Chrome OS is surely not as feature-packed as Windows 10, but one can’t deny that it breathes a new life into old machines. In fact, I would go as far as to say that, if you are a general user then you should use Chrome OS over Windows 10 for its amazing performance and battery life. And with the Play Store support, you can actually run Android and Linux apps on your PC. How cool is that?
How Do I Install Google Chrome On My Laptop? You can use the Google Play app to open the Google Play Store on your Android tablet. You can search for a product by tapping the search bar at the top of the page. You can search for Google Chrome by typing it into the search bar and selecting it. You can access Google Chrome by tapping the app. Get more done with the new Google Chrome. A more simple, secure, and faster web browser than ever, with Google’s smarts built-in. Google Chrome is a fast web browser available at no charge. Before you download, you can check if Chrome supports your operating system and that you have all the other system requiremen. Oct 20, 2021 How to download and install Google Chrome on Windows 11. As mentioned above, Chrome does not come with Windows 11. If you want to install and use it instead, you must go and download it. Once downloaded, you can also make it your default web browser on Windows 11. To download Google Chrome, click on Microsoft Edge browser on the taskbar. Note: In this article I will guide you to install Chrome OS directly on your own laptop and do not guide parallel running of Chrome OS and Windows operating systems, you should consider before installing offline.
So in this article, we bring you a detailed guide on how to install Chrome OS on PC with Play Store support. In addition, you can also access Linux GUI apps on your PC so that is an added advantage. With all that said, let’s now go ahead and learn how to install Chrome OS on PC with Google Play Store support.
Install Chrome OS on PC with Play Store Support (2022)
Before we start our tutorial, let’s get the requirements and downloads out of the way. Once you meet all the requirements and download the relevant files, the setup will go smoothly. You can click on the links below to move between different menus.
Requirements
- UEFI support in the motherboard
- Support for legacy BIOS has also been added, but there are a few limitations. You can read the documentation here.
- Intel-based CPU and GPU
- Support for AMD CPU and GPU has also been added, but currently, it only supports AMD Ryzen 3XXX and AMD Stoney Ridge processors
- A USB flash drive with at least 16GB of storage space
Downloads
1. First off, download the Linux Mint Cinnamon image. You can also use other Linux distros such as Ubuntu or Debian, but since Linux Mint is pretty lightweight, I am using it in this tutorial.
2. Next, download Rufus (Free) so that we can flash Linux Mint Cinnamon on the USB drive.
3. After that, download the official Chrome OS recovery image from here. If this link is not working then you can download the image from here as well. Open the website and search for “rammus”. Now, click on the latest recovery image to download it (right now it’s 87, but it may change in the future). Here, I am recommending “rammus” because it works on modern Intel processors. However, you should follow the below rule and download the specific image based on your processor.
- “rammus” is the recommended image for devices with 4th generation Intel CPU and newer.
- “samus” is the recommended image for devices with 3rd generation Intel CPU and older.
- “zork” is the image to use for AMD Ryzen 3XXX.
- “grunt” is the image to use for AMD Stoney Ridge.
4. Now, download the most important file: Brunch. It’s a framework built by a developer named sebanc so huge thanks to him for making this project possible. The framework creates a generic Chrome OS image from the official recovery image so it can be installed on any Windows PC. To download the file, click here and look for the latest stable build and then click on “Assets”. Now, download the “tar.gz” file.
5. Finally, download the “install.sh” script which magically installs Chrome OS without manually typing the commands. The script has been written by Kedar Nimbalkar. To download it, click here and press Ctrl + S to save the file. If the above link is not working then you can click on this alternative link to download the “install.sh” script.
Now that we are done with the downloads, let’s jump to the steps, shall we?
Install Chrome OS on PC with Play Store Support
Before moving to installation steps, I want to give a quick rundown as to how we will install Chrome OS on PC with Play Store support. First off, we will boot Linux Mint through the USB drive on our Windows computer, and from there, we can run the script and install Chrome OS on our PC. Keep in mind, this process will completely wipe your hard drive including personal files and folders. So create a backup before you proceed. With that out of the way, let’s move to the steps.
