Of late, software giants are incorporating Linux into their main operating system in one way or the other. Microsoft recently released WSLg on Windows 10 with GUI app support whereas Google introduced Linux on Chromebooks in 2018 and nicknamed it Project Crostini. In the last three years of development, Chrome OS has received support for GPU acceleration and microphone in Linux on Chromebook, USB devices, and sound. From general users, IT administrators to software developers & students wanting to learn to code, the addition of Linux on Chromebook has proven to be a boon. And in the next Chrome OS release, Linux is also going out of beta. So on that note, let’s go ahead and learn how to run Linux on a Chromebook in 2022.

To make it clear, all Chromebooks launched in 2019 and going forward will have support for Linux. And yes, it includes school-issued Chromebooks too. That said, school administrators can still disable Linux support from their end. If such is the case with your Chromebook then contact your school administrator to remove the restriction. Other than that, you don’t need to move your Chromebook to Developer mode or any other channel. Linux support is already present on the stable channel. Also, you can install Linux on ARM-based Chromebooks too so no worries on this front.

  • Set Up Linux on a Chromebook
  • How to Install Linux apps on a Chromebook
  • Share Files Between Chrome OS and Linux

Set Up Linux on a Chromebook

  1. First off, open the Settings page by clicking on the cogwheel icon in the Quick Settings panel.

  2. Next, click on “Advanced” in the left pane and expand the menu. After that, click on “Developers”. If you have a school-issued Chromebook and the “Developers” menu is not available then contact your school administrator.

How to Install Linux apps on a Chromebook

  1. Before using Linux apps on a Chromebook, you should first update the Linux build to the latest version. As a good Linux practice, you should execute the below command in the Terminal as it will update all packages and dependencies. Just copy and paste the command in the Terminal window.

  2. Now that you have successfully run Linux on your Chromebook, you must know that Chrome OS and Linux have different file systems. So to access the local folders and files on Linux apps, you will have to move the files from Downloads to the “Linux files” section.

  3. You can also set up Wine to run Windows 10 apps on your Chromebook. Apart from that, you can set up ADB on Chromebook and sideload Android apps on Chrome OS.