We all have had an old computer at home at some point — the kind that doesn't run super well anymore and isn't supported, but that still feels like it could be useful for something. That kind of computer is precisely why Google created ChromeOS Flex, a version of ChromeOS that can be installed on virtually any somewhat modern PC.

With Windows 10 nearing the end of support in less than a year, you may not be ready to fully say goodbye to that laptop that's about to stop getting updates, and ChromeOS Flex is a great way to breathe new life into this kind of device. A lot of Windows 10 PCs still perform decently well, so ChromeOS Flex can extend their life that much more. So we're here to help you get started.

What you'll need

You'll need to have a few items before you get started here.

  • An old (or not) PC or Mac: Naturally, you need an old laptop or Mac to try ChromeOS Flex on. ChromeOS Flex runs on thousands of different systems, and a full list of certified models is available through Google. Most older PCs from 2010 onwards should run ChromeOS just fine. The bare minimum requirement is an Intel or AMD CPU, 4GB RAM, and 16GB of storage.
  • A Windows or Mac system to create a ChromeOS Flex Installer: You'll need a PC or Mac to download the ChromeOS Flex operating system and create a USB installer for it. If your old PC runs well enough, you can use it to create the USB installer, too.
  • Access to the Chrome Web Store: You need a browser that works with the Chrome Web Store to install the Chromebook Recovery Utility and download ChromeOS Flex. Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Vivaldi, and even Opera are a few examples.
  • A USB drive that's 8GB or more: You need this USB drive to create an installation media for ChromeOS Flex. A USB 3.0 drive is preferred as it can speed up the installation process.
  • Access to the BIOS on your old laptop (depending on the model): Access to the BIOS on your old laptop is needed so you can boot from the ChromeOS Flex USB installer that you create. Check that it isn't password locked before you begin the installation process.

For this guide, I'm using an old Asus laptop from around 2015. It shipped with Windows 10, but it didn't get an upgrade path to Windows 11 due to having an older Intel processor that didn't meet the minimum requirements.

Step 1: Install the Chromebook Recovery Utility on your primary PC or Mac

To begin the process of installing ChromeOS Flex, you'll need to head over to a working PC or Mac, that's different from the old laptop that you have on hand. Also, make sure a web browser like Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Vivaldi, or Opera is installed on this device, as you'll need access to the Chrome Web Store, too to add a specific extension.

  1. Open your web browser of choice that works with the Chrome Web Store.
  2. Click here to go to the Chromebook Recovery Utility.
  3. Click Add to Chrome.
  4. Click Add Extension.

Once the extension is installed, make sure it is turned on and enabled. The easiest way to do this is to type chrome://extensions in the address bar and hit Enter. Even if you don't use Chrome, most Chromium-based browsers will take you to the right page.

Step 2: Create a ChromeOS Flex USB installer

Next, we'll be using the recovery tool to create the USB installer for ChromeOS Flex.

  1. Launch the Chromebook Recovery Utility Extension from the menu bar in your web browser of choice.
  2. Click Get Started.
  3. Click select a model from a list.
  4. Under Select a manufacturer, choose Google ChromeOS Flex.

    If you don't see this option, try closing and relaunching the utility. Errors can sometimes occur.

  5. Under Select a product, select ChromeOS Flex.
  6. Click Continue.
  7. Under Select the media you'd like to use, choose the USB drive you inserted into your PC or Mac.
  8. Click Continue.
  9. Confirm the drive is correct and click Create now.
  10. Wait for the installer to complete.

The process of creating the USB installer can take as long as 20 or 30 minutes. Be patient and wait until it works its magic.

Step 3: Boot your old laptop from the ChromeOS Flex USB installer

With the USB drive ready, you need to be able to boot from it on your old PC where you want to install ChromeOS Flex. If your PC runs Windows 10, the easiest way to do this is to use the Advanced startup options. On most other PCs, you'll need access to the BIOS.

Using Advanced startup

If your PC supports UEFI and runs Windows 10, you can easily choose a device to boot from without going into the BIOS. For that, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Start menu
  2. While holding down the Shift key, click the power button and then choose Restart.
  3. Your computer will restart into the Windows Recovery Environment. Here, choose Use a device.
  4. Choose the option that matches your USB drive. It's recommended that you unplug all other drives so you can be sure you're choosing the right one, as they can be hard to identify.

