{"id":309422,"date":"2025-05-17T01:12:30","date_gmt":"2025-05-17T01:12:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gameslearningsociety.org\/wiki\/?p=309422"},"modified":"2025-05-17T01:12:30","modified_gmt":"2025-05-17T01:12:30","slug":"how-do-i-get-linux-on-my-chromebook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gameslearningsociety.org\/wiki\/how-do-i-get-linux-on-my-chromebook\/","title":{"rendered":"How do I get Linux on my Chromebook?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_67_1 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gameslearningsociety.org\/wiki\/how-do-i-get-linux-on-my-chromebook\/#Getting_Linux_on_Your_Chromebook\" title=\"Getting Linux on Your Chromebook\">Getting Linux on Your Chromebook<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gameslearningsociety.org\/wiki\/how-do-i-get-linux-on-my-chromebook\/#Frequently_Asked_Questions\" title=\"Frequently Asked Questions\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gameslearningsociety.org\/wiki\/how-do-i-get-linux-on-my-chromebook\/#1_Where_Can_I_Download_Linux_on_My_Chromebook\" title=\"1. Where Can I Download Linux on My Chromebook?\">1. Where Can I Download Linux on My Chromebook?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gameslearningsociety.org\/wiki\/how-do-i-get-linux-on-my-chromebook\/#2_Why_Cant_I_Install_Linux_on_My_Chromebook\" title=\"2. Why Can&#8217;t I Install Linux on My Chromebook?\">2. Why Can&#8217;t I Install Linux on My Chromebook?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gameslearningsociety.org\/wiki\/how-do-i-get-linux-on-my-chromebook\/#3_Is_Linux_Still_Available_on_Chromebook\" title=\"3. Is Linux Still Available on Chromebook?\">3. Is Linux Still Available on Chromebook?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gameslearningsociety.org\/wiki\/how-do-i-get-linux-on-my-chromebook\/#4_How_Do_I_Know_if_My_Chromebook_Supports_Linux\" title=\"4. How Do I Know if My Chromebook Supports Linux?\">4. How Do I Know if My Chromebook Supports Linux?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gameslearningsociety.org\/wiki\/how-do-i-get-linux-on-my-chromebook\/#5_How_Do_I_Set_Up_Linux_on_Chromebook\" title=\"5. How Do I Set Up Linux on Chromebook?\">5. How Do I Set Up Linux on Chromebook?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gameslearningsociety.org\/wiki\/how-do-i-get-linux-on-my-chromebook\/#6_How_Do_I_Change_ChromeOS_to_Linux\" title=\"6. How Do I Change ChromeOS to Linux?\">6. How Do I Change ChromeOS to Linux?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gameslearningsociety.org\/wiki\/how-do-i-get-linux-on-my-chromebook\/#7_Can_I_Wipe_a_Chromebook_and_Install_Linux\" title=\"7. Can I Wipe a Chromebook and Install Linux?\">7. Can I Wipe a Chromebook and Install Linux?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gameslearningsociety.org\/wiki\/how-do-i-get-linux-on-my-chromebook\/#8_How_Do_I_Download_Linux\" title=\"8. How Do I Download Linux?\">8. How Do I Download Linux?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gameslearningsociety.org\/wiki\/how-do-i-get-linux-on-my-chromebook\/#9_Is_Linux_a_Free_Operating_System\" title=\"9. Is Linux a Free Operating System?\">9. Is Linux a Free Operating System?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gameslearningsociety.org\/wiki\/how-do-i-get-linux-on-my-chromebook\/#10_Can_You_Install_Linux_on_All_Chromebooks\" title=\"10. Can You Install Linux on All Chromebooks?\">10. Can You Install Linux on All Chromebooks?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gameslearningsociety.org\/wiki\/how-do-i-get-linux-on-my-chromebook\/#11_How_Do_I_Run_Windows_on_My_Chromebook\" title=\"11. How Do I Run Windows on My Chromebook?\">11. How Do I Run Windows on My Chromebook?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gameslearningsociety.org\/wiki\/how-do-i-get-linux-on-my-chromebook\/#12_What_is_Linux_Used_For\" title=\"12. What is Linux Used For?\">12. What is Linux Used For?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gameslearningsociety.org\/wiki\/how-do-i-get-linux-on-my-chromebook\/#13_Can_I_Install_Ubuntu_on_a_Chromebook\" title=\"13. Can I Install Ubuntu on a Chromebook?\">13. Can I Install Ubuntu on a Chromebook?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gameslearningsociety.org\/wiki\/how-do-i-get-linux-on-my-chromebook\/#14_Can_I_Install_Linux_Mint_on_a_Chromebook\" title=\"14. Can I Install Linux Mint on a Chromebook?\">14. Can I Install Linux Mint on a Chromebook?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-17\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gameslearningsociety.org\/wiki\/how-do-i-get-linux-on-my-chromebook\/#15_How_Much_Does_Linux_Cost\" title=\"15. How Much Does Linux Cost?\">15. How Much Does Linux Cost?