1. Check Compatibility With Your Chromebook
Currently, Google Play Store doesn’t work on all Chromebooks. It’s available on some laptops only. If you don’t see the Google Play Store app on your Chromebook or it appears grayed out, you must first investigate whether your Chromebook supports Google Play Store or not. Check this official list to see if you can install Android apps on your laptop.
2. Restart Your Chromebook
The first thing that you must do if Google Play Store isn’t working properly on your Chromebook is to restart it. However, you shouldn’t just close the lid and open it up back again. You will have to restart the Chromebook in a proper manner as shown below.
3. Check Internet Connection
If the Google Play Store screen appears blank or apps don’t seem to load, there could be an issue with the Chromebook’s internet connection. To confirm, launch the Chrome browser and open any website. If the website also doesn’t open, then definitely your internet is to be blamed. Try using a different Wi-Fi connection or connect using your mobile’s hotspot.
4. Enable Play Store on Your Chromebook
Furthermore, please note that not all apps will work with your Chromebook. If an app doesn’t show up when you search for it or it says incompatible, that means it can’t run on your device. Note: If you don’t see the Play Store option, then either your Chromebook doesn’t support it or it has been disabled by your Chromebook’s administrator at your school or workplace.
5. Sign Out of Guest Accounts
If you are logged in as a guest user, then you cannot install or uninstall apps from your Chromebook, as the Google Play Store will not show up in the Guest profiles. You must log out and sign in to a normal profile to use a Google account. To sign out of the Guest profile, click on time at the bottom-right corner and hit the “Exit guest” button.
6. Create a New User Profile
If nothing seems to fix the Play Store not working on your Chromebook, you must create a new user profile on your device and try using Google Play Store in it.
7. Clear Cache for Google Play Store
Similar to Android, you must try clearing cache for Google Play Store on Chromebook as well. This is a well-known fix to resolve issues when the Play Store keeps crashing or stopping.
8. Run Chromebook Diagnostics
Chrome OS offers a built-in tool to detect problems with Chromebook’s CPU, memory, or other components. You must run the “Diagnostics” tool to detect such issues as they could be affecting Play Store.
9. Check Date and Time
The date and time must be correct on your Chromebook in order for Play Store to function properly. If your Chromebook has an incorrect date and time, you will face issues with Play Store or the apps downloaded from Play Store.
10. Uninstall Third-Party Apps or Extensions
Did you recently install any app or extension on your Chromebook? If yes, that could be causing issues in Play Store. Try uninstalling the app or extension to see if Play Store starts working properly or not.
11. Update Chrome OS
Google Play Store will not work properly if there’s a bug in Chrome OS or if you are using an old version. Generally, Chrome OS will download the update automatically, but you must manually check and install Chrome OS to fix issues with Play Store.
12. Update Play Store on Chromebook
You must also try updating Play Store on your Chromebook.
13. Remove Google Play Store
Next, you must try re-installing Play Store on your Chromebook. This should fix any bug that could be causing issues with Play Store.
14. Factory Reset Chromebook
Lastly, if nothing fixes your Play Store issue, you might want to perform a factory resetting (powerwash) on your Chromebook. Please note that this operation will erase all data on your device. So make sure to back up the data first as you will have to set up the Chromebook like a new device. All screenshots by Mehvish Mushtaq.