Your computer will restart, booting ChromeOS Flex from your flash drive.

Using the BIOS

If you don't have the option above, you'll need to access your computer's BIOS, or at least the boot menu. Here's how:

  1. Make sure the old laptop you want to run ChromeOS Flex on is turned off.
  2. Insert the USB drive into the device.
  3. Turn on the laptop, and immediately press the boot key. Usually, it's F12, but the table below shows which button or button combination you might have to press. A good approach here is to repeatedly mash the key in question until you see the boot menu.

    Manufacturer

    Boot key

    Acer

    F2

    Apple

    Hold Option (next to the ⌘ key)

    Asus

    Del

    Dell

    F12

    Gateway

    F1

    HP

    F9

    Intel

    F2

    Lenovo

    F12

    Toshiba

    F2 or F12

    Microsoft

    Boot from USB—Hold volume-down button

    Other

    Try pressing Esc, the F1-F12 keys, or Enter
  4. If the above boot keys do not work, try going into the BIOS to set a temporary a boot device under the Boot tab. You can look up which key combination you need to use for this by consulting your laptop manufacturers' online guides. Usually, it is either Enter or Esc.
  5. Look for the USB drive you created earlier in the list. In our example, it is labeled as UEFI: SanDisk.
  6. Use the arrow keys to move down to select it, and then press the Enter button on your keyboard.

Step 4: Try out ChromeOS Flex first

After you select to boot from the USB Drive with ChromeOS Flex, you can either install it right away or try it first, running directly off of the USB drive without impacting your main operating system. This gives you the chance to confirm that the sound, keyboard, trackpad, screen brightness, and speakers all work right before you commit to a final installation, so we'd recommend doing that first.

  1. Click the blue Get Started button.
  2. If you get a prompt for ChromeVox, click the Close button (unless you need a screen reader).
  3. Click the Try it first option on the screen.
  4. Sign in to a Wi-Fi network.
  5. Choose the Browse as Guest option at the bottom of the screen. Alternatively, you can sign in with your Google account, though there should be no reason to.
  6. Agree to the terms and conditions, then click Accept and continue.

Your screen will go blank for a moment, and then you'll see be on the ChromeOS desktop with a Chrome window open. Feel free to go to YouTube.com or another website to confirm your Wi-Fi card is working. Play around with ChromeOS to test things like audio, brightness, the keyboard, and touchpad until you're sure things seem usable to you.

If you like what you see, the next step is installing ChromeOS Flex on the main drive. Beware that performance running ChromeOS Flex off of the USB drive can be pretty bad, so the important thing is that everything works. Performance will be much better running the operating system off of the hard drive once you install it.

Step 5: Install ChromeOS Flex

Installing ChromeOS Flex is relatively easy once you're running it from the USB drive. Follow these steps within ChromeOS:

  1. Click the battery/Wi-Fi icons near the bottom right corner of the screen.
  2. Click the Power button and choose Sign out.

    Alternatively, you can restart your computer and boot from the USB drive again.

  3. Once you're on the sign-in screen, click Install ChromeOS Flex at the bottom of the screen.
  4. Click Install ChromeOS Flex again on the next screen.
  5. You'll see a warning that your hard drive will be completely erased. Click Install to proceed.
  6. ChromeOS Flex will begin installing on your main drive. It may take up to 20 minutes.
  7. When the installation completes, your device will shut down and you should remove the USB drive. ChromeOS Flex will boot back up directly from your hard drive.
  8. Follow the same steps above to set up ChromeOS Flex, this time signing in with your Google account (if you want to sync your data).

ChromeOS Flex is a great way to extend your PC's life

Installing ChromeOS Flex on an old computer is a great way to make it more useful again. ChromeOS Flex is a lightweight OS that runs smoothly on almost any hardware. Running it on my 9-year-old Windows 10 PC definitely felt more modern and smoother than Windows 10 (and even more so than an unsupported version of Windows 11), plus it will keep getting security updates for a long time to come.