10 Best Computer Repair Courses & Certifications Online in 2026

Last updated: October 17, 2026. Written by Josh Hutcheson. See our review methodology.

“Computer repair” covers two different goals. Some people want a credential that gets them hired as a help-desk or field technician; for them the answer is almost always CompTIA A+, the certification CompTIA says appears in more tech support job listings than any other IT credential. Others want to fix their own laptop, swap a drive or sort out flaky Wi-Fi; a short practical course gets them there faster and cheaper.

We checked every course below live on 17 October 2026: rating, enrollment, last-updated date and price on the course page itself, plus the exam facts on CompTIA’s site and the job data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. We also say where a free resource will do the job just as well.

Start the A+ Core 1 course →

The best computer repair courses & certifications in 2026

Udemy and Coursera figures read on each course page on 17 October 2026. Every Udemy course was $14.99 on sale that day, and eligible Udemy courses can be refunded within 30 days.

1. Best for the recognized credential: TOTAL: CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201) by Mike Meyers

If an employer asks for a “computer repair certification,” they almost always mean CompTIA A+. Mike Meyers and Total Seminars have taught A+ for decades, and this course covers the current Core 1 exam: hardware, networking, mobile devices, virtualization and cloud, and hardware and network troubleshooting. It runs 20.5 hours, includes a practice exam, carries a 4.7 rating from 89,531 ratings with 240,000+ students, and was updated in June 2026.

Best for: anyone aiming at a help-desk, desktop support or field technician job.  Worth knowing: you need Core 2 as well to earn A+.

View the Core 1 course →

2. Best for the second exam: TOTAL: CompTIA A+ Core 2 (220-1202) by Mike Meyers

A+ takes two exams, and Core 2 covers operating systems, security, software troubleshooting and operational procedures. The companion course runs 21.5 hours with a practice exam, is rated 4.6 from 25,258 ratings and was updated in March 2026. CompTIA lets you take the two exams in either order.

Best for: finishing the A+ after Core 1, or starting with the software side.  Worth knowing: buy it with Core 1; neither course alone earns the certification.

View the Core 2 course →

3. Best second teacher: CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201) Full Course & Practice Exam by Jason Dion

Jason Dion is the other big name in CompTIA prep, and his Core 1 course is rated 4.7 from 48,043 ratings with 197,000+ students. It runs 26 hours and was updated in October 2026. Some learners prefer Dion’s exam-focused pacing to Meyers’ more conversational style; both cover the same objectives, so pick one as your main course.

Best for: learners who want an exam-first style or a second explanation of hard topics.  Worth knowing: buying both Meyers and Dion for Core 1 is usually unnecessary.

View Dion’s Core 1 course →

4. Best for exam readiness: CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201): 6 Practice Exams by Jason Dion

Practice exams are where most people find their gaps. This set has six full Core 1 exams, is rated 4.6 from 1,684 ratings and was updated in October 2026. Take one early to find weak areas and the rest in the final two weeks. When you score well above the passing mark on unseen tests, book the real exam.

Best for: the last few weeks before you sit Core 1.  Worth knowing: practice questions, not teaching; pair it with pick 1 or 3.

View the practice exams →

5. Best for a career change: Google IT Support Professional Certificate (Coursera)

Fixing computers is a skill; getting hired to do it is a career, and that is where Google’s certificate earns its place. The six-course program covers troubleshooting and customer service, networking, operating systems, system administration and security through hands-on labs. Google designed it to take a beginner to job readiness in three to six months, and it is rated 4.8 from 215,952 reviews, with more than 2.1 million learners enrolled.

Two details make it stronger than its price suggests. Coursera says the program also prepares you for the CompTIA A+ exams, so you can earn both credentials, and graduates can apply directly to Google and over 150 US employers through Google’s hiring consortium (Coursera program page, read 17 Oct 2026). It is billed through Coursera, from $49 a month or included in Coursera Plus.

Best for: career changers with no IT background.  Worth knowing: it is not the A+ itself; sit the CompTIA exams if a job listing asks for A+.

Enroll on Coursera →

6. Best for current Windows PCs: Windows 11 Desktop Administration with Server & Cloud (Udemy)

Most “broken” computers are really software problems: drivers, updates, accounts and settings. We used to recommend a Windows 10 troubleshooting course here, but Microsoft ended Windows 10 support on 14 October 2025 (Microsoft end-of-support page), so new learners should train on Windows 11. This 12.5-hour course covers administering Windows 11 machines with traditional tools and newer cloud-based methods, is rated 4.5 from 679 ratings and was updated in October 2026.

