Chromebooks are super handy laptops because they start up quickly and have a long battery life. But Chrome OS is of course fairly limited with its web-based approach. Yet it is quite possible to use a Chromebook as an alternative to a Windows laptop. You can now also run Android apps and Linux programs in Chrome OS. This gives you access to a wide range of software for all kinds of tasks on your Chromebook.
Chrome OS is intended as an operating system for those who mainly work in the (Google) cloud. Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, it is all seamlessly integrated into Chrome OS. But other cloud services that you are used to using under Windows also work perfectly on your Chromebook, such as Office 365, the browser version of Microsoft Office. If you already work with cloud services under Windows, a Chromebook can certainly replace your Windows laptop.
But you may also use a lot of software that does not run in the cloud under Windows, or you prefer traditional versions of Word, Excel, etc. instead of the cloud versions that Microsoft is pushing. Fortunately, all of that is possible, because Chrome OS can also run Android apps and Linux programs.
01 Android support on your Chromebook
First you need to know if Android is supported on your Chromebook. Google loves a list with compatible devices. There you can also see if the support is present in the stable channel of Chrome OS, in the beta channel or is only planned. If necessary, you need to upgrade Chrome OS: see the “Upgrade Chrome OS” box.
02 Enable Android apps
If you know that your Chromebook has support for it, simply enable the ability to run Android apps. Click on the clock in the bottom right of Chrome OS and then in the menu that appears on the gear icon (Settings).
Click in the settings window on the left on the Google Play Store category and in the frame Google Play Store that appears on Switch. If desired, check that your app data is backed up on Google Drive and apps with location permission have access to your location, and accept the terms of service with a click on Accept. Then Chrome OS installs Google Play, after which you will see the Play Store.
Upgrade Chrome OS
You may need to switch Chrome OS from the stable channel to the beta channel or the development channel to get support for Android apps or Linux programs on your Chromebook. To switch, open the settings, click on the three horizontal lines at the top left, click on the bottom of the sidebar that appears on About Chrome OS / Detailed build data. click on Change channel and choose Beta or Developer – unstable. Your Chromebook will immediately receive an update to the newer channel. That will take a while. You can always switch to a less experimental channel later, but beware: Google will then reinitialize the entire operating system and erase all your stored data!
03 Installing Android apps
From now on you have access to numerous Android apps, which you can easily install via the Play Store. Note: not all Android apps work under Chrome OS and some apps only work on specific Chromebook models. So if you can’t install an app, that’s the reason.
In Google Play you can also, just like in Android, use under My apps and games update your apps. Bee Library find all the apps you’ve ever installed on your Android devices. With a click to install next to it you install the app on your Chromebook. If there is no such button next to the app, it means that the app is not supported by your Chromebook.
04 Useful Android apps
Many Microsoft Android apps work under Chrome OS, making your Chromebook a productive laptop. Just think of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, Delve, Azure and Skype. You will need an Office 365 subscription for many tasks in those apps.
Many other programs that you are used to using in Windows also have an Android version that simply works on Chrome OS. Adobe Acrobat Reader, Evernote, Dropbox, TeamViewer, VLC, you can easily install them all in the Play Store on Chrome OS.
05 Syncing Android apps
Android apps that you have on your phone or tablet are not automatically synchronized with your Chromebook, but Google Play checks which of the apps you have running on other devices are supported and suggests installing them on your Chromebook. Check them and click to install if you want to.
By default, your Chromebook does synchronize the installed Android apps on other Chromebooks to which you are logged in with the same Google account. If that doesn’t happen, check the Chrome OS settings below Person / Synchronization after you Sync everything or at least Apps.
06 Set app permissions
If you are in the Android settings on the frame Google Play Store click and then Manage Android preferences, opens a window with minimal Android settings. Especially the category Apps is useful in Chrome OS. Click on an app and then on Permissions to view or set which permissions (camera, contacts, storage space, etc.) the app has.
And if you are under Apps click on the gear in the top right and then on App permissions, you get to see from each authorization type to which apps that have been granted. This way you can easily keep control of your Android apps in Chrome OS.
07 Linux support on your Chromebook
You may find some Android apps still a bit too limited: after all, they are made for a mobile operating system and not for a fully-fledged desktop operating system. Fortunately, you can also install Linux programs on a recent Chromebook. But first you need to know if Linux is supported on your Chromebook. For that you need to know the board name of your Chromebook. You can find it when you see the page in Chrome chrome: // system opens. Search the system data table for hardware_class. For example, if that value starts with SNAPPY, you know your Chromebook has the board snappy has. In the list with Chrome OS devices from Google you can find per board which board it uses.
If you know your board name, you can enter it in the list of supported look up Google board names. If the name is in between, then your Chromebook supports Linux.
08 Enable Linux programs
Once you have verified that you support Chromebook Linux, you simply enable the option to install Linux programs. Click on the category in the settings window Linux (beta) and then on Switch in the corresponding frame. Then confirm with to install. This can take a few minutes, because a 300 MB virtual machine is now being downloaded and a Linux container is started that runs in this virtual machine. After the installation you will see a command prompt in the program Terminal, which is the gateway to the Linux programs in Chrome OS.
