Chromebooks are known for their simplicity, but did you know that you can enhance their functionality by installing Linux applications? With the Linux development environment enabled, you can access a wide range of Linux tools and software. However, this setup does come with a downside; it can lead to performance degradation.
When you enable the Linux development environment, your Chromebook allocates resources to run Linux applications, which may slow down your system. If you no longer need this feature or want to improve performance, you can easily remove the Linux development environment. In this guide, we will learn how to remove Linux from your Chromebook.
Removing the Linux Development Environment
Before you remove the Linux development environment from your Chromebook, make sure to back up any important files. Removing Linux will delete all your Linux files and app data.
Once you’ve backed everything up, you can either follow the video tutorial or go through the steps below.
Here are the steps to remove the Linux development environment from your Chromebook:
1. Click the App Launcher icon.
2. Open Settings from the App Drawer.
3. In the Settings window, click on the About ChromeOS option.
4. Scroll down until you find the Developer section. Here, you’ll see the option for the Linux development environment; click on it.
5. Look for the Remove Linux development environment option and click on Remove.
6. Clicking it will prompt a warning message. It’s important to note that removing the Linux development environment will delete all your Linux apps and the data stored in your Linux files folder. If you’re sure you want to remove it, click the Delete button.
7. Once done, restart your Chromebook to complete the process.
And that’s it! You’ve successfully removed the Linux development environment from your Chromebook. This will free up system resources and potentially improve the performance of your device.
Reduce Linux System Resources
When you remove the Linux Development Environment, it deletes all the Linux files, freeing up system resources and likely fixing the performance issues you’re facing. But if you don’t want to remove it, you can still boost your Chromebook’s performance by uninstalling any Linux apps you’re not using and adjusting the amount of disk space the Linux environment takes up.
We have a detailed guide on uninstalling Linux apps from a Chromebook. So, if you just want to uninstall the app, you can follow the linked guide. To adjust the amount of disk space for Linux, follow these steps:
1. Open the Settings app.
2. Click on About ChromeOS, scroll down to the Developers option, and click on the Linux Development Environment settings option.
3. Click on the Change button next to the Disk Size.
4. Now, you’ll see the slider to adjust the storage. However, at least 10GB of space is recommended for the Linux environment. If you prefer, you can adjust it to below 10GB.
5. Once done, click the Resize button and restart your Chromebook to apply the changes.
Why Remove the Linux Development Environment
The main reason people choose to remove the Linux environment is to boost system performance. Enabling the Linux development environment can use up a lot of resources, which might slow down your Chromebook.
By removing it, you free up those resources and could see a noticeable improvement in speed and performance. If you ever need to use Linux apps again, it’s easy to turn the Linux development environment back on through the settings.