Flash and Manage Files
1. Connect your USB flash drive and open Rufus. Next, click on the “Select” button and choose the Linux Mint Cinnamon image. Now, just click on “Start”. You will get a few prompts so click on “Yes” and “OK” to continue the flashing process.
2. After Rufus is done with flashing, close it. Now, create a folder named “Chrome OS” on your desktop. Move the “install.sh” file to the “Chrome OS” folder.
3. Next, right-click on the Brunch file and choose “Extract to Brunch…”. All the files will be extracted in a folder on the desktop.
4. Now, move all the extracted Brunch files to the same “Chrome OS” folder on the desktop.
5. Similarly, extract the official Chrome OS recovery image and you will get a folder on the desktop. Open it and rename the file to
rammus_recovery.bin
. If you have downloaded another image then rename it accordingly. For example, if you have downloaded the “samus” image then rename it to samus_recovery.bin
.6. Finally, move the “rammus_recovery.bin” file to the “Chrome OS” folder. By the end, you should have these 6 files inside the “Chrome OS” folder.
7. Now, move the whole “Chrome OS” folder to the USB drive on which you just flashed Linux Mint Cinnamon.
Boot into Linux Mint Cinnamon
1. Plug the USB flash drive into the PC on which you want to install Chrome OS. If you are installing Chrome OS on the same PC then keep it plugged in.
2. Next, restart your PC and press the boot key continuously to boot into the UEFI/BIOS menu. If you don’t know the boot key of your PC then you can find it from the below table.
3. Once you have entered the BIOS, move to the “Boot” tab and select “UEFI” from the Boot List Option. If this option is not available then don’t worry, move to the next step.
4. After that, move to the “Security” tab and disable “Secure Boot”. Keep in mind, every BIOS has its own interface so the menu placement might differ from one PC to another. Nevertheless, look for “UEFI” and “Secure Boot” under Security, Boot, or System Configuration tabs and makes the changes accordingly. Keep in mind, disabling Secure Boot is mandatory.
5. Finally, move to the “Exit” tab and choose “Exit Save Changes“. Immediately, after that, start pressing the boot key again. You will be asked to choose your boot device. Select the “USB drive” and hit enter.
6. You will boot straight into Linux Mint Cinnamon. If you are prompted with a splash screen, choose the default option: “Start Linux Mint“.
Install Chrome OS on PC
1. Now that you have booted into Linux Mint, click on the network icon at the bottom-right corner and connect to WiFi or Ethernet. The Chrome OS installer will need an active internet connection to download some missing libraries and dependencies.
2. After that, open the “Home” folder on the desktop and move to the “File System” tab.
3. Here, click on the search button and type “Chrome OS” to find the folder that we moved earlier.
4. Now, open the folder and right-click inside the folder to open the Terminal. Here, type
sudo sh install.sh
and hit enter. It will start downloading some libraries and dependencies.5. After a while, it will ask if you want to continue with the installation. Keep in mind, this will completely wipe your whole hard drive. To proceed with the installation, type
yes
and hit enter. It will now start installing Chrome OS on your PC.Note: If you get any syntax error during installation then move to the Troubleshoot section below to find the solution.
6. After the installation is done, open the start menu of Linux Mint located at the bottom-left corner and click on the “Turn off” button. Here, choose “Shut Down” to turn off your PC.
7. Now, remove the USB flash drive and then turn on your Windows PC. This time, your PC will boot straight into full-fledged Chrome OS. In case, Chrome OS is not installed on your PC hard disk and has, in fact, installed on the USB drive then follow our troubleshooting guide below.
Note: Before logging into your Google account, keep in mind, you are officially not allowed to run Chrome OS with Play Store support on non-certified machines. In some ways or the other, you might be violating Google’s terms and conditions. So, I would recommend you to sign in with a secondary Google account so that your primary account remains safe.
8. Now, you can run Android apps straight from the Play Store on your PC, how awesome is that? Not to mention, the Android framework is based on Android 9 so you are quite updated too.
Note: If you are having issues with WiFi, Bluetooth, or any other hardware device on Chrome OS then go through the Troubleshooting section for help.
9. Apart from that, you can also set up Linux on your Windows-turned-Chrome OS machine. You can find the best Linux apps for Chrome OS from the linked article.
