ChromeOS Flex is an

operating system An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware and software resources, and provides common daemon (computing), services for computer programs. Time-sharing operating systems scheduler (computing), schedule tasks for ...

maintained by

Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...

that is based on

ChromeOS ChromeOS, sometimes styled as chromeOS and formerly styled as Chrome OS, is an operating system designed and developed by Google. It is derived from the open-source operating system and uses the Google Chrome web browser as its principal user ...

. It is similar to ChromeOS, and is available on devices that aren't

Chromebooks Chromebook (sometimes stylized in lowercase as chromebook) is a line of laptops, desktops, tablets and all-in-one computers that run ChromeOS, a proprietary operating system developed by Google. Chromebooks are optimised for web access. They al ...

. For instance, it can be installed on

Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

computers.

History

In December 2020, Google purchased

Neverware Neverware Inc was a New York City, New York–based technology company and a subsidiary of Google. It was the developer of CloudReady, a Software distribution, distribution of Google's ChromiumOS designed to be installed on existing computers (as ...

, developer of Cloudready, a version of

ChromiumOS ChromiumOS (formerly styled as Chromium OS) is a free and open-source Linux distribution designed for running web applications and browsing the World Wide Web. It is the open-source version of ChromeOS, a Linux distribution made by Google. Chr ...

designed to run on

and

MacOS macOS, previously OS X and originally Mac OS X, is a Unix, Unix-based operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 2001. It is the current operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. With ...

hardware. On February 15, 2022, Google announced "early access" to the ChromeOS Flex operating system. Google claims that the operating system is intended for older computers that may not properly run their current OS, and that the solution will eliminate the need for users to buy new hardware. In July 2022, Google officially launched the operating system. The blog post by them explains how

Nordic Choice Hotels Strawberry (formerly known as ''Nordic Choice Hotels'') is one of the largest hotel companies in Scandinavia with 240 hotels in Scandinavia, Finland and the Baltics and over 16,500 employees. It is a franchisee of Choice Hotels International. Th ...

chose to switch to ChromeOS Flex after a

ransomware Ransomware is a type of malware that Encryption, encrypts the victim's personal data until a ransom is paid. Difficult-to-trace Digital currency, digital currencies such as paysafecard or Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency, cryptocurrencies are com ...

attack.

Installation

Google offers a list of supported devices on their support site. Unsupported devices may not guarantee stability. The user will need a

USB flash drive A flash drive (also thumb drive, memory stick, and pen drive/pendrive) is a data storage device that includes flash memory with an integrated USB interface. A typical USB drive is removable, rewritable, and smaller than an optical disc, and u ...

, a computer to create the installation media, and the computer to install the operating system on.

System requirements

Although Google offers a list of supported devices, they offer a general system requirements list. The minimum system requirements for ChromeOS Flex are: *Intel or AMD x86 with 64 bit device, *4 GB of

RAM Ram, ram, or RAM most commonly refers to: * A male sheep * Random-access memory, computer memory * Ram Trucks, US, since 2009 ** List of vehicles named Dodge Ram, trucks and vans ** Ram Pickup, produced by Ram Trucks Ram, ram, or RAM may also ref ...

(memory), *16 GB of internal storage, *The system must be bootable from a

, *Access to the system

BIOS In computing, BIOS (, ; Basic Input/Output System, also known as the System BIOS, ROM BIOS, BIOS ROM or PC BIOS) is a type of firmware used to provide runtime services for operating systems and programs and to perform hardware initialization d ...

Process

The user can use either the Chromebook Recovery Utility extension available from the

Chrome Web Store Web Store is Google's online store for its Chrome web browser. As of 2024, Chrome Web Store hosts about 138,000 extensions and 33,000 themes. History Chrome Web Store was publicly unveiled in December 2010, and was opened on February 11, 20 ...

, or download the installer image directly. After preparing the installation media, the user will then need to

boot A boot is a type of footwear. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle, while some also cover some part of the lower calf. Some boots extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearl ...

the machine from the USB flash drive. After booting into the installer, the user can try out the operating system before installation, and/or install it onto the machine directly. The user would follow the on-screen instructions of the installer, noting that all data on the device will be erased during the installation. After installation, the user can set up device management on the devices.

Usage and functionality

ChromeOS Flex shares much of the same features as

. However, there are some differences between the two. For example, there are some security differences, especially with hardware, lack of

Google Play Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store, Play Store, or sometimes the Android Store (and was formerly Android Market), is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certifie ...

and Android app support, and differences in guarantees of performance and stability.

References

External links

* {{Google LLC Google Chrome Google operating systems