How to Install Linux on a Chromebook

Last Updated: June 28, 2021

Installing Linux on your Chromebook will allow you to access and use Linux-based programs that aren’t readily available on Chrome OS. On your Chromebook, you can install a Ubuntu distribution of Linux using a tool called crouton, which will allow you to run Linux on top of Chrome and switch back and forth between the two operating systems at any time.

Steps

1
Verify that all your local data has been saved to Google Drive or to another form of storage, such as a USB flash drive. Installing Linux on your Chromebook will erase and wipe all local data.
2
Press and hold down the Esc+Refresh keys, then press the Power button. Your Chromebook will reboot and enter into Recovery Mode.

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3
Press Ctrl+D when the yellow exclamation point displays on-screen. A dialog box will display on-screen and ask you to confirm that you want to enter Developer Mode.
4
Press ↵ Enter to confirm that you want to go into Developer Mode. Your Chromebook will spend about 15 minutes wiping all local data and entering Developer Mode.
- Wait for your Chromebook to fully reboot into Chrome OS. 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.
5
Download crouton from GitHub and verify that the file saves to your Downloads folder. crouton is the name of the tool you’ll need to install Linux on your Chromebook.
- Alternately, you can visit crouton’s site directly at https://github.com/dnschneid/crouton and click on the link to the right of “Chromium OS Universal Chroot Environment.”
6
Press Ctrl+Alt+T. This keyboard shortcut will bring up a crosh terminal in the Chrome web browser on your Chromebook.
7
Type “shell” into the terminal and press ↵ Enter. Usually, the terminal doesn't support Linux commands on OS, like "cd" or "ls," but you can run shell scripts with the shell command.^{[1]
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8
Type “sudo sh ~/Downloads/crouton -t xfce” into the terminal, then press ↵ Enter. This command will install the crouton application from the downloads folder.
- Type “sudo sh ~/Downloads/crouton -t touch,xfce” if you are installing Linux on a Chromebook Pixel or a Chromebook with a touchscreen.
- If you want to use encryption with crouton (a variation that's a little more demanding for your Chromebook), use the parameter "e," so your code would look like "sudo sh -e ~/Downloads/crouton -t xfce".
- There are other versions available as well, including -t unity and -t gnome, which may take up more or less space on your Chromebook; research which you prefer, but "xfce" is suggested for a lightweight installation.^{[2]
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9
Wait for Crouton to fully install on your Chromebook. The installation process may take up to 15 minutes and will prompt you to enter a Linux username and password when complete.
- Enter a new username and password for the Linux system and press Enter.
10
Type “sudo startxfce4” into the terminal to launch Linux on your desktop. You will be required to type this command into the terminal any time you wish to use Linux when booting into Chrome OS.^{[3]
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- Ubuntu Linux will run alongside Chrome OS, so you can switch between each OS at any time. To switch back and forth between Ubuntu and Chrome, press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Back and Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Forward.

Community Q&A

Question

Can I download stuff on Linux if I use a USB?

Community Answer

Yes, but depending on the kind of USB you are using it might delete the files after use. You should be able to save the information on the USB, so it should remain on there.