Troubleshooting
If Chrome OS got installed on the wrong device i.e. on the USB stick then follow this simple tutorial to resolve the issue. Generally, the hard disk is named as
sda
, but on some older computers, it is named as mmcblk0
or something else. And because of this ambiguity, Chrome OS gets installed on the wrong device. So to fix the problem, here is what you need to do.Open the GParted application on Linux Mint (from the start menu) and check the name of your hard disk drive (on the top-right corner). It should be
sda
. If it’s something else then note it down and open install.sh file using Vim editor on Linux Mint (just search in the start menu). Replace sda
with the actual hard disk name in the last line.For example, if the hard disk name is
mmcblk0
then /dev/sda
in the last line should change to /dev/mmcblk0
. Now, save the file and execute the install.sh file and it should install Chrome OS on your hard disk. In case, you are unable to edit the install.sh file on Linux Mint, go back to Windows and download Notepad++ (Free). From there, you can edit the file easily. Make sure to open “Edit” from the menu bar and then choose “EOL Conversion”. After that, choose “Unix” and save the file. Now, execute “install.sh” in Linux Mint and you will have no issues.In case, you are getting an entirely new error like
syntax error near unexpected token `$’r’ ‘
while running the script then open the chromeos-install.sh
file using Notepad++ on Windows 10. chromeos-install.sh
file will be available under the “Chrome OS” folder that you moved to the USB drive. After that, follow the same steps as above and change the formatting option to Unix on Notepad++. Open Edit -> EOL Conversion -> Unix and save the file. Now, go ahead with the installation.If you are having issues with WiFi, Bluetooth, touchscreen display, etc. then you can try adding support for your specific hardware device from the Crosh terminal. Just open Chrome and press Ctrl + Alt + T to open the Crosh terminal. After that, enter
shell
and hit enter. Now, run sudo edit-grub-config
. Here you can add support for your hardware device. You can find the complete list of commands from here.For example, if you have an RT3290/RT3298LE Bluetooth device then you can add “options=rtbth” (with quotes) at the end of “cros_debug” and before loop.max…. Now, press Ctrl + X and press “Y”. Next, hit enter to save the file. Finally, restart your computer, and this time Bluetooth should work fine.
Similarly, if you want to fix WiFi then first you need to find out the manufacturer of the wireless card. If it’s Broadcom then add to the same line like this: “options=rtbth,broadcom_wl”. This will fix both Bluetooth and WiFi issues. You can remove
rtbth
if Bluetooth is already working for you. Similarly, if it’s Realtek then add “options=rtbth,rtl8188eu” or “options=rtbth,rtl8821ce”. Basically, you can add support for hardware devices in this fashion: “options=option1,option2,…” (without spaces) to activate them.Install Chrome OS on PC in 2022 and Enjoy Android and Linux Apps
So that is how you can install Chrome OS on PC and get all the perks including Google Play Store and Linux support. I tested Chrome OS on my decently-specced Windows laptop (Intel i5) and it was simply flying without any hiccup. The performance difference was amazing, to say the least. To learn more about the advantage of Chromebooks over Windows laptops, you can go through our in-depth article.
And in case, you have made your mind to stick with Chrome OS then make sure to take advantage of Linux apps. It’s pretty good and works like a charm. Also, if you miss Windows apps then you can use Wine to run Windows apps on Chrome OS. Anyway, that is all from us. If you are facing any problem while installing Chrome OS on your PC then comment down below and let us know. We will surely try to help you out.
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Does your old laptop make you want to smash it into a wall? Windows machines don’t age very well. It is something that won’t probably change until Windows is done from scratch. But Windows isn’t the only quality OS in the market. You can’t download Chrome OS and can’t install Chrome OS on your old laptop but you can still make it a Chromebook, sort of.
Chromebooks are quite popular, specifically in the US and Europe. The OS these machines run, i.e., Chrome OS is the center of all the popularity. It makes it possible for Chromebooks to be cheaper than traditional laptops running Windows and they provide a better experience if internet browsing and media consumption are all you want.
