21 Essential Crosh Commands for Every Chromebook User

As a Chromebook user, you may be wondering about Crosh, the built-in terminal that provides access to a command-line interface for debugging, running tests, or just exploring. In this article, we will discuss 21 essential Crosh commands that can improve productivity and aid in troubleshooting for Chromebook users.

Key Crosh Terminal Commands for Chromebook Users

Here's a quick reference list of important Crosh commands:

1. Open Crosh: Ctrl + Alt + T

2. Ping: ping [domain]

3. Test memory: memory_test

4. Modem configuration: modem help

5. Rollback ChromeOS: rollback

6. Stop a process in Crosh: Ctrl + C

7. Access Task Manager: top

8. Battery Manager: battery_test [seconds]

9. Developer Mode commands: shell, systrace, packet_capture

10. Users and uptime: uptime

11. Time settings: set_time

12. Network diagnostics: network_diag

13. Network trace: tracepath

14. Help: help, help_advanced

15. Memory information: free, meminfo

16. Switch to the canary channel: live_in_a_coal_mine

17. Auto-updates over cellular networks: update_over_cellular [enable|disable]

18. Bluetooth debugging: bt_console

19. Connect via SSH: ssh

20. Test input devices: evtest

21. Exit Crosh: exit

To open Crosh, press Ctrl + Alt + T, which will launch the terminal window in a new tab. You do not need Developer Mode enabled to access Crosh. Use the commands listed above to perform various tasks, such as testing your network connection with a ping test, checking your Chromebook's memory, and configuring your modem.

If you have Developer Mode enabled, additional commands are available, such as opening a full Bash shell, starting a system trace, and capturing data packets. Other useful commands include checking your Chromebook's uptime, changing time settings, running network diagnostics, and monitoring input devices.

Before diving into Crosh commands, it's essential to create backups of your data, as changing settings without proper knowledge can potentially lead to system issues. Fortunately, Chromebooks are easy to restore, but local data may be lost. With that in mind, enjoy exploring your Chromebook and experimenting with the Crosh commands mentioned above.