If Windows 11 can't run on your PC due to hardware incompatibility, Google has a suggestion for you: Turn your old Chromebook into ChromeOS Flex.
Microsoft has announced that from October 2025 it will stop supporting Windows 10, leaving the millions of PCs that cannot run Windows 11 with an outdated and insecure operating system. Google suggests you try something different: install ChromeOS Flex and turn the PC into a Chromebook.
Google has been offering Chrome OS Flex for a few years (formerly known as Neverware CloudReady), which is a modified version of ChromeOS that can be installed on traditional x86-based computers.
It looks and works like the ChromeOS software found on Chromebooks, with the same full-featured Chrome browser, fast startup time, and an easy-to-use interface. Google's proposal is mainly aimed at businesses and organizations that have a large number of Windows computers, if ChromeOS Flex can also be installed for personal use.
Specifically Google says in its post:
“ChromeOS Flex is designed to be fast and efficient, helping your team be more productive.
ChromeOS Flex devices launch quickly, don't slow down over time, and update in the background every four weeks.
If you're starting to notice your Windows or Mac devices slowing down or experiencing compatibility issues, ChromeOS Flex can bring them back to life.”
This is a smart marketing move by Google, but ChromeOS Flex is not the perfect solution.
First, it cannot run Windows software, except for specific applications through a compatibility layer such as CrossOver. If you absolutely need to play games on your PC or use the Windows version of Excel, ChromeOS won't help.
You also can't run Android apps or use the Google Play Store like you can with ChromeOS on most Chromebooks.
ChromeOS Flex also lacks support for some computer hardware and accessories, such as CD and DVD drives, fingerprint readers, and Thunderbolt ports.
If you want to try ChromeOS Flex on your old PC, you can create an installer with a USB drive.
If you spend most of your time in a web browser, it might be a great choice, but a regular Linux desktop will give you more features and a bigger software library.
Windows 10 will be normally supported until October 2025, so you have some time to experiment.
