What to do if your HP Chromebook 14 cannot connect to Wi-Fi [Troubleshooting Guide]

Chromebooks are primarily designed to be used while connected to the Internet. Google designed it to be able to connect to Wi-Fi without any problems at all but it seems that many HP Chromebook 14 owners are complaining about their laptops not being able to connect to Wi-Fi hotspots. One of the possibilities here is that your Chromebook has a serious issue with its hardware responsible in connecting to a network but then we won’t know if that’s really the case without troubleshooting.

But the thing is we really can’t open the laptop up and do some tests on the hardware and we won’t suggest you do that by yourself. So, the best thing we can do is troubleshoot the laptop to know if this is a problem with its operating system or some misconfiguration. We only need to do some basic troubleshooting procedures and if the problem still persists after that, then we’ll leave everything in the hands of a tech.

But before we go to our troubleshooting, if you are looking for a solution to a different issue, drop by our HP Chromebook 14 troubleshooting page for we have already addressed some of the most common problems with this laptop. Odds are that there are already existing solutions in our website, so try to find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work or if you need further assistance, fill up our questionnaire and hit submit to contact us. We will be more than willing to help you with your problem.

Troubleshooting HP Chromebook 14 that won’t connect to Wi-Fi

We really don’t have to do something fancy to be able to know if this problem is temporary or not, just some basic procedures that you may have already done countless times. With that said, here’s what I suggest you do about this problem:

Step 1: Make sure Wi-Fi is on

This might be the first thing you checked when you encountered this problem but I suggest you toggle the Wi-Fi switch off and then on again. If your Chromebook has already connected to a network before and you’re within range, it might automatically connect to it after you toggled the switch.

1. Turn on your Chromebook.
2. Click your account photo.
3. Click No network. Note: If you see “Connected to” and your Wi-Fi network name, your Chromebook is already connected to Wi-Fi.
4. To turn on Wi-Fi, click the switch.
5. Your Chromebook will automatically look for available networks and show them to you in a list.

Step 2: Make sure it’s a network issue

After making sure Wi-Fi is enabled in your Chromebook, it’s time to look at this problem at a different angle especially if this problem started without apparent reason. For instance, if you were able to connect to the same network a couple of days ago and now you can’t, you have to ask yourself if the problem is with your laptop or the network.

The best thing to do now is see if other devices such as smartphone and other laptops can connect to the same network without a problem. If they can, then there’s no problem with your network. However, if you don’t have other devices you could try, then I suggest you go to a local bar, resto or cafe that offers free Wi-Fi and connect to it. If it’s possible to try two different networks, that would be better just to be thorough. If your Chromebook cannot connect to public hotspots, then it’s clearer now that the problem is with your laptop. Move on to the next step if this is the case.

However, if your other devices can’t also connect to your network of if your Chromebook can connect to public hotspots, then the problem is clearly with your network. Refresh your connectivity by powercycling your network equipment: simply reboot your router or modem. If it’s just a minor problem with your network, this is enough to fix it. However, if it’s more complex and can’t be fixed by doing the powercycle, then you have to call your Internet Service Provider and have it checked. If your network is fixed, this problem will also be gone.

Step 3: Reset your HP Chromebook 14 using Powerwash

Unlike Windows operating system, there’s nothing much you can do about your Chromebook if its core functions fail so I suggest you reset it by using the Powerwash feature under Settings. It will reset your laptop and delete all locally stored files so make sure you backup important files and data before the reset.

1. Click the status area of the taskbar, and then click Settings.
2. Scroll to the bottom of the Settings page and click Show advanced settings.
3. In the Powerwash section, click Powerwash.
4. Click Restart to begin resetting the Chromebook.

Alternatively, you can reset your Chromebook by the sign-in screen if you want to and it’s easier than the previous method…

1. On the sign-in screen, hold down the Ctrl + Alt + Shift + R keys.
2. In the Powerwash your Chrome device window, click Reset.

After the Powerwash, proceed to initial setup to know if Wi-Fi is working this time. You will be asked to login to your Google account during the setup process and to be able to do so, you need to connect to Wi-Fi.

After all these steps and the problem still occurs, then you have no other choice but to bring your HP Chromebook 14 to an authorized service center and let the tech handle the problem for you. For sure restoring your Chromebook will fix this problem but it’s a bit more complicated process so let the tech do it.

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