Best for: anyone supporting Windows PCs for family, a small office or a first help-desk job.  Worth knowing: it leans toward administration; pair it with A+ Core 2 for structured troubleshooting.

View the Windows 11 course →

7. Best for everyday troubleshooting: Learn How to Fix Wi-Fi, Computer & Networking Problems (Udemy)

A surprising share of repair calls are really networking calls: dropped Wi-Fi, slow connections, a printer that will not show up. This two-hour beginner course teaches a repeatable way to approach any tech problem and the free tools to fix it, such as ping and ipconfig. It is rated 4.6 from 2,354 ratings.

It was last updated in December 2016. The troubleshooting method has aged well, but screenshots of older Windows versions will look dated, which is why it sits below the Windows 11 course here.

Best for: home users whose “repairs” are mostly connectivity problems.  Worth knowing: last updated 12/2016; the method holds, the screenshots do not.

View the troubleshooting course →

8. Best for board-level hardware: Chip Level Laptop Repairs: Understanding 3.3 & 5 Volt Circuits (Udemy)

Running a real repair bench, replacing chips, tracing faults on a dead motherboard, working with a multimeter and soldering iron, is a different discipline from the software courses above. This 2.5-hour course explains the 3.3V and 5V power circuits where many laptop faults start. It is rated 4.5 from 156 ratings and was updated in March 2023.

Be realistic: board-level repair is a hands-on trade. Treat the course as a map, then practice on dead hardware.

Best for: hobbyists and would-be repair-shop owners.  Worth knowing: a small, older course; practice matters more than video here.

View the hardware course →

9. Best for testing the career: Computer Repair & Help Desk for Beginners (Udemy)

This two-hour course sits between fixing your own PC and working a help desk: Windows basics, data backup and supporting other people’s machines. It is rated 4.4 from 214 ratings and was last updated in January 2022, so use it as a cheap taster before you commit to A+.

Best for: people deciding whether IT support is a career they want.  Worth knowing: last updated 1/2022; a taster, not a full program.

View the beginner course →

10. Best free: Professor Messer’s CompTIA A+ 220-1201 Training Course

Professor Messer publishes a complete A+ video course for the current Core 1 exam free on his site and YouTube, and many people use it as their main study resource. He also sells optional course notes and runs study groups. We have no affiliate relationship with Professor Messer.

If money is tight, Messer’s videos plus a $14.99 practice-exam set (pick 4) is the cheapest serious A+ plan.

Best for: self-studiers on a tight budget.  Worth knowing: video lessons only; add practice exams before you book.

CompTIA A+ in 2026: exams, cost and how to prepare

CompTIA A+ is the entry-level IT certification for hardware, software and support work. Here is what CompTIA’s A+ page said on 17 October 2026 about the current version, called V15:

Questions mix multiple choice, drag-and-drop and performance-based tasks, where you work through a simulated problem. CompTIA recommends about 12 months of hands-on IT support experience, but there is no formal requirement and many people pass with study and a home lab.

Cost. You need one voucher per exam, and you pay again for a retake. CompTIA’s own store sets the official price by country; a voucher reseller we checked on 17 October 2026 listed each A+ voucher at $274 (with a sale price of $199.99), so budget roughly $400 to $550 for both exams. CompTIA also sells bundles that add its CertMaster study tools and a retake.

A sensible plan: study Core 1 with one main course (pick 1 or 3), take a practice exam early, fill your gaps, then sit Core 1. Repeat for Core 2. Most part-time learners take one to three months per exam. Download CompTIA’s free exam objectives PDF from its A+ page and tick off each objective as you go; it is the closest thing to an official computer repair course PDF.

Start A+ Core 1 with Mike Meyers →

Do you need a certification to repair computers?

No law requires a certificate to repair a computer, and plenty of skilled technicians are self-taught. But if you want to be hired, A+ is the credential that opens doors: it is vendor-neutral and widely requested in entry-level IT listings. On Reddit, the first reply to almost every “how do I become a computer repair technician” thread is the same: look up the A+ certification, or find a repair shop willing to teach you.