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Getting_Linux_on_Your_Chromebook\"><\/span>Getting Linux on Your Chromebook<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>To get <strong>Linux<\/strong> on your <strong>Chromebook<\/strong>, you can enable it directly from the <strong>Chrome OS<\/strong> settings by going to the <strong>Advanced<\/strong> menu, selecting <strong>Developers<\/strong>, and then turning on the <strong>Linux development environment<\/strong>, which will automatically download and set up a <strong>Debian 11 (Bullseye)<\/strong> environment. This process can take around 10 minutes or more, after which a <strong>terminal window<\/strong> will open, allowing you to interact with your new <strong>Linux<\/strong> environment. <\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Frequently_Asked_Questions\"><\/span>Frequently Asked Questions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Where_Can_I_Download_Linux_on_My_Chromebook\"><\/span>1. Where Can I Download Linux on My Chromebook?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Chrome OS<\/strong> will automatically download the necessary files and set up your <strong>Linux container<\/strong> when you enable <strong>Linux<\/strong> from the <strong>Chrome settings<\/strong>. You don&#8217;t need to download <strong>Linux<\/strong> separately.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Why_Cant_I_Install_Linux_on_My_Chromebook\"><\/span>2. Why Can&#8217;t I Install Linux on My Chromebook?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The ability to install <strong>Linux<\/strong> may be affected by <strong>Chrome OS<\/strong> updates. For example, the <strong>Chrome OS 91<\/strong> update introduced a bug that prevented users from setting up <strong>Linux<\/strong> on their <strong>Chromebooks<\/strong>, displaying a &#8220;Chrome OS update required&#8221; error even when the <strong>Chrome OS<\/strong> was up to date.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Is_Linux_Still_Available_on_Chromebook\"><\/span>3. Is Linux Still Available on Chromebook?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Linux on ChromeOS<\/strong>, also known as <strong>Crostini<\/strong>, allows you to run <strong>Linux apps<\/strong> for development alongside your usual <strong>ChromeOS desktop &#038; apps<\/strong>, offering developers the best of both worlds.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_How_Do_I_Know_if_My_Chromebook_Supports_Linux\"><\/span>4. How Do I Know if My Chromebook Supports Linux?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>To check if your <strong>Chromebook<\/strong> supports <strong>Linux apps<\/strong>, open the <strong>Settings<\/strong> app, select <strong>About Chrome OS<\/strong>, and check your <strong>Chrome OS version<\/strong>. <strong>Linux<\/strong> is available on every <strong>Chromebook<\/strong> produced after 2019 and running <strong>Chrome OS 89<\/strong> or later.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_How_Do_I_Set_Up_Linux_on_Chromebook\"><\/span>5. How Do I Set Up Linux on Chromebook?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>To set up <strong>Linux<\/strong>, turn it on from the <strong>Chrome OS<\/strong> settings under <strong>Advanced<\/strong> &gt; <strong>Developers<\/strong>, and follow the on-screen instructions. This will set up a <strong>Debian 11 (Bullseye)<\/strong> environment.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6_How_Do_I_Change_ChromeOS_to_Linux\"><\/span>6. How Do I Change ChromeOS to Linux?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>You can switch between <strong>ChromeOS<\/strong> and <strong>Linux<\/strong> by pressing <strong>Ctrl-Alt-Shift-Back<\/strong> and <strong>Ctrl-Alt-Shift-Forward<\/strong>. To get back to <strong>Linux<\/strong> after logging out, type <strong>sudo startunity<\/strong> in the <strong>bash shell<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"7_Can_I_Wipe_a_Chromebook_and_Install_Linux\"><\/span>7. Can I Wipe a Chromebook and Install Linux?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes, you can wipe a <strong>Chromebook<\/strong> and install <strong>Linux<\/strong>, but this will erase all local data. You can do this by pressing and holding <strong>Esc + Refresh<\/strong> keys, then pressing the <strong>Power<\/strong> button to enter <strong>Recovery Mode<\/strong>, and following the prompts.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"8_How_Do_I_Download_Linux\"><\/span>8. How Do I Download Linux?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>To download <strong>Linux<\/strong>, you can create a <strong>bootable USB drive<\/strong> with an <strong>ISO image<\/strong> of your chosen <strong>Linux distribution<\/strong>, then boot from the <strong>USB drive<\/strong> and follow the installation process.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"9_Is_Linux_a_Free_Operating_System\"><\/span>9. Is Linux a Free Operating System?