Chromebook Cannot Proceed Past "Welcome to your new account"

Overview

Students who have never signed in to any Google service or a Chromebook with their Central Piedmont email address may get stuck on the "Welcome to your new account" screen during Chromebook sign-in and be unable to advance past the message. This is a one-time onboarding issue. Completing the initial account setup on another device should resolve it permanently.

Audience

  • Students experiencing the issue
  • Library staff, teachers, or ITS Service Desk support assisting students

Task

Complete the initial Google Workspace for Education account onboarding by accepting the "Welcome to your new account" terms on a different device, then retry signing in on the Chromebook.

Prerequisites

  • Student Central Piedmont email address (username@email.cpcc.edu) and password
  • Access to Microsoft Authenticator or authentication method (e.g., call/text, hardware token, etc.)
  • A Chromebook that is displaying the "Welcome to your new account" message and does not show the "I Understand" button in the lower right (see image below).
  • Access to a different internet-connected device with a web browser (e.g., personal phone, tablet, or library computer)

Chromebook screen displaying "Welcome to your new account" message

Chromebook screen displaying the Welcome message, but missing a clickable button under the message that displays "I understand" and can be selected in order to proceed with logging in.

Instructions

  1. On a different device, open a web browser and go to: https://myaccount.google.com

  2. Click the blue "Go to Google Account" button at the top of the screen (mobile) or top right (desktop).

  3. Sign in with your Central Piedmont email address (username@email.cpcc.edu) and password.

  4. When the "Welcome to your new account" dialogue appears, read the information and click the "I understand" button at the bottom of the page. 

    Web browser displaying the "Welcome to your new account" message after logging into myaccount.google.com

  5. Complete any additional prompts if shown (usually minimal).

  6. Once finished (you reach your Google Account dashboard or a confirmation), sign out of your account information page, and sign out of the computer (if applicable).

  7. Return to the original Chromebook and sign in again with your Central Piedmont email and password. The welcome screen should now let you proceed and complete sign-in normally.

Outcome

After completing these steps, the student should be able to:

  • Sign in to any Chromebook using their Central Piedmont email address without getting stuck.
  • Access the Chromebook desktop and features normally under organizational policies.
  • No longer see the onboarding prompt on new devices.

If the issue persists, escalate to ITS Service Desk.

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