3. Tap the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth switches to turn them off.
4. Under the Devices section, make sure that Nearby Share and Android phone are disabled if you’ve connected your phone to the Chromebook. If neither is set up, you can just leave the settings alone.
5. Also, if your Chromebook has LTE, you can turn it off from Settings.

Preparing Your Chromebook for Travel

It would be nice for your Chromebook to have an airplane mode button like other devices, but you’ll achieve the same effect if you use the steps above. Keep in mind that turning off the radio transmitting components will also help save battery power.

Of course, you could always completely power down your Chromebook, but that might not be practical. For example, you might need to use Google Docs offline or watch a movie.

After turning off the Bluetooth signal, you might need to connect a Bluetooth device to Chromebook. If you’re on the fence about getting a Chromebook for yourself, check out these Chromebook pros and cons.