Overview
The Chromebook Management section gives school staff and administrators a view of the school's Chromebook fleet — device status, condition, assignment, and the date each device stops receiving Chrome OS security updates. From the same section you can submit a repair request for a Chromebook and record damage against one. This section is only available to schools that have it enabled by their IT provider.
Who Can Use This Section
The Chromebooks entry appears in the sidebar only if:
- Your IT provider has the Education (K-12) tools enabled for your school, and
- Your organization has at least one enrolled Chromebook, and
- Your role includes access to this section (typically school admins and designated IT staff)
If you don't see the Chromebooks option in the sidebar, it either isn't enabled or your role doesn't include it. Contact your IT provider.
The Four Tabs
The section opens on Fleet and has four tabs across the top:
- Fleet — your school's Chromebooks, and each device's details
- Submit Repair — ask your IT provider to repair a Chromebook
- Report Damage — record damage to a Chromebook for tracking and accountability
- My Requests — the repair requests you have submitted
Viewing Your Chromebook Fleet
- Click Chromebooks in the sidebar.
- The Fleet tab lists your school's Chromebooks. Each row shows:
- Device — the serial number, with the model and asset tag beneath it
- Status — the device's current state (see Device Statuses)
- Condition — Good, Fair, Damaged, or Poor
- Support Ends — when the device stops receiving security updates. A device whose update-expiry date has not been recorded reads Not recorded; the surface never leaves the cell blank, because a blank would read as "nothing is expiring" — which nobody can know
- Assigned To — the student or staff member the device is assigned to
- School — the school the device belongs to
Above the list, tiles summarise the whole fleet: Total Devices, Active, In Repair, Assigned, Retired by Google and Support Ending. The tiles always count the whole fleet, so a search or a filter cannot turn them into "of the rows you are looking at".
To narrow the list, use the search box (serial number, model, or asset tag) or the All Statuses filter — Active, In Repair, Deprovisioned or Retired. Click the Device or Support Ends column heading to sort.
Device Statuses
Each Chromebook shows one status:
- Active — enrolled and in service
- In Repair — a repair request is open for the device
- RMA — the device has been returned to the manufacturer
- Deprovisioned — removed from management
- Retired — retired from service
- Lost — reported lost
- Loaner — a temporary device issued in place of another
The Retired by Google tile is counted separately: it covers the devices Google itself has deprovisioned, disabled or is wiping. Your own records can still read Active for one of those, so the two numbers are counted independently and both are shown.
Devices that haven't synced recently may have stale information.
Viewing Device Details
Click a device's serial number to open its detail view. Depending on what your IT provider has synced, you may see:
- Device Info — serial number, asset tag, model, OS version, platform, firmware, and MAC address
- Assignment & Lifecycle — assigned to, assigned since, location, school, district, purchase date, warranty expiry, and the date security updates end
A banner across the top of the detail view states when security updates end. After that date the Chromebook still switches on, but it can no longer be patched — so it isn't suitable for testing or for handling student data, and it should be planned for replacement rather than reassigned.
Back to Fleet is the only control on the detail view. It returns you to the list.
Submitting a Repair Request
If a Chromebook needs repair:
- Open the Submit Repair tab.
- Enter the Serial Number.
- Choose a Repair Type — Screen Replacement, Keyboard Repair, Battery Replacement, Charging Port, Motherboard, Hinge Repair, or Other.
- Set a Priority — Normal or Urgent.
- Describe the problem in Damage Description.
- Click Submit Repair Request.
The request is filed with your IT provider's repair queue and the device is marked In Repair. The My Requests tab lists the repair requests you have submitted.
Reporting Damage
To record damage to a Chromebook — for a check-in/check-out process, or for an insurance or accountability record:
- Open the Report Damage tab.
- Enter the Serial Number.
- Choose a Damage Type — Screen, Keyboard, Charging Port, Battery, Case / Housing, Hinge, Trackpad, or Other.
- Set the Severity — Minor (cosmetic only), Moderate (partially functional), or Severe (non-functional).
- Choose the Student who had the device, if one is on record. If no roster is available to your account, the report is filed without a student.
- Describe the damage.
- Submit the report.
Requesting Other Actions on a Device
This section has no lock, locate, disable, reset, wipe, or "request an action" control, and neither the repair request nor the damage report opens a support ticket or a THEO request — they file the request with your IT provider's own repair and damage records.
For anything else — a lost or stolen device that should be disabled, a device you want reset or wiped before it is reassigned, a policy change, or a question about a specific device — contact your IT provider through your usual support channel. See Submitting a Support Ticket for how to open a ticket from the portal, or Using THEO for Self-Service.
Applying Policies
Chromebook policies (such as app restrictions, web filtering settings, or user access rules) are applied at the organization unit level by your IT provider. If you need a policy change — for example, allowing a specific educational app for a classroom or adjusting web filter rules — submit a support ticket describing the change you need and which devices or groups it should apply to.
Frequently Asked Questions
A Chromebook shows as Active but the student says it's not working.
The status reflects what the management system last recorded. If a device has a software or hardware problem that isn't reflected in the status, use the Submit Repair tab, or submit a ticket with the device's serial number and a description of the issue.
A device was lost or stolen. What should I do?
Contact your IT provider immediately through your normal support channel and give them the serial number — this section has no action that disables a device. Your provider disables it from the management console, and a disabled Chromebook can't be signed into, which protects any data on it. If you also want the loss on record, the Report Damage tab records it; that records the damage and does not disable the device.
I don't see all the Chromebooks I expect.
Only devices enrolled in your school's management console appear here. Newly purchased devices need to be enrolled before they show up. Contact your IT provider to enroll new devices.
Can I see what websites a student visited on their Chromebook?
Browsing activity reporting is a policy decision made by your school and IT provider. If this feature is enabled, reports may be available through your IT provider's separate reporting tools. Contact them for details.
How do I remove a student's account from a device they're returning?
Submit a ticket requesting the device be wiped and re-provisioned, or ask your IT provider about the check-in/check-out process they use for your school.