Google announced Chrome OS Flex in February 2022 to breathe new life into aging Windows PCs and older MacBooks. We have already written a detailed guide on how to install Chrome OS with Play Store support on a PC, but it’s based on Project Brunch, and the installation process is a hassle. However, with Google now supporting third-party hardware, Chrome OS Flex stands out with its seamless installation process and longer support window. I tried the Chrome OS beta build earlier, and it worked like a charm. And now with the stable build of Chrome OS Flex, things are looking even more impressive. So if you wish to learn how to install Chrome OS Flex on your old MacBoooks, Linux PCs, and Windows laptops, follow our detailed guide below.
In this guide, we have included step-by-step instructions to install the stable build of Chrome OS Flex on PCs and Macs. Along with that, we have explained what is Chrome OS Flex and my experience with Google’s new OS. You can expand the table below and learn about all the technicalities.
- What is Google Chrome OS Flex?Requirements to Install Chrome OS FlexFlash Chrome OS Flex On a USB DriveInstall Chrome OS Flex on a Windows Laptop or MacBookRemove Chrome OS Flex and Reinstall Windows on PCsChrome OS Flex on a Windows Laptop: First ImpressionsFrequently Asked Questions
What is Google Chrome OS Flex?
Two years back, Google acquired Neverware, a New York-based company that was developing CloudReady. It allowed users to breathe new life into older PCs and run Chrome OS. CloudReady was built on the open-source Chromium OS base.
Google is offering Chrome OS Flex to Education and Enterprise users for free. But regular users can also install Chrome OS Flex on their older Windows PCs and MacBooks. The aim behind this project is to utilize old hardware and offer speedy performance, almost on par with modern computers. As Google is now maintaining the project for hundreds of devices, we expect greater support from a myriad of different manufacturers, including HP, Apple, Asus, and more.
Requirements to Install Chrome OS Flex
- A USB pen drive with at least 8GB or more storage.
Flash Chrome OS Flex On a USB Drive
First, go ahead and install the Chromebook Recovery Utility Chrome extension using the link here. It’s an extension that will allow you to flash the Chrome OS Flex build on your USB drive.
Next, open the Chromebook Recovery Utility and plug in your USB drive. After that, click on “Get Started“.
On the next page, click the “Select a model from a list” option.
Click on the “Select a manufacturer” drop-down menu and choose “Google Chrome OS Flex“. From the next drop-down menu, select “Chrome OS Flex”. Now, click on “Continue”.
After that, select your USB thumb drive and click on “Continue“.
Finally, click on “Create now“, and the Chromebook Recovery Utility will create a bootable Chrome OS Flex drive. The whole process will take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes, depending on your internet speed.
Install Chrome OS Flex on a Windows Laptop or MacBook
Once the flashing process is complete, restart your PC and press the boot key. If you don’t know the boot key for your computer, check the table below. Keep pressing the boot key until you see the boot selection page. If you are installing Chrome OS Flex on a custom-built PC, find the boot key based on your motherboard manufacturer from the internet.
On the boot selection page, select your USB drive using the arrow keys and hit Enter.
Now, the “Welcome to CloudReady 2.0” screen will appear. Here, click on “Get Started“. Now, go through the on-screen instructions and sign in with your Google account.
I suggest you first explore Chrome OS Flex before installing it on your hard drive. This way, you can check the compatibility of your Wi-Fi, keyboard, mouse, Bluetooth, touchpad, and other hardware devices.
Once you are sure you want to install Chrome OS Flex, open the Quick Settings panel from the bottom-right corner and click “Sign out“.
Next, click on “Install CloudReady” at the bottom-left corner.
Finally, click on “Install CloudReady 2.0” and then click on “Install” again. Note that this step will wipe your complete hard drive, so make sure to take a backup before performing this action. Once the installation is complete, shut down your computer and remove the USB drive.
And that’s it. Chrome OS Flex will boot up on your device without any issues. You can now enable the new Chrome OS launcher on Chrome OS Flex and do a lot more.
Remove Chrome OS Flex and Reinstall Windows on PCs
If you wish to go back to Windows and uninstall Chrome OS Flex, well, you can easily do so. We have written a detailed tutorial on how to delete Chrome OS Flex and reinstall Windows 11/10, so follow our guide for step-by-step instructions. You need to create a bootable USB drive for Windows and install it on your PC. Note that following this process will wipe the data stored on your hard disk, so make a backup beforehand.
Chrome OS Flex on a Windows Laptop: First Impressions
It’s safe to say that Chrome OS Flex is quite performant in comparison to Windows 11 or 10. I use an 8th-gen i5 Chromebook regularly, and in contrast, the performance with Chrome OS Flex on my 6th-gen Windows laptop is on a different level. The surprising part is that Google has added Google Assistant support in Chrome OS Flex, which is awesome. However, do note that there is no Android app support, and Google has not announced that it will add the Play Store to this build in the future.
Nevertheless, there is full-fledged Linux support, and that is great in itself. You will be able to use desktop-grade Linux apps on your Chromebook. And with Wine, you can even run lightweight Windows apps on your Chromebook powered by Chrome OS Flex.
Is Chrome OS Flex free?
Is Chrome OS Flex same as Chrome OS?
As per Google’s official requirements, you need at least 4GB of RAM on your old PC to install Chrome OS Flex. So the installation may run into issues and render your computers with 1GB or 2GB of RAM useless, so we wouldn’t recommend doing that.
