How to Install Linux on Chromebook?

Posted on the 26 October 2020 by Thiruvenkatam Chinnagounder @tipsclear

Chromebooks were primarily created to be used as secondary laptops for entertainment and student use, but with the addition of Linux terminal support, they now have better use cases. In this article, let's see how to install Linux on Chromebook to get the most out of ChromeOS.

For starters, Google's ChromeOS is based on the Linux kernel; therefore, it doesn't take much effort to activate terminal on ChromeOS. Even though Linux for Chromebooks is still in beta, a few hours we spent using it, it went smoothly. In addition, we will also show you another way to install Linux, that is, using Crouton.

Install Linux on Chromebook

In this method, we install Linux by enabling the Linux (beta) option in the settings. You will need at least 450MB of free space to complete the installation.

  1. Go to the settings panel

    You can do this by going to the notification panel in the lower right corner or from the apps list.

  2. Look for the Linux option (beta)

    Scroll down in settings to find the option and click on it.

  3. Click on "Activate"

    Give it time to download the resources; at the end of the installation you will have a linux terminal using which you can install linux applications! Currently, Linux applications run in containers and may be too slow for your liking.

The ChromeOS Dual Boot Mantra!

For those of you wondering if it's possible to install Linux alongside ChromeOS, yes it is! Thanks to Crouton. But the only caveat is that you can only install Ubuntu but not other Linux distributions.

  1. Activate developer mode

    All you have to do is hold the Esc + Refresh and press the power button. Your Chromebook will start in Recovery mode.

  2. You will see an error message when it starts in recovery mode

    There is absolutely no need to panic at this point. Go ahead and press Ctrl + D to activate developer mode.

  3. Disable operating system check

    Chromebooks, by default, can't run operating systems not approved by Google. hurry Enter to turn off the operating system check.

  4. Start in developer mode

    If you see a laptop logo with an exclamation mark, tap Ctrl-D to finally start in developer mode.
    You will see a message that says "Preparing the system for developer mode". Your Chromebook may take up to 20 minutes to boot into developer mode.

  5. You have successfully activated developer mode

    Once your Chromebook boots into ChromeOS, reconfigure it with your Google Account.

Also read: Windows 10 apps are coming to Chromebooks this year, but ..

Install linux

1. Access the Crouton repository by clicking on here to download it.

2. Open the Crosh (Chrome Shell). This can be done by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T.

3. The terminal opens in a Chrome tab. Then type the following command.

4. Then paste the following command and press Enter

sudo sh ~/Downloads/crouton -t kde

The above command will run the installer and Ubuntu will be installed. You can replace "KDE" with Xfce, Unity and KDE touch, Xfce touch and Unity touch for touchscreen Chromebooks.

All you have to do is wait, and at the end you will be asked to provide a username and password.

To start Ubuntu, enter the following command

sudo startkde

To switch between ChromeOS and Ubuntu, press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Previous / Next.

If you don't like it, you can easily remove it by following these instructions

  1. Open the terminal using the key combination Ctrl + Alt + T
  2. Type shell and press enter
  3. Type cd / usr / local / chroots and press enter
  4. Then enter the command sudo delete-chroot
  5. Finally, proceed by deleting the directory by entering the command sudo rm -rf / usr / local / bin

And that's about it with the withdrawal part.

Phew! It's been a long journey, isn't it? Let us know in the comments section below if you have any issues and we'll guide you right away.

The post How to install Linux on Chromebook? first appeared on Fossbytes.