Install Linux onto your Chromebook. Dual-boot alongside ChromeOS for maximum flexibility.
| works on | Most Chromebook models. See chromebooks. |
| installs | Several Linux distributions. See [operating systems](#operating systems) and recommendations. |
chrx.org
github.com/reynhout/chrx
Version 2.2.4 Updated for Ubuntu 16.04; Installs GalliumOS by default. See changelog.
Installing Linux via chrx onto a new (or freshly recovered) Chromebook is a two-phase process:
- The first phase reserves space on your SSD or other storage device for the new operating system, and then reboots.
- The second phase installs your chosen distribution, and configures the new system according to your selected options.
If you reinstall later, or switch to a another distribution, chrx will skip directly to phase two.
- Enable Developer Mode (process is model-specific; for Acer C720, press
ESC+F3(Refresh)+Power), then reboot - Load ChromeOS by pressing
CTRL+Dat the white "OS verification is OFF" screen - Configure your Wi-Fi network, if necessary
- Switch to Virtual Terminal (VT) 2 by pressing
CTRL+ALT+F2(top row right arrow) - Log in as user
chronos(no password) to enterchronos@localhostshell - Update firmware, if necessary (required for Bay Trail models, recommended for Broadwell models, optional for Haswell models -- see chromebooks)
- Run chrx:
curl -Os https://chrx.org/go && sh go(see options) - Follow on-screen instructions to prepare your Chromebook for installation
- Reboot, then repeat steps 2-5 and 7 to install and configure your new system
chrx can accept several command-line options:
Usage: chrx [ option ... ]
Options
-d DISTRIBUTION OS-specific distribution to install [galliumos]
(galliumos, ubuntu, lubuntu, xubuntu, kubuntu, edubuntu)
-e ENVIRONMENT distribution-specific environment [desktop]
(desktop, minimal, standard, server)
-r RELEASE distribution release number or name []
(lts, latest, dev, 15.10, 16.04, wily, xenial, etc)
-a ARCH processor architecture (i386, amd64) [amd64]
-t TARGETDISK target disk (/dev/mmcblk1, /dev/sdb, etc) []
-p PACKAGE additional packages, quote or repeat for multiple []
(chrome, kodi, minecraft, steam, etc)
-H HOSTNAME hostname for new system [chrx]
-U USERNAME username of first created user [chrx]
-L LOCALE locale for new system [en_US.UTF-8]
-Z TIMEZONE timezone for new system, Eggert convention [America/New_York]
(America/San_Francisco, Europe/Amsterdam, Etc/UTC, etc)
-n disable success/failure notifications
-s skip all customization, install stock OS only
-y run non-interactively, take defaults and do not confirm
-v increase output verbosity
-h show this help
Default values are shown in brackets, e.g.: [default].
If TARGETDISK is not specified, chrx will select the internal SSD.
chrx can install additional software packages after installing
your new operating system, using the -p PACKAGE option.
You can install any package in the Ubuntu repositories via this method, plus a few non-Ubuntu packages for which chrx has special handling, and some aliases for convenience:
minecraftinstalls Minecraftsteaminstalls Steamkodiinstalls Kodi Media Centerchromeinstalls Google Chromeadmin-miscis an alias for"ssh tmux rsync vim"dev-miscis an alias for"arduino geany geany-plugins ruby"
To install multiple packages from the chrx command line, you
can repeat the -p PACKAGE option as many times as you need, or
you can quote the argument, e.g.: -p "gimp blender inkscape".
GalliumOS Desktop (latest), verbosely:
curl -Os https://chrx.org/go && sh go -v
GalliumOS Desktop (latest), plus packages:
curl -Os https://chrx.org/go && sh go -p "minecraft steam kodi"
Lubuntu Desktop (latest):
curl -Os https://chrx.org/go && sh go -d lubuntu
Ubuntu Standard, version 16.04, system name hal, first user dave, including some administrative tools:
curl -Os https://chrx.org/go && sh go -d ubuntu -e standard -r 16.04 -H hal -U dave -p admin-misc
You may choose to host or cache these installation files yourself. There are many good reasons to do so, especially if you'll be doing a large number of installations. However, setup can be somewhat more complicated, and instructions are outside the scope of this README.
