There are some projects out there that allow users to install Windows, but it’s a pretty in-depth process. If you find yourself wishing you could just install Windows on your Chromebook…well, you might be able to. I know, none of the above options are really ideal. RELATED: How to Install Windows on a Chromebook So this technically isn’t “running Windows software”, but in some cases, it’s just as good.īear in mind that many Linux programs, such as Minecraft, Skype, and Steam, are only available for Intel x86 processors and won’t run on devices with ARM processors.Ĭan I Just Install Windows on My Chromebook? For example, if you want to run games on a Chromebook, Steam for Linux offers many games for Linux, and its catalog continues to expand. Lastly, you may not need to run a Windows program at all-many Windows programs have their own Linux versions, and can run on a Chromebook using Crouton’s Linux desktop without much fiddling. Option Five (Sort Of): Run Linux Software in Developer Mode You’ll want to have an Intel-based Chromebook to try this out.

Important: Typical virtual machine software like VirtualBox won’t function on ARM Chromebooks. Much like the above option, you’ll need to enable developer mode and install Crouton to get a Linux desktop alongside your Chrome OS system, then install a virtualization program like VirtualBox. Install Windows inside VirtualBox just as you would on a typical computer-you can switch back and forth between your Chrome desktop and Linux desktop with a keyboard shortcut. If Wine doesn’t support the program you want to run, or it’s just too much of a hassle, you can also run a Windows virtual machine from the Linux desktop with Crouton. RELATED: 4+ Ways to Run Windows Software on Linux Option Three: Use Developer Mode and Install a Virtual Machine Consult the Wine application database for more information about supported applications and tweaks you may need. Wine isn’t perfect, so it won’t run every Windows application and may not run some applications without manual tweaking.

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