How To Download & Install Chrome OS

Jessie Richardson June 27, 2019

The Chrome operating system (OS) was reserved only for Chromebook users, but now it’s available for
other devices too. It’s a great alternative to Windows or Linux, and you can run it without an installation.
All you need is to download Chrome OS to a USB drive and use Etcher to make it bootable. In this
article, you will learn how to get Chrome OS working on any computer.

Is This a Good Idea?

Chrome OS is made for Chromebooks that are designed to be lightweight and simple. Google does all
of the updates. It’s one of the simplest operating systems you can get. Chromium OS is an unofficial
open-source version of Chrome OS, and it can work with all devices including Mac, Linux, and
Windows. Some hardware won’t work perfectly, but most PCs can run Chromium without any issues.

The company behind Chromium is called Neverware. They used the open-source code to create
Neverware CloudReady, which is the same thing as Chromium OS, but with some extra features and
mainstream hardware support. Their OS is now used in schools and businesses all over the world.

The unofficial open-source version of Chrome OS is much more stable and offers better support than
the original OS. It’s ideal for Windows XP and Linux users because it provides more protection and it’s
easier to update. It’s an operating system that doesn’t take too much space, and it works great for
basic operations and surfing the internet.
Installing Chromium OS on Your Device
Before you can get to the installation, you have to download the latest version of Chromium for your
device. You will also need a program called Etcher, a USB with at least 4GB capacity, and your PC.
Here are the links to software you should download to make things work:

Download: 7-Zip for Windows/ Keka for macOS / p7zip for Linux

Download: Etcher for Windows / macOS / Linux

Prepare your USB, but make sure it’s empty, so transfer all valuable data to your PC before you begin.
When you’ve got everything ready, here is what you have to do:
1. Download Chromium OS
Google doesn’t offer an official Chromium OS build you can download to your PC, so you’ll have to get
it from an alternative source. You can find many websites that offer Chromium for free, but we advise
you to get it from Arnold the Bat. You will see a long list of Chromium versions because it’s continuously
updated with new releases. Follow the on-site instructions and download the latest version.

2. Extract the Image

When the download is completed, you will have to extract the image using 7-Zip. Right click on the
downloaded file and extract the data to a new folder. The process takes a few minutes to complete.

3. Prepare Your USB Drive

Get the USB you want to use to boot Chromium and plug it into your PC. If you are using Windows, find
the USB in “My Computer,” right-click on it, and select “Quick format.” When the pop-up window
appears, choose FAT32 as your file system and click “Start.” Know that all of the data on your USB
drive will be wiped clean.
MacOS users can use the Disk Utility to format the USB as FAT32. If it says “MS-DOS DAT” instead of
FAT32, don’t worry because it’s the same format. Complete the process to prepare your USB.

4. Use Etcher to Install the Chromium Image

You have done most of the preparation by now. Your Chromium is downloaded and extracted and the
USB is formatted, so you are ready to continue. Download Etcher using the link provided above. Here
is what you have to do from there:

Run Etcher.
Click “Select Image,” find the Chromium OS image you have previously downloaded, and add it.
Click “Select Drive” and select the USB you prepared.
Hit “Flash” and Etcher will install a bootable version of Chromium to your USB device.
The creation process takes a few minutes to complete. When it’s done, wait for Etcher to verify that
everything works as expected. You are now ready to install Chromium on your PC.

5. Restart Your PC and Enable USB in the Boot Options

You have to run BIOS to set USB as your primary boot device. Every PC has different-looking BIOS,
but you should look for an option labelled “Boot Manage.” Set the USB as your primary boot device and
restart your PC once more. You can run BIOS by pressing F12 or F8.

Mac users also have to restart their computers and hold the Option key to enter the boot menu. Select
the USB drive instead of Macintosh to boot Chromium form your USB drive. Restart your Mac when
done.

6. Boot into Chrome OS Without an Installation

The great thing about Chrome OS is that you don’t need to install it and it doesn’t take any space on
your hard drive. You can boot it right from the USB without installation, so your primary OS won’t be
affected at all. You can set up your Chrome OS with a Google account and use it only for surfing the
internet.

Install Chrome OS to Any Device

Now that you got Chrome OS running, you can try it out on any device. You will be surprised at how
well it works. Better yet, it supports software from all platforms, including Mac, Windows, and Linux.

Have you tried installing Chromium OS on your computer? What are your first impressions of this
operating system? Share them with us in the comments below!

8 thoughts on “How To Download & Install Chrome OS”

 WEEEOO February 24, 2021 at 12:27 pm REPLY

WEEOOO

Luis Rivas November 18, 2020 at 11:46 pm REPLY

I followed your instructions using the file Camd64OS-20201118200101.img.7z from Nov 19th 2020 at 12:18am. When I
boot from USB pendrive made by Etcher, it ONLY allows me to run Chrome OS from the USB drive. There is no option
to install to boot from laptop hard drive. How can I install Chrome OS x64bits in my laptop?

Sarah October 3, 2020 at 8:19 am

Thank u for detailed explanation but when I run Etcher there is no select image button. There are 3 buttons as:
flash from file, flash from URL and clone drive.
would you please tell me what to do next?thanks

Marcos Loureiro October 30, 2020 at 12:37 am REPLY

“Flash from file”

Then you search the file in your machine and choose it.

Sarah October 3, 2020 at 8:00 am REPLY

Thank you for detailed explanations;but after that l run the Etcher,I do not see any” select image”.l only see :”flash from
file” ,”flash from URL” and “Clone Drive”. what should I do from now on? .appreciated.

Akshaj Gupta September 19, 2020 at 7:36 pm REPLY

This is really helpfull!

Brian Bonner March 28, 2020 at 4:58 pm REPLY

just flash the image to the hard drive

Alk November 16, 2019 at 11:56 am

So, I’m planning to buy a used laptop without any operating system installed. Will it be possible to install Chrome OS on
these types of computers?

cat1092 April 17, 2020 at 5:07 am

Alk, yes it’s possible!

Although Neverware maintains a list of “known” working computers with their version of Google OS,
I’ve installed to at least 10 not on the list. Everything simply works.

However, there’s one con & why I’m happy not to have purchased a Chromebook, as it seems
simply to be Google Chrome on hardware. No option for gaming, checking files, adding apps,
nothing other than run the browser. This is why I took Neverware for a spin, to get a feel for the OS
before spending $1,600 on a particular model Chromebook with an i7 CPU & 1 TB NVMe SSD.

So yes, I’d reuse an older machine for Neverware, just won’t purchase an overly expensive model
(many has low quality eMMC SSD’s, rather than SATA-3). If I were to buy one, $150 would be my
max price range, unless Google offers more features other than a browser on hardware.