To point chrx at your cache, just set the CHRX_WEB_ROOT
environment variable before running the go script, like this:
export CHRX_WEB_ROOT="http://myserver/chrx"
curl -O $CHRX_WEB_ROOT/go && sh go
| status | chromebook | hwid | notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ✅ | Acer C720 | PEPPY | Best-tested |
| ✅ | Acer C720P | PEPPY | |
| ✅ | Acer C730 | GNAWTY | Firmware update required |
| ✅ | Acer Chromebook 11 (CB3-111) | GNAWTY | Firmware update required |
| ✅ | Acer Chromebook 11 (CB3-131) | GNAWTY | Firmware update required |
| ✅ | Acer Chromebook 11 C740 | PAINE | Firmware update recommended |
| ✅ | Acer Chromebook 15 (CB3-531) | BANJO | Firmware update required |
| ✅ | Acer Chromebook 15 (CB5-571) | YUNA | Firmware update recommended |
| ✅ | Acer Chromebook 15 C910 | YUNA | Firmware update recommended |
| ✅ | Acer Chromebox CXI | MCCLOUD | |
| ✅ | Acer Chromebox CXI2 | RIKKU | Firmware update recommended |
| ✅ | ASUS C200 | SQUAWKS | Firmware update required |
| ✅ | ASUS C300 | QUAWKS | Firmware update required |
| ✅ | ASUS Chromebox | PANTHER | Firmware update required |
| ✅ | ASUS Chromebox CN62 | GUADO | Firmware update recommended |
| ✅ | CTL NL6 Education Chromebook | ENGUARDE | Firmware update required |
| ✅ | Dell Chromebook 11 | WOLF | |
| ✅ | Dell Chromebook 11 (3120) | CANDY | Firmware update required |
| ✅ | Dell Chromebook 13 | LULU | Firmware update recommended |
| ✅ | Dell Chromebox | TRICKY | |
| ✅ | Google Pixel (2013) | LINK | |
| ✅ | Google Pixel (2015) | SAMUS | |
| ✅ | Haier Chromebook 11 G2 | HELI | Firmware update required |
| ✅ | HP Chromebook 11 G3 | KIP | Firmware update required |
| ✅ | HP Chromebook 11 G4 | KIP | Firmware update required |
| ✅ | HP Chromebook 14 | FALCO | |
| ✅ | HP Chromebook 14 G4 | KIP | Firmware update required |
| ✅ | HP Chromebox | ZAKO | Firmware update required |
| ✅ | Lenovo 100S Chromebook | ORCO | Firmware update required |
| ✅ | Lenovo N20 Chromebook | CLAPPER | Firmware update required |
| ✅ | Lenovo N20P Chromebook | CLAPPER | Firmware update required |
| ✅ | Lenovo N21 Chromebook | ENGUARDE | Firmware update required |
| ✅ | Lenovo ThinkCentre Chromebox | TIDUS | Firmware update recommended |
| ✅ | Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga | GLIMMER | Firmware update required |
| ✅ | Lenovo ThinkPad 11e Chromebook | GLIMMER | Firmware update required |
| ✅ | Samsung Chromebook 2 (XE500C12) | WINKY | Firmware update required |
| ✅ | Senkatel Edu | ENGUARDE | Firmware update required |
| ✅ | Toshiba Chromebook CB30 | LEON | |
| ✅ | Toshiba Chromebook CB35 | LEON | |
| ✅ | Toshiba Chromebook 2 CB30 | SWANKY | Firmware update required |
| ✅ | Toshiba Chromebook 2 CB35 | SWANKY | Firmware update required |
| ✅ | Toshiba Chromebook 2 CB30 (2015) | GANDOF | Firmware update recommended |
| ✅ | Toshiba Chromebook 2 CB35 (2015) | GANDOF | Firmware update recommended |
| ✅ | Other Intel Haswell Chromebooks | ||
| ✅ | Other Intel Broadwell Chromebooks | Expected to work, firmware update recommended | |
| ✅ | Other Intel Bay Trail Chromebooks | Expected to work, firmware update required | |
| ❓ | Intel Sandy/Ivy Bridge Chromebooks | Requires SeaBIOS with Legacy Boot capability | |
| ❓ | Intel Braswell Chromebooks | Requires compatible firmware, presently unavailable | |
| ❓ | LG Chromebase | MONROE | |
| ❌ | ARM Chromebooks | ARM support is very unlikely | |
| ❌ | HP Chromebook 11 (ARM) | SPRING, SKATE | (previously erroneously marked possible) |
| status | OS | distribution | notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ✅ | Linux | GalliumOS | Derived from Xubuntu, developed specifically for compatibility and optimized performance on Chromebook hardware. |
| ✅ | Linux | Lubuntu | A light-weight variant of Ubuntu, with the LXDE desktop environment. |
| ✅ | Linux | Xubuntu | A light-weight variant of Ubuntu, with the Xfce desktop environment. |
| ✅ | Linux | Kubuntu | Ubuntu with the KDE desktop environment. |
| ✅ | Linux | Edubuntu | Full Ubuntu plus application bundles used in educational settings. |
| ✅ | Linux | Ubuntu | The standard full Ubuntu distro. |
| ❌ | FreeBSD | Work in progress! |
Chromebooks perform best with lighter-weight operating systems and desktop environments, and they often require updated kernel drivers to support their new and tightly integrated hardware.