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Linux<\/strong> is a <strong>free, open-source<\/strong> operating system, released under the <strong>GNU General Public License (GPL)<\/strong>, allowing anyone to run, study, modify, and redistribute the source code.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"10_Can_You_Install_Linux_on_All_Chromebooks\"><\/span>10. Can You Install Linux on All Chromebooks?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Linux<\/strong> is available on every <strong>Chromebook<\/strong> produced after 2019 and running <strong>Chrome OS 89<\/strong> or later. Updating to the latest version of <strong>Chrome OS<\/strong>, such as <strong>Chrome OS 103<\/strong>, offers the most support for <strong>Linux<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"11_How_Do_I_Run_Windows_on_My_Chromebook\"><\/span>11. How Do I Run Windows on My Chromebook?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>To install <strong>Windows<\/strong> on your <strong>Chromebook<\/strong>, you&#8217;ll need a <strong>Windows installation media<\/strong> (like a <strong>USB flash drive<\/strong>), then follow the on-screen instructions to install <strong>Windows<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"12_What_is_Linux_Used_For\"><\/span>12. What is Linux Used For?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Linux<\/strong> is used as a <strong>server OS<\/strong> for web servers, database servers, and more, and as a <strong>desktop OS<\/strong> for personal productivity computing, due to its versatility and ability to support high-volume and multithreading applications.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"13_Can_I_Install_Ubuntu_on_a_Chromebook\"><\/span>13. Can I Install Ubuntu on a Chromebook?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes, you can install <strong>Ubuntu<\/strong> on a <strong>Chromebook<\/strong> using a third-party script called <strong>crouton<\/strong>, which installs <strong>Ubuntu<\/strong> in a <strong>chroot<\/strong> environment, preserving your original <strong>ChromeOS<\/strong> system.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"14_Can_I_Install_Linux_Mint_on_a_Chromebook\"><\/span>14. Can I Install Linux Mint on a Chromebook?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes, <strong>Linux Mint<\/strong> can be installed on a <strong>Chromebook<\/strong> by enabling <strong>developer mode<\/strong>, creating a <strong>bootable USB drive<\/strong> with <strong>Linux Mint<\/strong>, and then booting from the <strong>USB drive<\/strong> to install.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"15_How_Much_Does_Linux_Cost\"><\/span>15. How Much Does Linux Cost?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Linux<\/strong> is completely <strong>free<\/strong> and <strong>open-source<\/strong>, meaning there are no costs associated with downloading, installing, or using <strong>Linux<\/strong> on your computer or <strong>Chromebook<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Getting Linux on Your Chromebook To get Linux on your Chromebook, you can enable it directly from the Chrome OS settings by going to the Advanced menu, selecting Developers, and then turning on the Linux development environment, which will automatically download and set up a Debian 11 (Bullseye) environment. This process can take around 10 &#8230; <a title=\"How do I get Linux on my Chromebook?\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gameslearningsociety.org\/wiki\/how-do-i-get-linux-on-my-chromebook\/\" aria-label=\"More on How do I get Linux on my Chromebook?\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-309422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gameslearningsociety.org\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309422","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gameslearningsociety.org\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gameslearningsociety.org\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gameslearningsociety.org\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gameslearningsociety.org\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=309422"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.gameslearningsociety.org\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309422\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gameslearningsociety.org\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=309422"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gameslearningsociety.org\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=309422"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gameslearningsociety.org\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=309422"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}