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You are here: Home / Chromebook / How to repair a smashed Chromebook screen in 3 minutes

How to repair a smashed Chromebook screen in 3 minutes

17 May 2020 by Karl Rivers 19 Comments

I originally posted this article in 2014, but the video has received so many views on YouTube (more than 150,000 at time of writing) that I thought it was worth giving it a bit of a spring clean.

When I wrote this, I had just given out 300 Toshiba Chromebooks to teachers and students, and in the two months that they’d had them several had been returned for repair.

One of my concerns back then, was how many Chromebooks were going to get broken, and would we be able to keep with a constant flow of damaged devices? In those days, before school BYOD became the norm, I didn’t know whether it would even be possible to finance and keep up with repairs. In the time since we’ve been able to put in processes to deal with this sort of issue, but back then it was the wild west.

How to repair a Chromebook screen

In this video I show how simple and quick it is to carry out Chromebook repairs yourself and save you hundreds in spare parts. Admittedly, since the video was originally made, things have a got a little more complicated. At the time you didn’t have to worry about screen sizes or resolutions — most Chromebooks similar sized screens. And there wasn’t a hope of finding a touchscreen in a Chromebook. But the video still holds up and covers the basics of replacing a Chromebook screen really well.

What you will need to replace your Chromebook screen

The low price of most Chromebooks is reflected in the build quality of Google’s popular range of laptops. The flimsy plastic and soft screens that are synonymous with Chrome OS devices allow them to be extremely cheap but also make them very prone to damage. This cheap construction does, however, have two huge positives — Chromebook parts are cheap, and they’re easy to repair yourself.

Chromebook Screen Replacement

The first thing you need is a replacement Chromebook screen. You can get an original from the device manufacturer, but they will usually cost hundreds. Instead source a compatible screen from Amazon — much cheaper and just as good.

Find replacement Chromebook screens

Precision Screwdriver Set

When opening your Chromebook, especially when replacing the screen, expect to deal with a lot a tiny screws. A precision screwdriver kit allows you to remove them without damaging the screw head.

Find screwdrivers

Spudger Tool

A spudger opening tool makes it easy to pry apart your Chromebook’s case without damaging or scratching it. This isn’t essential, but it’s worth it to save your Chromebook from harm.

Find spudgers

Finding a replacement Chromebook screen

An official replacement Chromebook screen direct from Toshiba costs in the region of £220 — more than the cost of a replacement Chromebook — but I was able to source a perfectly acceptable alternative through Amazon for just £34.

While I was initially sceptical about using unofficial parts, in testing we’ve been unable to tell the difference between the official and third-party screens.

When choosing your replacement screen, be sure to take into consideration the size and resolution of your current screen, and whether it is a touchscreen. Also consider the positioning of the screen’s connector as this will affect whether the screen is compatible with your Chromebook.

If you do buy an after-market screen, but can’t find one for your specific Chromebook model, you will often find that another model’s screen may fit yours as the same screen is often used between several manufacturers and models.

How did you do?

Let us know in the comments how you got on with your repair, and don’t forget to subscribe to the ClassThink YouTube channel to get all the latest videos.

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Filed Under: Chromebook, Videos

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About Karl Rivers

Karl Rivers is a Director of IT who has worked in education for more than twenty years. He won the Naace Impact Award for Supporting School Services.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Gary Spracklen says

    11/09/2014 at 9:58 pm

    I wonder where you’ve seen this before?;-)

    Log in to Reply
    • Karl Rivers says

      11/09/2014 at 10:02 pm

      Shamelessly “borrowed” from IPACA!

      Log in to Reply
  2. Ellie says

    04/03/2015 at 12:24 pm

    Hi I’ve dropped my chromebook and the socket side has come open on the side, is there an easy way to fix it without causing more damage?

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  3. Larry says

    04/28/2015 at 2:56 am

    My son has a Samsung Chromebook. I found this video to be very helpful even though accessing the screen was a little different due to the brand being different. The process of replacing the screen only took a few minutes and the unit works just like it did when purchased. Thanks for posting this article. I was able to purchase the replacement screen online at a fraction of the cost and repair the unit, instead of replacing the entire unit.

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  4. The One Unified Project says

    05/04/2015 at 1:14 am

    My son dropped his Chromebook (Samsung) and although the screen did NOT break, the top part of the screen separated very slightly and the screen went blank. I actually just pressed the top together and it clicked back into place, however his screen display is now totally crazy. it’s just a blank grayish screen with red and black squiggly lines. Any one know how to fix that one?

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    • Karl Rivers says

      05/05/2015 at 12:18 pm

      Hi,

      Sorry, it sounds like you’re going to need to replace the screen.

      Log in to Reply
      • Yumal says

        07/12/2015 at 6:14 pm

        What has gone wrong in my samsung chromebook is, when opening the lid the screen is totally ok upto about 30 degrees, but from then onwards colours go wrong and basically unusual red pixels appear.Much obliged if you can give a solution.

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  5. Kaela says

    01/28/2016 at 10:04 pm

    My case broke on my chromebook, that covers it, how much do you think this would cost?

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  6. shaw says

    02/13/2016 at 6:12 pm

    I can deal with the screen cracked.. Is there ANY WAY to get rid of the black areas?

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    • Karl Rivers says

      02/28/2016 at 4:43 pm

      I’m afraid not, the black areas are where the liquid crystal is no longer kept in place.

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  7. jenny says

    02/19/2016 at 6:51 pm

    my school is charging us about $250 just to get our screens replaced after being cracked, is that really the price of getting them replaced?

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    • Karl Rivers says

      02/28/2016 at 4:42 pm

      Hi Jenny,

      An official replacement from the manufacturer probably costs something like that, but you can get perfectly good third party replacements from Amazon at $30.

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      • Richard thrailkill says

        04/23/2016 at 5:13 pm

        Hi Carl I have HP Chromebook 14 inch. My problem is this: my laptop was working on and then a month ago it stopped going to the primary screen. Other other words I open the top of this laptop and it goes to an HP logo and the links. It just blinks and nothing else what can I do to fix or repair my Chromebook?

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  8. Kayla says

    03/27/2016 at 4:33 am

    I need a replacement screen for my hisense chromebook. Since they arent that well known, I’ve been hunting for one online to no avail. Would you happen to know any websites I could find it on?

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  9. Malcolm says

    06/19/2016 at 6:39 pm

    So glad to have found this. Son just cracked his screen, much grinding of teeth. Replacement looks doable for reasonable cost. Heading off to eBay now….

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  10. Leo Mitchell says

    11/19/2016 at 3:39 pm

    Fixed mine and went ok. Screen was glued in (with little pads) rather than screwed but that’s fine. However, I can’t get the very bottom bit of the plastic bezel to snap back into place – all other sides are fine. Maybe because of this the screen doesn’t turn off like it should (and go to sleep) when I close the lid.

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  11. beymakesmefeel says

    12/02/2016 at 8:05 pm

    how can you fix the lack lines

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  12. doxa1979 says

    12/16/2016 at 10:32 am

    Hey, any idea where i can buy an outer shell replacement? I dropped my toshiba chromebook 2 and one of the corners cracked. Its small, but visually unappealing.

    Log in to Reply
  13. Dude says

    02/01/2017 at 12:49 am

    I dropped my Dell Chromebook and the joints have split halfway on the back. What do I do?

    Log in to Reply

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