In late August of 2025, there was a significant bug in ChromeOS version 139 that caused major headaches for school districts that authenticate using a third-party identity partner such as Classlink or Clever. The issue was significant enough to force Google to pause the roll out of V.139.

👉 The bug has been fixed, and devices are once again updating to V.139 without issue. The Clever login issue has been resolved. 

While bugs like this are rare (this is only the second issue that I can remember), it’s worth taking a moment to share how to roll-back your Chromebook fleet to a previous version in the event that there is an issue with a recent update. 

How to roll back ChromeOS from the Admin Console

Rolling back a device from the admin console is not ideal, but it is possible. There are a few key things that you need to know: 

• Network connection required – in order to trigger a rollback from the console, your devices must be able to access your network. If the bug is impacting network connectivity, you may need to manually rollback the devices (more on that later). 
• Local data will be removed – a rollback requires a full powerwash which will delete any locally saved data. Make sure your users are aware of this issue. 
• Enable auto re-enrollment – because we are powerwashing Chromebooks, make sure that automatic device re-enrollment is enabled. This will ensure that your devices are added back into your admin console and receive your policy configurations. 
• Rollback may not be possible – there are some circumstances when a rollback might not be possible. This can happen if the rollback will impact security certificates, wireless authentication, and ChromeOS Flex devices. 

Related Video: Force your devices to update

Here are the steps to rollback devices to a previous version of ChromeOS: 

1. Isolate the impacted devices: In most instances (like last week’s authentication issue), you don’t need to rollback all of your devices. Identify the devices that need to be fixed and place them in a temporary “rollback” organizational unit. 
2. Navigate to Device Settings: In the Admin Console, go to Menu > Devices > Chrome > Settings > Device settings.
3. Find the Auto-update settings: Scroll down to the device update settings and click on Auto-update settings. Make sure you select the “rollback” OU you created in step 1
4. Configure the rollback:
   • Auto Updates: allow 
   • Target Version: select the version you want to roll-back to (i.e. 138).
   • Rollback: enable
5. Make sure you save your changes on this page.

The devices in your “rollback” OU are now configured to rollback. This process will take some time. The target OS version must be downloaded and the device must be restarted before the rollback will take effect. If devices are turned off or stored in carts, they will not update until they are opened and connected to a wireless network. Users will see notifications that their local data will be erased when the device restarts which may discourage them from allowing the update to take effect. 

Manually roll-back a Chromebook

If you only have a few isolated devices that need to be rolled-back, it might be easier to manually “flash” the OS to a previous version. This is also the process you will need to use if a device is unable to connect to your wireless network to receive an update. 

The Chromebook recovery utility is a free tool that allows you to install an OS update onto an external flash drive. The utility tool will guide you through the process of selecting the correct model and OS version. You will then use that drive to manually install the OS onto the affected Chromebook. 

Manually flashing a Chromebook is fine for a few random devices, but this is definitely NOT something you want to do for hundreds or thousands of Chromebooks. For widespread issues, it is best to automate the process through the admin console. Hopefully you will never need to rollback your fleet, but it’s always good to be prepared! These are the types of topics and situations that we discuss during the Chromebook Academy for IT admins. This LIVE virtual course is designed to give you the skills and confidence you need to manage your fleet like a pro.

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