Chromebooks are already safe devices, but you can take some extra steps to make them safer.

The out-of-the-box Chromebook has multiple layers of protection to keep your files and personal information safe and prevent malware and viruses from infecting them. From running individual websites and applications in the sandbox to containing threats to automatically encrypting important files on your Chromebook, you always have built-in defenses—no additional applications or subscription fees are required. 

In other words, you can always do more to ensure safety. In addition to the built-in security features, you can also enable some features to add some extra protection to you and your Chromebook.

One of the advantages of Chrome OS and Chromebook is that Google can easily use your Google account to synchronize your experience between devices. Sign in to any Chromebook with your account and personalize it in minutes, from bookmarks to apps to desktop wallpapers. This also means that strong and unique passwords are essential for strict security. 

However, in addition to using a strict password, you should also enable two-factor authentication (2FA), which is the second step to verify your login. Go to the "Security" section on the Google account page. Scroll down to the Sign in to Google box and click on two-step verification. There you can choose different methods to verify your identity, such as sending a text message to your mobile phone, using Google’s authenticator app, or generating a backup code.  

Like other operating systems, Google regularly releases updates that include the latest security fixes. Google will automatically send these updates to your Chromebook and download them in the background without interrupting your work. However, you need to restart your Chromebook to install the update. When your Chromebook is ready to update, you will receive a pop-up notification of available updates, and you will see an arrow icon in the upper right corner of the browser toolbar. Choose Restart to update and you are done.

You can also check for updates yourself. Go to "Settings" and look for "About Chrome OS" at the bottom of the left panel. Under the Google Chrome OS heading, click the Check for Update button. If an update is available, it will be downloaded, and then you can choose to restart to install it immediately, or you can install it later. But again, installation and restart are the best ways to ensure that you have the latest security fixes for Chrome OS.

Read more: You can reset your Chromebook in a minute. That's it

If you share your Chromebook with friends and acquaintances, you need to be familiar with guest mode. It allows others to use your Chromebook without having access to your Google account. Not only can it prevent them from accessing your data and files, but it can also prevent them from messing up your settings. The visitor's browsing history, cookies, bookmarks, and downloads will be deleted after you finish using your Chromebook and you exit guest mode and log in to your account again.

Guest mode should be enabled by default, but to make sure it is enabled, you can go to "Settings" and in the "People" section, click "Manage others" and check if Enable guest browsing is turned on. 

To activate guest mode, log out of your account (the fastest way is to press Ctrl-Shift-Q twice), then click Browse as guest at the bottom of the screen. 

You can go a step further and enable restricting the login of the following users. This setting is also listed under "Manage Other People" and will only allow you to grant accounts that have permission to log in to your Chromebook.

Close the lid of the Chromebook and it will go to sleep. Turn it on again, and your Chromebook will wake up. This method is of course easy, but if you are concerned about other people accessing your sleeping Chromebook while you are away (or let yourself fall asleep), you can set it to lock during sleep and ask for a password when you wake up.

Go to Settings and click "Screen Lock and Login" in the "People" section. Next, enter your password and turn on Show lock screen when waking up from sleep. If you don’t want to enter a long and complicated password every time you wake your Chromebook, please choose a PIN or password, then click the Set PIN button and choose a six-digit (or more) PIN instead of your password to unlock your Chromebook.

Created by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Tor Project, this Chrome extension will use the HTTPS version of the site when available. Many sites use unencrypted HTTP by default, and HTTPS Everywhere will request the HTTPS version. If using an extension destroys the site you are trying to visit, you can click its button to disable it. For those who are super security conscious, you can check a box to block all unencrypted sites.

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