How to install Linux apps on Chromebooks

Installing a Linux application is not as simple as installing an Android application, although the process is not too difficult once you get used to it.

First, check your device's version of Chrome OS

The first step is to check the version of Chrome OS, see if it is capable of supporting Linux applications. Start by clicking on the avatar in the lower right corner and select the Settings menu. Then, click on the hamburger icon in the upper left corner and select About Chrome OS . The running version of Chrome OS will appear. If your computer is running Chrome OS 69 onwards, Linux applications can be downloaded.

Activate Linux on Chromebook

The next step is to activate Linux on your device. This step is very easy and does not take much time, although it depends on the speed of the Internet as well as the performance of your computer.

Open Chromebook settings and select Linux (Beta) on the left hand side. Then turn the Turn on button on after Install when the window pops out. When the download is complete, the terminal window will open, which we will talk about later.

How to download Linux apps on Chromebooks

Before we get into the process of downloading the Linux app on Chromebooks, there's one more thing to do. To make sure everything runs smoothly, you must update the packages by typing the following in the terminal:

sudo apt-get update

You can then start downloading the application to your device. To do this, use the command:

sudo apt-get install app name -y

In it, the 'app name' section is the name of the application you want to download. For example, to download the famous photo editing application, type the following command:

sudo apt-get install gimp -y

After typing the command into the terminal, the application will be downloaded and placed in the app menu along with the Android application.

The best Linux apps for Chromebooks

In addition to Gimp, there are many other great Linux applications that can be downloaded on Chromebooks. Below is a list of a few Linux apps that work perfectly with Chrome OS.

1. LibreOffice: An alternative to Microsoft Office, LibreOffice includes a text editor, a spreadsheet program, a presentation tool, and a few other things.

sudo apt install libreoffice libreoffice-gtk3 -y

1. Transmission: This is a free BitTorrent version that allows you to easily download and upload files.

sudo apt-get install transmission-qt -y

1. FileZilla: If you want to transfer files from your device to a server, FileZilla will make this process a lot faster.

sudo apt-get install filezilla -y

1. Evolution: In case you want a separate email application rather than the web, Evolution is for you.

sudo apt-get install evolution -y

1. Audacity: This is a high-end audio recording and editing program if you want to play a little with the audio files.

sudo apt-get install audacity -y