How to get a free or low-cost Chromebook

Chromebooks are the workhorse of low-cost computing: cheap, hard to break, and enough for coursework, job applications, benefits portals, and video calls. Here is where real ones come from.

School district programs

If anyone in the household is enrolled in K-12, start here. Most California districts have a one-to-one device program and many will issue a device to a student who does not have one at home, plus a hotspot. Ask the school office for the technology or family engagement coordinator by name.

Public library lending

Many California library systems lend Chromebooks and hotspots on the same terms as books. Free, no income verification, just a library card. Loans typically run two to three weeks and are often renewable.

Nonprofit refurbishers

Nonprofit refurbishers take donated corporate hardware, wipe and rebuild it, and sell it at cost — usually fifty to one hundred fifty dollars for a working Chromebook or laptop, often with a warranty. Some have income-qualified free or nearly free tiers.

Workforce and training programs

Training programs frequently include a device, because a training program whose participants cannot get online does not work. Ask every program you apply to whether a device is available. Our own program places refurbished devices with participants who need one, while supplies last.

How to spot a scam

• Any request for a credit card number, a 'shipping fee,' or a 'processing fee' for a free device.
• Sites that ask for your Social Security number before telling you what program you are applying to.
• Social media ads promising a free laptop for filling out a survey. These sell your contact information.
• 'Government free laptop' claims. There is no federal program that mails free laptops to individuals.

A legitimate program will tell you its name, its address, and its eligibility rules before it asks you for anything.

What to do with it once you have it

A device with no skills behind it becomes an expensive shelf ornament. Set up a real email account you check daily, learn the password basics, and take a structured class — that combination is what turns a Chromebook into a job.