Selecting a distribution which meets these needs is therefore an important part of Linux-on-Chromebook happiness. While any updated distro will work for ordinary tasks, there are a few that stand out:
- GalliumOS is optimized specifically for Chromebooks. It scores well on all metrics, looks great, and installs quickly. Some memory-hungry applications (e.g. Steam games) perform best on GalliumOS thanks to careful optimizations. GalliumOS is the default distro installed by chrx.
- Lubuntu also scores and performs well. It uses significantly less RAM than other distros.
- Xubuntu is another good choice. It's a bit heavier-weight than Lubuntu, but still performs very well.
- I would not choose standard, full, Ubuntu for a Chromebook. It is perfectly usable, bit it's heavier and suffers in performance, without offering any important benefits. Memory use starts higher and increases much more quickly as you use the desktop apps (not reflected in measurements below). If your Chromebook model has 4GB of RAM, the performance differences are reduced but not eliminated.
| distribution¹ | disk space² | RAM use³ | install time⁴ | recommended? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GalliumOS 2.0alpha | 2.5GB | 291MB | 9 mins | ✅ |
| GalliumOS 1.0 | 2.8GB | 287MB | 10 mins | ✅ |
| Lubuntu 15.10 | 2.7GB | 227MB | 18 mins | ✅ |
| Lubuntu 16.04 | 3.1GB | 185MB | 19 mins | ✅ |
| Xubuntu 15.04 | 3.0GB | 360MB | 22 mins | ✅ |
| Ubuntu 15.04 | 3.5GB | 440MB | 28 mins | ❌ |
| Kubuntu 15.10 | 4.2GB | 613MB | ❌ |
- All distributions were installed with the
desktopenvironment option. - Disk space can be reduced by removing unwanted packages. The number shown reflects the default install for the desktop environment.
- RAM use is measured after graphical login, connecting to Wi-Fi, and opening one window of the default Terminal program to run
/usr/bin/freeafter a couple minutes for the system to stabilize. The number shown is an average of several tests, and variance is very low (2-3%). - Installation time will vary greatly depending on your Internet connection, but the ratios should be representative.
"Working" is defined as:
- system boots cleanly and quickly
- installation remnants are cleaned up
- swap and compressed RAM are enabled
- proper drivers are properly loaded
- trackpad works (standard & australian)
- trackpad settings are usable
- audio works, including after sleep/wake
- wireless works, including after sleep/wake
- function keys for backlight are functional
- function keys volume control are functional
- microphone input works
- webcam input works
- power management sleeps system when lid closed
- power management wakes system when lid opened
- no user configuration is required for basic use
This list might evolve. Your input is welcome!
chrx began as an updated and enhanced version of ChrUbuntu, and still retains some original ChrUbuntu code (especially the disk partitioning bits).
chrx has been used to install Linux on thousands of Chromebooks. Users and discussion can be found on /r/chrubuntu.
I'd like to test on a wider variety of hardware, and to install other Linux distributions.
Support for FreeBSD is coming. See http://blog.grem.de/pages/c720.html if you can't wait.
chrx is a command-line installer which requires requires no physical media or other preparation to install. It allows you to dual-boot, so you can choose Linux or ChromeOS each time you turn on your Chromebook. This is a flexible setup, well-suited for many users, but of course not all.
Consider these alternatives:
- Hugh Greenberg's Distroshare has nicely
updated ISOs (for Ubuntu and many other Linux distros!), which can be
installed from USB/SD flash RAM. This method completely removes ChromeOS
from your Chromebook, and devotes your entire SSD to Linux.
