How to Install and Use Linux on Chromebook in 2025
After Microsoft introduced the Linux Subsystem to Windows 10, Google also introduced Linux on Chromebooks with Terminal and Container support. So, now you can install and use Linux on your Chromebook. But be warned, you may encounter minor bugs as Linux on Chromebook is still in the beta phase.
The addition of Linux on Chromebook is definitely going to benefit programmers, software developers, and IT Administrators. With Linux support, you can test Linux programs and games on your Chromebook. You just need to enable Linux support from Settings and you are done. So, in this tutorial, we are going to show you how to enable and use Linux on your Chromebook.
SEE ALSO: How to Sideload Android Apps on Chromebook without Developer Mode?
Install and Use Linux on Your Chromebook
Before we start, let’s make it clear that Linux support is not available on all Chromebooks. And if you want to know if your Chromebook supports Linux, you can go here. Roughly, if your Chromebook was launched after year 2019, it will probably have Linux support. Besides that, you also need to update your Chrome OS to the latest version to install and use Linux on your Chromebook. Let’s check the steps in detail.
Step 1: Open Settings on your Chromebook
First of all, open the Quick Settings Menu on your Chromebook. Here, click on the Settings icon on the top to open Settings on your Chromebook.
Step 2: Enable and Install Linux on Your Chromebook
In Settings select Linux (Beta) from the left pane. Now, on the right side, click on the Turn on button to enable Linux support on your Chromebook.
Linux setup will start. Click on the Install button to start the installation of Linux on your Chromebook. Setup will now download and install the required files on your Chromebook.
SEE ALSO: How to install Chrome OS on your PC?
Step 3: Use Linux on Chromebook
After the Linux installation is completed on your Chromebook, start the Linux Terminal. You can open it from the launcher. We suggest that you update the Linux apt package list by using the following command:
sudo apt-get update
You can also run the following command to update all installed Linux apps to the latest version.
sudo apt-get upgrade
SEE ALSO:
1. A to Z list of Windows CMD Commands?
2. Top 10 Cool Command Prompt Tricks?
Step 4: Install the Linux App on your Chromebook
Let’s test Linux apps on your Chromebook. We will install open source photo editor GIMP as our first Linux app. Use the following command to install GIMP on Linux in your Chromebook.
sudo apt-get install gimp
Installation may take some time depending upon your internet speed.
After installation is complete, you can open it from the terminal itself by typing the gimp command. Alternatively, you can launch it from the Chromebook’s app drawer.
SEE ALSO: How to Install and Use Skype on Chromebook?
Step 5: Install Gnome Software Center on Chromebook
Besides normal Linux apps, you can also install Gnome Software Center in Linux on your Chromebook. Type the following command in the Linux terminal and hit the Enter button.
sudo apt-get install gnome-software gnome-packagekit
After successful installation, you can see Gnome Software Center in the app drawer with the name “Software“.
Step 6: Transfer Files Between Linux and Chrome OS
Chrome OS and Linux both use different types of file systems. So, you can not access Linux files on your Chromebook directly and vice versa. You will have to manually copy files from Chrome OS to Linux via File Manager.
Besides, directly copying your files to Linux, you can also just share them like file sharing in Windows. Right-click on the folder you want to share with Linux and select Share with Linux. Now, go to Linux and you can access the shared folder at the following path:
mnt/chromeos/myfiles/downloads
SEE ALSO: Fix “Chrome OS is Missing or Damaged” Error in Chromebook.
Enable and Use Linux on Your Chromebook
The above tutorial explained how you can enable, install, and use Linux on your Chromebook. Besides that, we have also explained how you can install Linux apps along with the Linux Software Store in Chromebook. Plus you can access your Chrome OS files on Linux as well by copying them or by mounting them as a shared folder. You may also consider enabling microphone and GPU acceleration for Linux.
Hope you liked this tutorial. Feel free to share your queries and suggestions in the comment section below. You may also want to subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest tutorials directly into your inbox.