09 GNOME Software
If you are familiar with Linux and we tell you that the Linux container in Chrome OS runs the Linux distribution Debian, you already know that you can install programs with the command sudo apt install program name. But for those who don’t work with Linux on a daily basis, it’s not that user-friendly. So we first install GNOME Software, a graphic program to install Linux packages. You do this with the following command that you type in the terminal:
sudo apt install gnome software gnome package kit policykit-1-gnome
Then also execute this command in the terminal:
echo “/ usr / lib / policykit-1-gnome / polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1 &” >> ~ / .bashrc
And with a final assignment you set a password for your user:
sudo passwd username
In addition, enter your Gmail username as the username (the part for @ gmail.com), which is also your username in the Linux container (and which you enter in the prompt username @ penguin: ~ $ in the terminal).
Install 10 Linux programs
After that, you no longer need to use the terminal, but you do have to keep the window open to give the update program sufficient rights. Start the program via the Chrome OS launcher Package update program. This will look for updates for your Linux container and click Install Updates. By the way, Chrome OS automatically installs the latest updates in your Linux container every day, so you may not see any updates here and in principle you don’t have to run this program, but to be sure it is best to do it once so that you can install software afterwards.
Then open the Software program. This allows you to install your favorite Linux software. Browse the categories or enter a search term in the search field at the top right. Choose a package and click Install. Then you launch the program from the Chrome OS launcher.
Exchange files
Android apps that have the authorization Storage area have access to the folder Play files of your personal folder (My files) in Chrome OS. To exchange files between Chrome OS and Android apps, you use that folder, which has subfolders for documents, films, music and images. Your download folder is also shared automatically. The file exchange between your Linux programs and Chrome OS is done in a similar way: via the folder Linux files, which is mounted in the Linux container as your personal folder, and the download folder that is in the Linux container as / mnt / chromeos / MyFiles / Downloads / is connected. You do file management in Chrome OS with the Files program.
11 Useful Linux programs
Thanks to the package manager of your Linux container you have access to a large number of Linux programs in just a few clicks. For image processing, try the GIMP program or for vector graphics the Inkscape tool. You also have access to the all-rounder VLC media player to play media. Or do you want a full-featured word processor instead of the online Google Docs? Then definitely try LibreOffice.
Keep in mind that programs such as GIMP and LibreOffice can put a heavy load on your processor, while Chromebooks are generally not the most powerful machines. Moreover, a program like GIMP with its many windows really comes into its own on a large screen, which you usually don’t have on a Chromebook. And the first time you start a Linux program after starting your Chromebook, you have to wait a while because Chrome OS still has to start the entire Linux environment in the background.
But despite those disadvantages, it is handy that if you really need it, you will have access to thousands of Linux programs. Just keep in mind that USB support is still experimental. For the experimental options, visit the page in Chrome chrome: // flags and type crostini in the search field.
12 Chrome Remote Desktop
If you really need a Windows program on your Chromebook, you can also use it remotely on a Windows machine via Chrome Remote Desktop. This exists in the form of a web app in the Chrome Web Store or an Android app. You can therefore choose between both versions on your Chromebook. We installed the Android app.
On your Windows computer you need to use Chrome this page to visit. Then click below Set up external access on the download button, add the Chrome Remote Desktop web app to Chrome and install the downloaded Chrome Remote Desktop Host program. Then choose a name for your computer in Chrome, a pin code of at least six digits and click Start.
You will then see your Windows computer on your Chromebook in the Chrome Remote Desktop app. Click on the name, enter the pin code and then click Make a connection. You then have access to your Windows desktop and you can run all of your Windows programs there. The disadvantage is of course that your Windows computer must remain switched on in the meantime.
13 Ask your Google Assistant questions
From Chrome OS 77, the Google Assistant is also present in Chrome OS. Normally Google Assistant is enabled by default, but does not listen to “Okay Google” yet. Check that in the Chrome OS settings below Google Search and Google Assistant. Bee Google Assistant see you normally Enabled stand.
Click on it and switch Okay Google in, so that you can easily open the Assistant with this now familiar voice command. For example, you can request information from your agenda or traffic, but you can also open websites and have calculations calculated. The Assistant also opens websites in new tabs upon request.
14 Virtual desktops
Another recent addition, in Chrome OS 76, are the virtual desktops. These are a major improvement in Chrome OS if you want to use your Chromebook more like a classic laptop, where you want to be able to switch quickly between various programs.
If you have many programs open, you will soon end up with a messy desktop. By clicking on the button with the square and the two vertical stripes, you will see the overview screen with all your open windows. If you are now top right New desk Chrome OS creates a second desktop.
At the top in the middle you now see that you have two desks: Office 1 and Office 2. If you click on the second one, you will see a blank desktop. All windows that you open now will come up. If you click on the icon of an already open program in the panel below, you switch to the desktop where this program is open. In the overview screen you can also drag windows to another desktop. If you seriously want to get started with your Chromebook as a Windows replacement, virtual desktops come in handy.