Chrome OS vs Chromium OS
While Chrome OS is great and all, you traditionally have to shell out some cash to get your hands on it. Chrome OS isn’t available for download from anywhere and therefore you cannot install Chrome OS on your laptop unless it’s a Chromebook. Google doesn’t allow it to be installed on devices that haven’t been authorized by the company. That’s why you only have a Chromebook when you have a Chromebook.
However, Chrome OS is nothing much but the Chrome browser running on top of the Linux Kernel. Chrome itself is based on the open-source Chromium browser, also by Google. As it does with the browser, Google also maintains an open source version of Chrome OS called Chromium OS. On top of it, Google adds proprietary code o build Chrome OS. A key difference between Chromium OS and Chrome OS is the browser used for the principal user interface. No points for guessing which OS uses which browser. Another key difference is that you cannot download Chrome OS but you can download Chromium OS.
Related: How to Get Google Chrome Dark Mode in Android, Windows 10 & Mac?
Requirements to Install Chrome OS on PC
Before you can install Chrome OS on your laptop, you will need some preparation:
- A USB drive with 4GB or more storage. The data on this USB will be completely wiped and several partitions will be created, most of which Windows will not be able to read later without a deep format with specialized software.
- Change BIOS settings of your target PC so it can boot from the USB and change the boot order to make USB the first and default choice.
Install Chrome OS on Laptop with CloudReady
CloudReady is an OS based on Chromium OS like Chrome OS. Where Chrome OS is a fork of Chromium OS with proprietary code from Google, CloudReady uses the proprietary code from Neverware, the company that makes CloudReady.
The advantage CloudReady offers is that you can install it on your PC, laptop or MacBook. Being based on Chromium OS, CloudReady is not as resource hungry as Windows, Mac or even a full-blown Linux based OS like Ubuntu. Therefore, installing CloudReady on your old laptop might give it a significant boost and you get the same experience as you’d get if you could install Chrome OS.
Editor’s Note: CloudReady supports almost all kinds of hardware but it doesn’t support every piece of hardware out there. So before you install CloudReady, make sure to boot it from a USB Drive and try it out to see if everything is working.
Related: Best Paid and Free VPN Chrome Extensions
Create CloudReady Installation USB on Windows
- Download the CloudReady Home edition USB Maker for Windows from this link.
- Insert the USB drive into your PC that you’ll use to install CloudReady.
- Run the CloudReady USB maker and click Next.
- Select whether you want to install the 64-bit version or the 32-bit version and click Next >Next. Most PCs or laptops released after 2012 are generally 64-bit.
- Now select the USB drive you will use to install CloudReady and click Next.
- The USB maker will then proceed to download the latest version of CloudReady onto your USB drive.
- Click Finish when done. The process can take a lot of time depending on the hardware and internet speed.
How To Install Chrome On Laptop
Related: 8 Best Android Apps for Chromebook New Users
Create CloudReady Installation USB on MacOS, Linux or Chrome OS
Install Chrome On Laptop
To create the CloudReady installation USB on MacOS, Linux, or Chrome OS, you’ll actually need the Google Chrome web browser which is already present on Chrome OS. Once Chrome is installed, follow the steps below.
- Download the CloudReady image from the links below.
- Extract the downloaded zip file so you have a .bin file.
- Launch Chrome and go to the Chromebook Recovery Utility on the Chrome Web Store.
- Click ADD TO CHROME.
- Now open the Chromebook Recovery Utility and click the gear icon in the top right.
- Select Use local image.
- Navigate to and select the CloudReady .bin file that you extracted above.
- Click or tap continue.
- Wait for the process to finish, and click or tap Done.
Related: How to Share Link between PC and Mac using Chrome
Install CloudReady on Laptop
Once CloudReady is installed on your USB drive, you can install Chrome OS on your PC or Mac. But before you do, it’ll be wise to make sure your hardware is fully compatible.
- Insert the USB drive in the USB port on your computer while it is turned off.
- Turn the computer on.
- If your computer boots straight into the default OS, you’ll have to change the boot order in BIOS.
- Alternatively, you can access the boot menu while the computer turns on and select the USB drive from there. Depending on the make and build of your PC or laptop, the method to access the boot menu can be very different. Therefore, we cannot discuss it here since it can be a whole different topic on its own.
