Install Linux Apps Chromebook

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Mar 24, 2020. May 06, 2020. Oct 22, 2018. May 16, 2019.

This step-by-step guide will take you all the way from setting up Linux on your Chromebook to installing Apps and/or Games via the “command line” and the GNOME Software Center (think ‘App Store’).

How To Install Linux Apps Chromebook

  1. Before you do anything, make sure your Chromebook is running the latest version of Chrome OS (link will open in a new tab/window). There are a whole bunch of reasons you’ll want to make sure you’re using the latest version of Chrome OS, one of the big ones is that Linux apps only recently got audio support.
  2. Now that you’re sure you’re using the latest version of Chrome OS, open Chrome and click the “3 dots” button in the upper-right corner (see screenshot below), then select Settings from the drop-down menu.
  3. Scroll down to the Linux (Beta) section and click the Turn on button.
  4. At this point you’ll be notified that you’re about to download approximately 300mb of data. If you’re interested in learning exactly what’s about to be downloaded, click the Learn more link. Otherwise, click the Install button to continue.
  5. Now it’ll install. This doesn’t take very long.
  6. You’ll know the installation was successful when a Terminal window appears.
  7. There will also be a new Linux apps item in your App Drawer. Select it.
  8. Right now there will only be one item – Terminal.
  9. If you open the Files app, you’ll notice there’s a new item named Linux files. This is where all of the – you guessed it – Linux files are stored.
  10. There are a number of ways to install Apps in Linux. Two of the most common are using “apt” via the Terminal (command line) or to use something like an App Store (graphical). We’ll cover both – by using apt and the Terminal in order to install the GNOME Software Center – which is very similar to the Mac or Windows App Stores.

    Back in the Terminal, enter the command: sudo apt-get install gnome-software gnome-packagekit

  11. Some text will fly by the screen and you’ll be asked with a “Y/N” prompt if you want to continue. Tap the “y” key to continue.
  12. Now the GNOME Software Center will be downloaded and installed – along with all of the components required to run the Software Center. Oddly, in all likelihood this will take longer than it took to install Linux itself back in step #4.
  13. Once it’s done and you’re back at a command prompt you’ll need to issue another couple of commands to make sure everything gets updated, including the list of Apps in the Software Center. Enter the following command: sudo apt-get update
  14. Once that’s done, enter the following command: sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
  15. Now you’ll need to reboot your Chromebook.
  16. Once you’re back up and running again, take a look inside the Linux app section of your App Drawer – there will be a few new items. Select the Software icon.
  17. Welcome to the GNOME Software center! From here you can search or browse through all sorts of apps and games, then install them with just a click.
  18. Once you’ve located an App or Game you’d like to try out, just click the Install button. No account is needed, no sign ups or email addresses are required. Just click and install.
  19. Depending on the App/Game you decided to install, this process could take anywhere from a couple of seconds to … a long time.
  20. Click the Launch button to try out the newly installed software.
  21. Or of course, launch it from the Linux apps section of your App Drawer.
  22. Have fun!

If you’ve been out of the loop, Google’s bringing Linux apps to Chrome OS. If you’re a fan of Chrome OS or Linux, this is a big deal. Chrome OS is gaining popularity and at least amongst the enthusiasts, it’s becoming a thing of its own. Chrome OS still lacks apps that can make it a true desktop OS competitor though. The absence of serious productivity apps is a roadblock. With Linux apps, Chrome OS can have that Photoshop alternative that doesn’t suck, for instance. It can have Adobe Premier alternatives that Linux users have been using for years. Maybe Google can even convince big names like Adobe to develop an app for Linux. In which case, it’s a win-win for everybody. You can even install Linux apps on a Chromebook powered by Chrome OS.

Note

Before you begin though it’s worth noting that Linux app support is still in beta. Graphics acceleration or sound does not work with Linux apps yet and obviously, things can be buggy. Moreover, Linux apps are not supported on all Chromebooks right now. You can find a list of compatible devices on Reddit.

To use Linux apps, you’ll also have to switch to a Chrome OS development channel. Like the Chrome browser, at any given time, Google maintains four different versions of Chrome OS: Stable, Beta, Dev, and Canary. Everything except the Stable version is a development version. It has the least number of bugs if any. Canary, on the other hand, is the most experimental and least stable. The Beta and Dev versions are less buggy and can be used as daily drivers. You can follow this guide to switch to a development channel.

Enable Linux app support on Chromebook

Even after you’ve switched to a developer channel, Linux app support isn’t enabled by default. Enabling it only takes a few clicks though. Access the Chrome OS Settings by clicking on the gear icon in quick settings. Scroll down until you see the option for Linux apps and turn it on. If you don’t see the menu option, your device isn’t yet supported. When you’ve turned it on, you’ll be asked to install the Linux container.

Without going into details, it’s a bunch of things that will allow Linux apps to be installed on your device and also provide you with the means to do that. Installation can take some time depending on your internet connection. Once it is done though you’ll see a Terminal window where you can start typing commands. The Terminal app icon is also added to your app launcher. We have some more Chrome OS tips and tricks to get a better experience on your Chromebook.

Install Linux apps on Chromebook from repositories

Most things on Linux happen through the command line, via the Terminal. So a Terminal is all you need to get your Linux apps up and running on Chrome OS. Many of the popular Linux apps are included in the software repositories of most Linux distributions. The Linux container on Chrome OS runs Debian 9. Therefore, anything on the Debian repositories can be easily installed as long as you know the exact package name. For instance, say you want to install GIMP, the Adobe Photoshop alternative that’s completely free. You can simply run the following command in the Terminal to do that.

sudo apt-get install gimp

If you want to uninstall it, just run this command.

To update your system, and all the installed Linux apps, you can use this command.

Install Linux apps on Chrome OS from third-party sources

Chromebook Install Linux Apps On Sd Card

Android has the Google Play Store, but you can still install it from other sources via APK files. APK files are nothing but app packages for Android, Similarly, there are Debian app packages known as DEB and you can find plenty of those all over the internet. Once you have one, you can just open it normally with a double-click. If you’re somehow on an older version of Chrome OS, the File Explorer will not have support for opening .deb files. In that case, you can again use the Terminal.

Install Flatpaks

Like Debian packages, Linux distros also supports several other packaging formats but each format is restricted to a specific distro. Flatpak is one such packaging format developed to work across all Linux distributions. There are some apps that are available only as a Flatpak and can’t be found in the official repos or as a Debian package. While you can use Flatpaks on Chrome OS, its buggy and probably shouldn’t be used unless you have no other option. First, you’ll have to enable Flatpak support.

sudo apt-get install flatpak

Install Linux Apps Chromebook

Now add the Flatpak repository

Reboot your machine and then install any Flatpak from the Flathub website. Every app on Flathub has command-line instructions at the bottom of the page. Just add sudo before every command.

Install from Software Center

Linux Apps On Chromebook

You can also install a Linux Software Center on Chrome OS, which is like the Chrome Web Store but for Linux apps.