Earlier last year, Google had released Debian Buster for Chromebooks, which brought many improvements to Linux. That includes stability, better GUI support, graphics acceleration, and more. Now, with the new Debian release called Bullseye (also called Debian 11), Google has started incorporating new changes to the Linux container. You can now update your Chromebook to Debian Bullseye and check out the improvements brought to the Linux container. And no, you don’t need to move to the highly buggy Canary channel. So without further ado, let’s find out how to install Debian Bullseye on a Chromebook.
Before we jump in, do note that school-issued Chromebooks won’t be able to take advantage of the new Debian Bullseye build unless your school administrator lifts the restriction. As for other users, you can update your Chromebook to Debian Bullseye in a few easy steps.
- Why Should You Install Debian Bullseye on Your Chromebook?
- Move to the Dev Channel (Chrome OS 94 or above)
- Update Linux on Chromebook to Debian Bullseye
Why Should You Install Debian Bullseye on Your Chromebook?
So far, Google has not announced the changelog as to what improvements Bullseye is bringing to Chromebooks. However, if we go by the official Debian release notes, it seems you will get support for exFAT filesystem, driverless printer, and scanning support in Linux apps, among other things. Apart from that, if you use Steam on your Chromebook, Debian Bullseye will bring improvements to the gameplay and compatibility with many desktop-grade games.
First off, open the Settings page from the Quick Menu panel on the bottom-right corner.
Now, go to the “About Chrome OS” page again and check for updates. This time, it will download the Chrome OS build from the Dev channel. Once installed, restart your Chromebook, and you will move to the Dev channel (Chrome OS 94 or above).
Once you are on the Dev channel, open chrome://flags in the Chrome browser and search for “Debian version for new Crostini containers“. You can also directly open chrome://flags#crostini-container-install by copy-pasting it in the address bar.
Note: If Linux is not installing on your Chromebook, head to the linked article for a quick fix. In case you are still facing problems, you should change the “Crostini Use DLC” flag to default.