- Wait for the CloudReady welcome screen to appear.
- Click Let’s Go.
- You’ll then be asked to connect to your WiFi network and then Sign in using your Google account.
- Your Google account keeps all your data such as installed apps, tabs, history, etc. synced.
- Complete the set up by following the on-screen prompts.
- You can skip everything and click Browse as a guest in the bottom left too.
- Once you’re on the desktop you can click around things and make sure everything works. For instance, whether or not you can change the brightness of the screen, speakers work, etc.
- If everything seems fine, click on the system tray in the bottom right and select Install OS.
Related: How to Make Calls Direct from Google Chrome
Install Chrome OS on Laptop with Fyde OS
Fyde OS is another fork of Chromium OS but it originates from China and some people have issues with software originating in China. So if you’re one of those CloudReady might still be your best option. If not, Fyde OS is actually better because it supports Android apps. Neverware has officially stated that they’re not concerned with supporting Android apps on CloudReady. Therefore, CloudReady lacks that one part of the Chrome OS experience.
Fyde OS requires creating a local account on your system instead of a Google account. This means your history, apps, etc. aren’t synced to your Google account. There is a workaround to that which you can easily Google but it requires the use of command line. Fyde OS also has a version with English as the default language called Flint OS. Development on Flint OS, however, has ceased. Thus, you’d be better off if you install Fyde OS instead.
Create bootable Fyde OS USB
- Download Fyde OS image for PC from here.
- Download and install/run Etcher.
- Insert your USB drive into your computer.
- Select the downloaded image and your USB Drive from Etcher and click Flash.
- Etcher will flash the image to the USB Drive and then verify it.
- Once that’s done, click Finish.
Install Fyde OS to PC
Unlike CloudReady, Fyde OS is completely useable from your USB drive and provides all the storage space left on your USB drive after the OS installation. However, installing it onto the hard drive of your PC is a tad bit difficult in comparison. When you’re done though, Fyde OS is closer to what you’d get if you could install Chrome OS. Well, other than the Chrome icon and Google Sync.
- Boot to Fyde OS using the create bootable USB Drive.
- If your computer boots straight into the default OS, you’ll have to change the boot order in BIOS.
- Alternatively, you can access the boot menu while the computer turns on and select the USB drive from there. Depending on the make and build of your PC or laptop, the method to access the boot menu can be very different. Therefore, we cannot discuss it here since it can be a whole different topic on its own.
- Follow through with the setup wizard to connect to your WiFi and create a local account or skip the process by clicking Browse as a guest at the bottom.
- In case you can’t understand Mandarin, click on the left-most button with a globe icon.
- Select your desired language from the drop-down menu.
- Click OK.
- Once you’re on the Fyde OS desktop, press Ctrl+Alt+F2 (Fn+Ctrl+Alt+F2, for some).
- This will open up the terminal. If asked for a username and password, enter chronos for both.
- Obtain a list of all attached drives with this command.
- Identify the drive you want to install Fyde OS on and run the installation script with the following command.In the above command, sda is the label of the drive that you want to install the OS on. Make sure you replace it with the correct label.
- You may be asked for the password again so enter chronos.
- Press Y when asked for confirmation.
- Wait for the script to run. Your entire hard drive will be formatted to install Fyde OS.
Pull out the USB and reboot your computer one the script has finished installing Fyde OS.
Install Chrome OS on PC
After Netbooks were pretty much dead Chrome OS has revived them again in the form of Chromebooks. Because Chromebooks don’t run the full-blown Windows-like desktop, they’re not just cheap laptops, unlike the netbooks of yesteryear that got thrashed out of the market by the iPad. Chromebooks excel at what they provide, a lightweight, cheap desktop-like internet experience. And they exist in a world where several professionals depend on the internet for work.
Clearly, they have a lot going for them. At the heart of all of this though is the OS, Chrome OS. While Google only allows it to be installed on authorized devices, other developers and even companies have filled in the demand for Chrome OS on other devices. Sure, Chromium OS or its forks are not exactly Chrome OS but the experience is very similar after installation. It’s like using a Pixel Experience ROM on a device that’s not a Google Pixel, in case you understand custom ROMs on Android.
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