If you are not chasing A+ specifically, the Google IT Support certificate signals the same core skills and adds customer-service training. Many people do both: Google’s program to learn the material, then the CompTIA exams for the formal credential.

Free computer repair courses worth knowing about

• Professor Messer: a complete free A+ video course for the current exams.
• CompTIA exam objectives: the free official PDF list of everything A+ tests.
• Alison: free computer maintenance and hardware courses.
• YouTube repair channels: strong for one specific fix, such as replacing a laptop screen, though nobody sequences them into a course.
• Google IT Support on Coursera: you can enroll free to start, and Coursera offers financial aid on most programs.

None of these are affiliate links. For a motivated self-studier they are enough to learn the fundamentals. Paid courses earn their price through structure, practice questions and current exam alignment.

Online or in person: computer repair classes near you

Many searchers look for computer repair courses near them, and in-person training has one real advantage: supervised practice on hardware. Community colleges often run IT support or A+ prep classes with lab time. The trade-off is cost and schedule; an online course plus a home lab built from an old desktop gives most people the same skills for far less.

Whichever route you take, the A+ exams themselves are delivered through Pearson VUE, so where you study does not limit where you test.

Hardware repair vs. software troubleshooting: which should you learn?

These are two different skill sets, and most jobs lean heavily toward one. Software troubleshooting, meaning operating system problems, malware, drivers and networking, is what most support and repair work involves day to day, and it is what A+, Google IT Support and the Windows course focus on. Hardware repair, meaning board-level soldering, component replacement and data recovery, is a specialized trade with its own market in independent repair shops and refurbishers. If you want a conventional IT job, prioritize the software and credential path. If you want to run a repair bench, invest in the hardware course and, more importantly, a real workbench.

Is a computer repair career worth it?

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics groups this work under computer support specialists, with a median pay of $62,890 a year in May 2025: $61,860 for computer user support specialists and $76,220 for network support specialists. Employment is projected to decline 3 percent from 2025 to 2035, but the BLS still expects about 48,700 openings each year as people move on or retire.

Pure break-fix repair is a smaller niche than it was a decade ago, because devices are cheaper to replace and harder to open. The strongest path treats repair as the entry point to broader IT support. On Reddit, one recent graduate described taking a part-time computer repair technician job, then moving to a full-time data center technician role two months later; other replies called repair work a functional replacement for the usual help-desk first job. That is why we lead with a portable credential, A+ or Google IT Support, rather than a hobby course if income is your goal.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best computer repair certification?

CompTIA A+ is the recognized entry-level credential for computer repair and IT support. It takes two exams, Core 1 (220-1201) and Core 2 (220-1202). The Google IT Support Professional Certificate is a strong beginner alternative that also prepares you for A+.

How much does the CompTIA A+ cost?

You need one voucher per exam. A voucher reseller listed each A+ voucher at $274 on 17 October 2026, so both exams cost roughly $400 to $550 depending on discounts. Prep courses on Udemy were $14.99 on sale the same day.

How long does it take to learn computer repair?

A focused learner can finish a short troubleshooting course in a weekend. Preparing for both A+ exams usually takes one to three months of part-time study per exam. Board-level hardware repair takes months of hands-on practice.

Can I learn computer repair for free?

Yes. Professor Messer publishes a free A+ video course, CompTIA publishes the exam objectives free, and Alison has free hardware courses. Paid courses add structure and practice exams.

Is there a computer repair course PDF?

The most useful free PDF is CompTIA’s official A+ exam objectives, which lists every topic the exams test. Use it as a checklist alongside a video course.

Is computer repair a good career in 2026?

As a standalone trade it is competitive. As an entry point to IT support it is solid: the BLS reports a median of $62,890 for computer support specialists in May 2025 and about 48,700 openings a year, even though overall employment is projected to dip 3 percent by 2035.

Should I still learn on Windows 10?

No. Microsoft ended Windows 10 support on 14 October 2025, with paid extended security updates available until 12 October 2027. New technicians should learn Windows 11.

Related IT & support guides

• Best IT Help Desk & Support Courses
• Best Computer Networking Courses
• Best CCNA Courses
• Best Cyber Security Courses
• Best Cybersecurity Certifications

We review courses independently and may earn a commission from Udemy and Coursera links on this page. See our review methodology.

Start with the A+ Core 1 course →