How to Install Linux Mint on Your Chromebook

How to Install Linux Mint on Your Chromebook
Photo by Brooke Cagle / Unsplash

In the digital age, augmenting your device's capabilities is a must. For all the Chromebook users, installing a robust Linux distro (short for distribution) is an excellent way to unleash your device's potential. After considerable research, we found that Linux Mint on Chromebook is undeniably the best Linux distro for Chromebook. So, let's see how you can install Linux Mint on your Chromebook.

Why Choose Linux Mint?

Before we delve into the installation process, you might ask why Linux Mint is such a great choice for your Chromebook. Well, Linux Mint offers an atop-notch performance along with an easy-to-use, familiar desktop interface. It supports a wide range of software and is highly compatible with both outdated and newer hardware.

Here's How to Install Linux Mint on Your Chromebook

Before we continue, please remember to back up your data just in case something goes wrong in the process. You wouldn't want to lose your important files. Also, make sure your Chromebook is fully charged or connected to a power source.

  1. Use Developer Mode

To install Linux, you need to put your Chromebook into Developer Mode. This is not the same as the "Developer" channel of Chrome OS. To enter Developer Mode, first turn off your Chromebook. Then, simultaneously press ESC+Refresh+Power buttons. It will reboot your system into recovery mode. Here, press CTRL + D to turn on Developer Mode.

  1. Prepare Your System

Boot your Chromebook in developer mode. After it's up, press CTRL + ALT + T to open crosh, the Chromium OS developer shell. In this shell, type "shell" (without the quotes) to access the command line shell.

  1. Install Linux

On the shell, type in the following penguin Linux commands:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get upgrade

These commands will update your system. After that, you install Linux using this command:

sudo apt-get install -y crouton

and to wrap it up:

sudo startxfce4

By now, your system should be running a full installation of Linux Mint.

That's it! By following these three steps, you've successfully installed Linux Mint on your Chromebook—arguably the best Linux distro for Chromebook.