How to Install Linux on a Chromebook

Verify that all your local data has been saved to Google Drive or to another form of storage, such as a USB flash drive., Press and hold down the “Esc” and “Refresh” keys, then press the “Power” button., Press “Ctrl + D” when the yellow exclamation...

18 Steps 2 min read Advanced

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Verify that all your local data has been saved to Google Drive or to another form of storage

    Installing Linux on your Chromebook will erase and wipe all local data.
  2. Step 2: such as a USB flash drive.

    Your Chromebook will reboot and enter into Recovery Mode. , A dialog box will display on-screen and ask you to confirm that you want to enter Developer Mode. , Your Chromebook will spend about 15 minutes wiping all local data and entering Developer Mode. , The screen will display a warning as it reboots that informs you that Chrome OS is missing or damaged, but this is normal when entering Developer Mode. , Crouton is the name of the tool you’ll need to install Linux on your Chromebook.

    Alternately, you can visit Crouton’s official site at https://github.com/dnschneid/crouton and click on the link to the right of “Chromium OS Universal Chroot Environment.” , This command will bring up the terminal on your Chromebook. ,, WARNING! You may want to enter "-r trusty" for acer chromebooks.” This command will install the Crouton application.

    Type “sudo sh
    -e ~/Downloads/crouton
    -t touch,xfce” if you are installing Linux on a Chromebook Pixel. , The installation process may take up to several minutes, and will prompt you to enter a Linux username and password when complete. ,, You will be required to type this command into the terminal any time you wish to use Linux when booting into Chrome OS.
  3. Step 3: Press and hold down the “Esc” and “Refresh” keys

  4. Step 4: then press the “Power” button.

  5. Step 5: Press “Ctrl + D” when the yellow exclamation point displays on-screen.

  6. Step 6: Press “Enter” to confirm that you want to go into Developer Mode.

  7. Step 7: Wait for your Chromebook to fully reboot into Chrome OS.

  8. Step 8: Download Crouton from goo.gl/fd3zc and verify that the file saves to your Downloads folder.

  9. Step 9: Press the “Ctrl + Alt + T” keys.

  10. Step 10: Type “shell” into the terminal and press “Enter.”

  11. Step 11: Type “sudo sh -e ~/Downloads/crouton -t xfce (Or any other Linux distro

  12. Step 12: such as KDE

  13. Step 13: with more Eye-candy

  14. Step 14: or xiwi for a Linux desktop inside your chrome browser)” into the terminal

  15. Step 15: then press “Enter.

  16. Step 16: Wait for Crouton to fully install on your Chromebook.

  17. Step 17: Enter a username and password for your Linux OS.

  18. Step 18: Type “sudo startxfce4” into the terminal to launch Linux on your desktop.

Detailed Guide

Installing Linux on your Chromebook will erase and wipe all local data.

Your Chromebook will reboot and enter into Recovery Mode. , A dialog box will display on-screen and ask you to confirm that you want to enter Developer Mode. , Your Chromebook will spend about 15 minutes wiping all local data and entering Developer Mode. , The screen will display a warning as it reboots that informs you that Chrome OS is missing or damaged, but this is normal when entering Developer Mode. , Crouton is the name of the tool you’ll need to install Linux on your Chromebook.

Alternately, you can visit Crouton’s official site at https://github.com/dnschneid/crouton and click on the link to the right of “Chromium OS Universal Chroot Environment.” , This command will bring up the terminal on your Chromebook. ,, WARNING! You may want to enter "-r trusty" for acer chromebooks.” This command will install the Crouton application.

Type “sudo sh
-e ~/Downloads/crouton
-t touch,xfce” if you are installing Linux on a Chromebook Pixel. , The installation process may take up to several minutes, and will prompt you to enter a Linux username and password when complete. ,, You will be required to type this command into the terminal any time you wish to use Linux when booting into Chrome OS.

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Brittany Ruiz

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