How to Turn an Old Laptop Into a Chromebook With ChromeOS Flex for Free

Google’s ChromeOS is not obtainable to put in on a laptop computer or desktop like Home windows or Linux, however the subsequent smartest thing is Google’s ChromeOS Flex. Previously known as Neverware CloudReady, the OS is especially constructed for companies and training, however Flex is free for private use, and it is so light-weight that it is nice for respiration new life into a pc that is struggling from the calls for of Home windows, MacOS or Linux. 

Google acquired Neverware in December 2020 and the results of that’s ChromeOS Flex. Whereas CloudReady was good, Flex is far nearer to the expertise you’d get with a Chromebook or different ChromeOS system. That features issues such because the official Chrome browser, assist for Household Hyperlink accounts together with school-issued accounts and Telephone Hub, which helps you to connect with an Android cellphone to indicate notifications and share information between the cellphone and laptop computer. The one factor you do not get is entry to the Google Play retailer and Android apps.

ChromeOS Flex runs effectively even on outdated {hardware}. That is why it is such a very good possibility for repurposing a laptop computer that may not run present variations of Home windows, MacOS or Linux. Google solely ensures Flex to work on a growing list of certified models, nonetheless. In case your mannequin is not licensed, that does not imply it will not work, although, just that full functionality and performance aren’t a given.  

You select: Trial run or full set up

Probably the greatest options of ChromeOS Flex, although, is that you would be able to run it off a USB flash drive or SD card to try it out first with out utterly overwriting your present OS. For the very best efficiency, it isn’t really useful to run Flex from a flash drive full time, however it is going to allow you to see if it’s going to work to your wants. 

Installing ChromeOS Flex is fast and painless. Step one is to assemble the whole lot you want:

• A USB thumb drive or SD card 8GB or bigger

• A Home windows, Mac or Linux pc to put in ChromeOS Flex on

Observe that putting in ChromeOS Flex will utterly erase your complete arduous drive. Any vital information needs to be backed up first. You will additionally want a ChromeOS, Home windows PC or Mac system with the present model of the Chrome browser put in. This will likely be used to create the ChromeOS Flex USB installer and it does not should be the identical system you intend to put in it on. The thumb drive will even be utterly erased when creating the installer.

To run ChromeOS Flex, the goal laptop computer (or desktop) will should be Intel or AMD x86-64-bit suitable (newer than 2010 for the very best expertise), have 4GB RAM or extra, have at the least 16GB of storage and you may want full administrator entry to the BIOS. As soon as you have obtained the whole lot wanted, it is time to create the USB installer. 

• Open a Chrome browser window on a ChromeOS, Home windows PC or Mac system and add the Chromebook Recovery Utility extension via the Chrome web store. That is what you will use to construct the USB/SD card installer. 
• Go to the Chrome browser’s extensions menu positioned on the high proper of the Chrome browser window (it seems like a tiny puzzle piece). Click on on it and a drop-down checklist of extensions will seem. Discover the Chromebook Restoration Utility on the checklist and click on on it to launch. The utility would possibly should be toggled on, too, which may be achieved by clicking on Handle Extensions on the backside of the drop-down checklist of extensions. 

• When the Chromebook Restoration Utility launches, you will be requested to determine what mannequin Chromebook you will be recovering. Nonetheless, there will likely be a hyperlink labeled Choose a mannequin from a listing within the dialog field. Click on that hyperlink and from the Choose a producer drop-down checklist that seems choose Google Chrome OS Flex. Beneath that drop-down is one other labeled Choose a product from which you will select Chrome OS Flex.  
• Subsequent, insert your flash drive or SD card into the system you are utilizing to create the installer, choose it as your goal drive after which click on Create now. The creation course of takes as much as 20 minutes however mine was achieved in half that point. As soon as the installer is completed, the drive may be ejected and is able to use. 

You are virtually achieved. It is time to seize the laptop computer you need to convert to a Chromebook. Ensure that the laptop computer is turned off and insert your ChromeOS Flex installer thumb drive or SD card. 

The following step is in addition the laptop computer from the thumb drive as an alternative of the interior storage drive. This requires you to press a boot key because the laptop computer is booting up. Boot keys range by producer. For example, I transformed a MacBook Air and its boot key’s the Possibility key. Google has a list of boot keys for major manufacturers should you’re undecided what yours is.   

Activate the laptop computer and, because it boots, press the boot key to interrupt the boot course of. You could must press and maintain the important thing or hit it repeatedly to enter the boot menu. If achieved accurately, the laptop computer ought to provide the possibility to pick out which drive you’d wish to boot from, the laptop computer’s inside drive or your USB drive. Choose the USB drive and press Enter. 

In case you’ve achieved the whole lot accurately, you will see the ChromeOS Flex splash display adopted by a Welcome to ChromeOS Flex display. (If not, retrace your steps utilizing Google’s installation guide.) From there you may select to check the OS and run it instantly from the flash drive or set up ChromeOS Flex on the interior storage. Doing the latter provides you the very best efficiency; nonetheless, it additionally erases all content material from the interior drive and the native OS cannot be recovered. In case you aren’t 100% sure you need to use ChromeOS Flex, strive working it from the USB drive first. 

The complete OS set up can take as much as 20 minutes (my MacBook Air was achieved in lower than 5 minutes, although). No matter the way you determine to run it, although, the setup course of is identical: Choose a Wi-Fi community, conform to Google’s phrases of service, select if the Chromebook is for your self or a toddler, after which check in utilizing your Google account info. 

Ta-da, Chromebook! A minimum of, shut sufficient for many wants. Efficiency goes to depend upon what your laptop computer has in it. My set up was on an early 2015 MacBook Air and it is a lot quicker than it was with MacOS on it. The one draw back for my specific mannequin is the built-in webcam will not be supported however an exterior USB webcam labored simply nice. 

In case you’ve obtained a USB flash drive and an outdated laptop computer, it is actually well worth the minimal effort to check out and, once more, it is free.