Products · Product
ChromeOS
Raised as a usability problem by 50 people on Hacker News over 18 years (2009–2026), in 42 threads.
No issue was raised by at least 3 people in 3 threads this year.
No issue was raised by at least 3 people in 3 threads in the last 5 years.
Every issue, all time, most people first
Chromebook is slow to interact with, making it hard to useUnreviewed
20092026- Chromebook is unusably slow to interact with in ChromeOS2026-05-08
- Students and users find ChromeOS devices poorly performing and unsatisfying compared to iPads2020-06-25
- Pixelbook freezes and reboots itself during normal Chrome use2020-01-03
Accessibility settings are poor and some features don't work wellUnreviewed
20092026- Accessibility settings seem poor and some features don't work well2022-02-15
- Accessibility settings are hard to find and limited, so users can't locate options2021-05-27
- Accessibility settings feel dated and don't work well for older users2020-06-19
Unreviewed issues were grouped by machine: Claude Haiku labelled each comment as a usability complaint, named what it's about and summed up the problem in a line, and a small model grouped similar problems. Nobody has checked them by hand. Expect mistakes.
The newest 50 complaints
- System becomes nearly unusable, lagging with a few tabs and freezing when running Linux apps2026-09-29
- Chromebook is unusably slow to interact with in ChromeOS2026-05-08
- Can't copy or type a file path; file browser was very slow for operations2026-05-08
- UI is inefficient and not ergonomic, gets in the way of workflow2026-05-07
- Must keep opening laptop screen to log in on external monitor; brightness resets to minimum2025-07-23
- Can't arrange windows the way they want, especially with Android apps open2024-10-20
- Strong password entry at boot is painful; PIN unlock fails after fresh start2023-10-08
- Entering a long generated password at login is painful unless using PIN or Bluetooth unlock2023-10-06
- No clean way to use Chromebooks without a Google account; workarounds are hacky2023-10-05
- Built-in screenshot tool too basic, and third-party alternatives don't work reliably2023-10-02
- Developer mode and the Linux container are confusing, and some tools like Wireshark can't be run2023-09-01
- Updates arrive daily and each requires a full reboot, with new ones appearing right after2023-08-02
- Transferring files between ChromeOS and the Linux VM is awkward and wonky2022-12-30
- Getting useful functionality requires jumping through hoops like running Linux or Android apps2022-10-12
- Window and desktop management keys are inconsistent, sometimes Search button and sometimes Alt2022-09-30
- Freezes, crashes and unresponsive windows and launcher, plus frequent restart prompts2022-07-14
- App permissions are split into a separate Android settings panel, making them hard to manage2022-06-09
- Installing software on it is hard and often simply doesn't work2022-03-21
- Accessibility settings seem poor and some features don't work well2022-02-15
- Accessibility settings are hard to find and limited, so users can't locate options2021-05-27
- Operating system feels unpolished and lacking after a year of use2020-10-29
- Students and users find ChromeOS devices poorly performing and unsatisfying compared to iPads2020-06-25
- Accessibility settings feel dated and don't work well for older users2020-06-19
- Pixelbook freezes and reboots itself during normal Chrome use2020-01-03
- Developer docs are incomplete and cryptic, with no place to get help2020-01-03
- Merged settings and notifications make viewing many notifications harder than before2020-01-03
- File browser is awkward, forcing repeated annoyance when managing files2019-02-22
- Android apps can be janky to resize and multi-display sometimes doesn't work2018-11-14
- Compiling Rust in a Docker container makes the whole machine crawl, blocking other work2018-11-14
- Browser kills tabs after ten or more are open, disrupting work2018-11-14
- Hard to keep separate browsing contexts; account switching isn't discoverable2018-09-01
- Same word 'developer' used for two unrelated settings, confusing2018-04-09
- Users can't discover the right-click move-to-other-session option for windows2017-10-05
- Developer mode has loud boot noises and a slow boot2017-07-27
- Opting out of Google's restrictions is made difficult, unintuitive and scary, with warnings and wipe risks2016-05-21
- Keyboard layout settings are messy and need cleaning up2016-05-10
- File management is abysmal and the OS feels unpolished and buggy2016-03-28
- RTF files must be uploaded to Docs before they can be opened2014-11-11
- Google's products are less usable for average consumers because it keeps features that clutter them2014-10-15
- Proposed scheme adds convoluted access steps, making external storage harder to use2014-10-15
- UI and taskbar don't scale on high-res screens, forcing manual font and display tweaks2014-09-11
- Setting up a printer requires signing in to a Google account first2013-10-05
- Offline photo and video viewing is done poorly, and alternative apps are hard to find2013-05-23
- Ctrl-W closes the window and Ctrl-H opens history, with no way to remap them2012-04-11
- New apps open as tabs inside the last-used window, making multitasking confusing2012-04-10
- Poor local caching makes it frustrating with slow or patchy internet2011-11-20
- Browser bogs down on Flash and complex JavaScript like Google Docs2011-04-17
- No full-screen mode, so video can't fill the screen with tabs and URL bar hidden2011-04-17
- Early ChromeOS build was terribly slow and unresponsive on a dual-core laptop2011-03-09
- Commenter questions why page setup would be complicated on ChromeOS, implying it's hard to use2010-12-21