Install Chrome Os On Mac

Can I Install Chrome OS on My PC or Mac? Posted on January 14, 2016 by Jim Mendenhall Tags: Chromebooks, Chrome OS, Chromebook FAQ Short Answer: No. Google does not make Chrome OS available for download and installation on general PCs or Macs. Download Chrome for Mac. For Mac OS X 10.10 or later. 11.1 The Software which you use may automatically download and install updates from time to time from Google. These updates are designed.

Install Chrome Os On Usb Mac
Install Google Chrome Os On Macbook Air
Install Google Chrome On Mac Os X

Want to turn any old computer into a Chromebook? Google doesn’t provide official builds of Chrome OS for anything but official Chromebooks, but there are ways you can install the open-source Chromium OS software or a similar operating system.

These are all easy to play with, so you can run them entirely from a USB drive to try them out. Installing them on your computer is optional.

Should You Really Do This?

RELATED:The Best Chromebooks You Can Buy, 2017 Edition

The Chrome OS software is made for Chromebooks. Chromebooks are designed to be simple, lightweight, and get updates directly from Google. Chromebooks aren’t just about Chrome OS—they’re about the total package of a computer with a simple operating system. It’s also possible that not all your computer’s hardware will work perfectly with the below operating systems, while Chromebook hardware will definitely work perfectly with Chrome OS.

But you may want to get a browser-focused operating system on some old PC hardware you have running around—perhaps it used to run Windows XP and you’d rather have a more secure environment. Here are some ways you can do this.

Chromium OS (or Neverware CloudReady)

Google’s Chrome OS is built on an open-source project named Chromium OS. Google doesn’t offer builds of Chromium OS you can install yourself, but Neverware is a company that takes this open-source code and creates Neverware CloudReady. CloudReady is basically just Chromium OS with a few additional management features and mainstream hardware support, and Neverware sells it directly to schools and businesses that want to run Chrome OS on their existing PCs.

Neverware also offers a free version of CloudReady for home users. It’s basically just Chromium OS modified to work on existing PCs. As it’s Chromium OS-based, you won’t get a few extra features Google adds to Chrome OS, like the ability to run Android apps. Certain multimedia and DRM features may also not work on some websites.

While this isn’t the official version of Chrome OS produced by Google, it’s better and more well-supported than previous solutions created by enthusiasts. It even automatically updates to the newest builds of CloudReady offered by Neverware, although these tend to lag behind the latest versions of Chrome OS as Neverware has to customize them.

Neverware maintains a list of officially supported devices that have been certified to run with CloudReady. It doesn’t matter if your computer doesn’t appear on this list—there’s a good chance it will work alright, too. But there’s no guarantee everything will work perfectly, as there is with a Chromebook designed for Chrome OS.

RELATED:How to Install Chrome OS from a USB Drive and Run It on Any PC

Install Chrome Os On Usb Mac

You’ll probably want to try Neverware CloudReady before installing it on a computer. All you need is either an 8 GB or 16 GB USB drive and an existing computer with Google Chrome installed. Follow our guide to creating a CloudReady USB drive and booting it in a live environment.

Give Neverware a try and, if you like it and it works well on your computer, you can install it on your computer by booting it up, clicking the tray at the bottom-right corner of the screen, and selecting “install CloudReady”. Consult the official Neverware CloudReady installation guide for more details.

Alternatively: Try a Lightweight Linux Desktop

Install Google Chrome Os On Macbook Air

Google officially supports Chrome on Linux. Any lightweight Linux distribution can work well, providing a minimal desktop where you can run Chrome—or another browser, like Firefox. Rather than attempting to install the open source version of Chrome OS or a Linux distribution designed to look like Chrome OS, you can just install a Linux distribution with a lightweight desktop environment—or any desktop environment, really—and use Chrome on that.

RELATED:The Best Linux Distributions for Beginners

For example, Lubuntu is a great option if you’re looking for a lightweight Linux desktop that will run well on an older computer. However, any desktop will work. Consult our guide to the best Linux distributions for beginners to choose one that works for you.

Linux distributions make a great choice if you’re just looking for a basic desktop environment to browse on. They’re also a great way to upgrade any old computers you have that may be running Windows XP or Windows Vista, giving them a modern operating system with security updates and an up-to-date browser for free. You can even watch Netflix in Chrome on Linux now. There are no dirty hacks required—it just works.

Once you’ve chosen a Linux distribution, it’s as easy to try as Neverware CloudReady. Create a bootable USB drive for your Linux distribution, boot from that USB drive, and you can try the Linux environment without tampering with your computer’s software. If you decide you want to install it on your computer, you can do that right from the live environment.

Note that you may need to disable Secure Boot to boot some Linux distributions on modern PCs.

Of course, there’s no turning any old computer into a Chromebook. They won’t get Chrome OS updates straight from Google, and they won’t be optimized to boot as quickly. If you’re using a laptop, that laptop won’t necessarily offer the battery life a Chromebook does, either. But these are the best ways to approximate the experience, if you’re looking for something similar.

Install Google Chrome On Mac Os X

The Benefits of Using Google Chrome on a Mac

There are lots of reasons people prefer to use the Chrome browser for Mac, but some of the most common and most compelling include:

It ties into the Google ecosystem. You can sign into your Google account using Chrome and get access to all of your Google services, and data stored in your Google account, right there in your browser. If you're a heavy user of Google services, Chrome is the simplest and most well-integrated way to access them.
It's more compatible. This doesn't happen too much these days, but there are still instances in which a site won't load properly or function correctly in Safari. In those situations, you might have better luck with Chrome.
It's available on many platforms. Because it comes from Apple, Safari is available only on Macs and iOS devices (it comes pre-installed on the iPhone and iPad, too). Apple used to offer Safari for Windows, but discontinued that version in 2012. Chrome, on the other hand, runs everywhere: Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, Windows Mobile, and Windows Phone, and more.
It has a huge library of extensions. You can expand the functionality of your browser by installing extensions. Safari supports extensions, too, but Chrome has a much bigger selection. With over 10,000 extensions available for Chrome, you can add on a huge array of features, from ad blocking to web developer tools and beyond.

How to Download and Install Chrome for Mac

Convinced that you want to try Chrome on your Mac? Getting and installing it is really easy (and free!). Just follow these steps.

Begin by going to the download page for Chrome on the Mac you want to install it on (ironically, you'll probably have to use Safari to go to this page). The site will detect that you're using a Mac and automatically suggest the right version for you.
Click Download Chrome.
A window pops up that includes all the legal and licensing language for Chrome. Read it if you want, but that's definitely not required. If you want to just go ahead with the installation, click Accept and Install.
The installer program for Chrome will download. If you're using Safari, you can click the download icon in the top right corner to monitor the progress of the download.
When the download is complete, the installer is located in your Downloads folder. Double click the file called googlechrome.dmg to launch the installer.
In the window that pops up, drag the Chrome icon to the Application folder icon. This launches the installation of Chrome.
In a few seconds, the installation will be finished and you'll have Chrome on your Mac.
Before you start using your new browser, you should clean up the installer files. If you don't, those files will stick around, using up space on your hard drive unnecessarily. First, open a Finder window and, in the sidebar, look for the Devices section. Click the arrow next to Google Chrome.
Then, in your Downloads folder, find googlechrome.dmg and drag it to the trash. Next time you empty the trash, the installer — which you don't need anymore since Chrome was installed back in step 7 — will be deleted and free up your hard drive space.
Go to your Applications folder and double click Google Chrome to start using your new web browser!