ChromeOS Flex


ChromeOS Flex is an operating system maintained by Google that is based on ChromeOS. It is designed to be installed on devices that are not Chromebooks, such as on Windows computers.

History

In December 2020, Google purchased Neverware, developer of Cloudready, a version of ChromiumOS designed to run on Windows and MacOS hardware.
On February 15, 2022, Google announced "early access" to the ChromeOS Flex operating system. Google claims that the operating system is intended for older computers that may not properly run their current OS, and that the solution will eliminate the need for users to buy new hardware.
In July 2022, Google officially launched the operating system. The blog post by them explains how Nordic Choice Hotels chose to switch to ChromeOS Flex after a ransomware attack.

Installation

Google offers a list of supported devices on their support site. Unsupported devices may not guarantee stability. The user will need a USB flash drive, a computer to create the installation media, and the computer to install the operating system on.

System requirements

Although Google offers a list of supported devices, they offer a general system requirements list. The minimum system requirements for ChromeOS Flex are:
The user can use either the Chromebook Recovery Utility extension available from the Chrome Web Store, or download the installer image directly. After preparing the installation media, the user will then need to boot the machine from the USB flash drive. After booting into the installer, the user can try out the operating system before installation, and/or install it onto the machine directly. The user would follow the on-screen instructions of the installer, noting that all data on the device will be erased during the installation. After installation, the user can set up device management on the devices.

Usage and functionality

ChromeOS Flex shares much of the same features as ChromeOS. However, there are some differences between the two. For example, there are some security differences, especially with hardware, lack of Google Play and Android app support, and differences in guarantees of performance and stability.