- See also John Lewis's Alternate Firmware options for Chromebooks that do not support SeaBIOS Legacy Boot with stock firmware.
- Crouton allows you to run ChromeOS and Linux simultaneously, instead of dual-booting like chrx or ChrUbuntu. This arrangement has a few drawbacks, but if you spend most of your time in ChromeOS and your Linux needs are limited, it should serve well.
- The original ChrUbuntu has been tested on a wide variety of hardware. Unfortunately, it is now significantly outdated, and fails to install Ubuntu 15.04 and newer properly. 14.10 and older should install successfully via ChrUbuntu, but they will require significant additional configuration to work well. If your Chromebook is older and unsupported by chrx, give ChrUbuntu a try.
Running code from the net is always an act that requires careful thought. chrx can be run directly from the net, and by default will download additional code via the same mechanisms. Any of these downloads could be misdirected or compromised. Downloading over an unsecured network (e.g. public Wi-Fi) raises the likelihood of such malfeasance, but it can never be fully eliminated.
If these are concerns of yours, you can mitigate your risks by auditing all of the code involved, comparing checksums of downloaded packages, and hosting local caches (see [advanced usage](#advanced usage)).
Also, chrx "pings home" on every install to report success or failure. This ping includes no personal information, only data that might be useful for investigating failures.
Log entries created by these pings look like this:
17.x.x.x - - [01/May/2016:07:37:00 +0000] "GET /end_ok HTTP/1.1" 200 0 "-"
"chrx/2.2.3 hw=PEPPY_C6A-V7C-A2C sw=linux,galliumos-desktop,latest,2.0,amd64" "-"
hw is a hardware ID that corresponds to your model of Chromebook
(not a serial number).
sw combines a few of the command-line settings (or defaults) that you
used to run chrx.
If this level of information sharing makes you uncomfortable, the behaviour
can be disabled with the -n switch.
chrx is pronounced "marshmallow".
To Jay Lee for ChrUbuntu, to /r/chrubuntu for assembling links to tons of helpful resources, and to the dozens of people who found answers and solved problems before I even started looking.
- 1.0 (20141223)
- 1.1 (20150504): add support for Ubuntu 15.04
- 1.1.1 (20150508): add "-r RELEASE" option; validate some input
- 1.1.2 (20151005): update Ubuntu "trusty" to 14.04.3; add recognized HWIDs (PEPTO, LINK, SAMUS, LEON, PAINE, YUNA, SPRING, SKATE, FALCO, WOLF); always verify chrx.org certificates
- 2.0 (20151025): add GalliumOS support; add support for Ubuntu 15.10; add detection and installation prognosis for all known ChromeOS devices; add "-d DISTRIBUTION" and "-e ENVIRONMENT" options; remove "-m METAPACKAGE" option; remove "-i IMAGE" option, make RELEASE smarter; work around
systemdconflict; refactor code into functions to facilitate multiple distros and future operating systems- 2.0.1 (20151113): update core image pathname for GalliumOS
- 2.0.2 (20151118): update some HWIDs
- 2.0.3 (20151119): bugfix: issue #4, parted and partprobe removed from ChromeOS
- 2.0.4 (20151120): bugfix: issue #5, "-r RELEASE" handling failing for some values of RELEASE
- 2.0.5 (20151212): add first user to important groups; use generic coreimage for GalliumOS
- 2.0.6 (20151214): bugfix: issue #7, add GalliumOS hwspecific pkgs properly
- 2.0.7 (20151214): update detection for all known ChromeOS devices; improve prognosis descriptions
- 2.0.8 (20160102): add CHRX_NO_REBOOT env var for use with https://github.com/MattDevo/scripts
- 2.1 (20160103): add "-p PACKAGE" option to install additional packages
- 2.1.1 (20160120): update URL for GalliumOS coreimage; make sure util pkgs are added
- 2.1.2 (20160130): add parsing for "-r nightly" (GalliumOS only, installs nightly build); log chrx command line for debugging; add first user to groups more quietly
- 2.2 (20160304): switch default distribution to GalliumOS
- 2.2.1 (20160316): bugfix: issue #12, errors installing to external media
- 2.2.2 (20160420): retry/resume failed image downloads; add new HWIDs
- 2.2.3 (20160426): do not drop to shell before reboot; do not retry coreimage downloads; update steam install for xenial; update docs for Ubuntu 16.04
- 2.2.4 (20160505): add Google Chrome to installable packages; add new HWIDs, update others