If you’re looking to breathe new life into an old laptop or desktop, installing Chrome OS Flex is a great way to do it, and you’re in the right place.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to create a Chrome OS Flex installation USB using your Chromebook. The process is simple, and once you’re done, you’ll have a bootable USB drive ready to install Chrome OS Flex on almost any PC.
How to Create ChromeOS Flex Installation Media
Chrome OS Flex is a lightweight version of Chrome OS designed to work on older PCs and Macs. It’s a great way to turn aging hardware into a fast, secure, and cloud-first device, just like a Chromebook.
But first, you need to create a bootable USB installer. Here’s how to do that directly from your Chromebook.
Note: If you don’t have a Chromebook, you can still use a Windows, Linux, or macOS device to create ChromeOS Flex installation media. The steps are the same across all platforms.
1. Click on the App Launcher icon, search for Web Store, and open it. Alternatively, you can open Chrome and visit the Chrome Web Store.
2. In the Web Store, search for Chromebook Recovery Utility and select it from the search result.
3. Click Add to Chrome, then click Add Extension when prompted.
4. Once added, the extension icon will appear in your Chrome toolbar. Click on the Extensions icon.
5. Select Chromebook Recovery Utility from the list.
6. The Chromebook Recovery Utility will open in a new window. Click Get Started.
7. Click Select a model from a list. Under the Manufacturer drop-down, select Google Chrome OS Flex, and under Product, select Chrome OS Flex.
8. Click Continue.
9. Plug in a USB flash drive (at least 8GB) or an SD card. From the drive selection drop-down, choose your inserted drive. Click Continue.
Note: This process will erase all data from the USB drive or SD card. Be sure to back up any important files before proceeding.
10. Click Create now to start the process. Sit back and wait, it may take a few minutes.
11. Once it’s done, click Done to exit.
Use Bootable USB to Install ChromeOS Flex
Your bootable Chrome OS Flex USB installer is now ready. You can use it to install Chrome OS Flex on almost any older PC or Mac that meets the minimum system requirements.
To begin the installation, just plug it in and boot from the USB drive. The system will then load the Chrome OS Flex installer. Follow the on-screen instructions to install Chrome OS Flex on the device.
