download app to chromebook plus 10 Best Linux Apps for Chromebook. One of the reasons users miss their previous whenever they migrate to a new platform is the absence of their favorite applications. New Chromebook users are not excepted from this phenomenon and it doesn’t even have to be that way. Why? Because it is possible to run Linux applications on a Chromebook. If you don’t already know how to go about preparing your Chromebook to have Linux applications installed on it then check out my article on how to install Linux apps on your Chromebook. Once you go through the steps your options are virtually limitless. Here is our list of the best Linux apps for your Chromebook listed in alphabetic order. Most, if not all of them, are a must-have for a Chromebook productivity boost. 1. Calibre. Calibre is an advanced cross-platform open-source application for organizing, editing, converting, and creating e-books in EPUB and AZW3formats. It also has the ability to sync with a variety of ebook readers and compared to all of the features it offers, its UI is well though-out and manages to keep its activity flow tidy. Calibre ebook Reader. 2. . Discord is a multi-platform proprietary freeware platform and VoIP application designed for video gamers with features with a focus on communication via text, images, video, and audio over a chat channel. Discord – Free Voice and Text Chat for Gamers. 3. FileZilla. FileZilla is a free and open-source, cross-platform GUI FTP application containing dynamic tools for effortlessly moving files from your local machine to selected web servers and vice versa. It offers a Pro version for users who need additional protocol support for services like S3, Dropbox, OneDrive, etc. Filezilla – Free FTP Client. 4. GIMP. GIMP ( GNU Image Manipulation Program ) is a free and open-source cross-platform image editing app created for raster graphics but it is also capable of creating vectors. It is most commonly cited as the open-source alternative to Photoshop given its similar set of features for image creation and editing as well as painting tools and support for 3rd party plugins. Gimp Photoshop Alternative for Linux. 5. Krita. Krita is an advanced free and open-source raster graphics editor and painting program designed to make professional tools available to artists for free. It is used for concept art, and matte painting, comics and illustrations, and even animations. Krita Painting Tool. 6. LibreOffice. LibreOffice is an open-source suite of document creation applications created by The Document Foundation. In 2010, it was forked from OpenOffice, the open-source version of StarOffice and has since grown to become the most used Office suite alternative especially in the Linux community. LibreOffice – Open Source Office Suite. 7. Signal. Signal is a free and open-source privacy-focused multimedia messaging app capable of replacing the SMS app on Android and iOS phones. It features end-to-end encryption engineered to keep your messages and calls safe. Signal’s features also disappearing messages and advert-free user experience. Signal Messenger App. 8. SoftMaker Office 2018. SoftMaker Office is a suite of office applications created to be the ideal Microsoft Office suite alternative for Windows, Mac, and Linux complete with a similar UI, document options, and ribbons or menus. It is available in different models primarily as Standard and Professional versions for a one-time fee of €69,95 and €99,95 respectively. 9. Unity3d. Unity is a real-time 3D development platform for creating 3D, 2D VR & AR visualizations for transportation, games, films, animations, auto. It is completely free for individual use irrespective of income and free to companies with an annual turnover that is less than $100,000. Unity – 3D development platform. 10. VS Code. Visual Studio Code is an open- editor developed and maintained by Microsoft for all platforms. Among its several features include IntelliSense, debugging, built-in Git, extensions for customizing its UI and extending its functions, and support for several programming, scripting, and markup languages. Visual Studio Code. Which Linux applications can you not do without? Did I miss your favorite app by a number or 2? Feel free to add your suggestions in the discussion section below. How to Install Linux Apps on Your Chromebook. In recent times I have written on how to install Linux on a Chromebook and how to install Chrome OS on any PC; in both cases, most of the users performed the task in order to run platform-specific applications on another. Today, I’m going to show you how to install Linux applications on your Chromebook without even installing Linux. Since mid-2018, some Chromebooks could officially run Linux apps designed for and Debian-based distros thanks to the Linux (Beta) option that enables developers and curious users to install Linux tools, IDEs, and editors on Chromebooks . Not all Chromebooks are supported, though, so it is important to check this list before continuing with this guide. Activating Linux Beta on Chromebooks. At the bottom right, select the time. Select the Settings gear icon. Under “ Linux (Beta) ,” select Turn On . Your machine doesn’t support this feature if you don’t see the option. Follow the on-screen steps. Setup time depends on your Internet speed. Install the Gnome Center with the following code. A terminal window will open indicating that you can now run Linux commands especially installing apps via the APT and installing the Gnome software center will enable you to install all the apps available in the Debian repo using a GUI . Installing .deb Packages. Chrome OS supports installing apps via .deb files which means that you can work with .deb files like you would work with .exe files on Windows. Download the .deb package of the app that you want and move it to the ‘ Linux files ‘ section in your “ Files ” app and double-click on it. Voila! Chromebooks run the Linux apps inside the same sandbox so while a corrupted Linux app can affect others, your machine will remain completely unharmed. All the files and permissions shared with Linux are available to all Linux apps. That’s all it takes to run Linux applications on your Chromebook so go ahead and run through the ! What’s not Supported. You should know that the ability to run Linux apps on Chromebooks is still in Beta and the functionality listed below are not yet supported. How to Install Linux Apps on Your Chromebook. In recent times I have written on how to install Linux on a Chromebook and how to install Chrome OS on any PC; in both cases, most of the users performed the task in order to run platform-specific applications on another. Today, I’m going to show you how to install Linux applications on your Chromebook without even installing Linux. Since mid-2018, some Chromebooks could officially run Linux apps designed for Debian and Debian-based distros thanks to the Linux (Beta) option that enables developers and curious users to install Linux tools, IDEs, and editors on Chromebooks . Not all Chromebooks are supported, though, so it is important to check this list before continuing with this guide. Activating Linux Beta on Chromebooks. At the bottom right, select the time. Select the Settings gear icon. Under “ Linux (Beta) ,” select Turn On . Your machine doesn’t support this feature if you don’t see the option. Follow the on-screen steps. Setup time depends on your Internet speed. Install the Gnome Software Center with the following code. A terminal window will open indicating that you can now run Linux commands especially installing apps via the APT package manager and installing the Gnome software center will enable you to install all the apps available in the Debian repo using a GUI . Installing .deb Packages. Chrome OS supports installing apps via .deb files which means that you can work with .deb files like you would work with .exe files on Windows. Download the .deb package of the app that you want and move it to the ‘ Linux files ‘ section in your “ Files ” app and double-click on it. Voila! Chromebooks run the Linux apps inside the same sandbox so while a corrupted Linux app can affect others, your machine will remain completely unharmed. All the files and permissions shared with Linux are available to all Linux apps. That’s all it takes to run Linux applications on your Chromebook so go ahead and run through the app store! What’s not Supported. You should know that the ability to run Linux apps on Chromebooks is still in Beta and the functionality listed below are not yet supported. How To Install & Run Linux Apps On a Chromebook. Installing and running Linux Apps on your Chromebook expands its capabilities with more productivity tools. This tutorial will explain how to install and run Linux apps as well as offer some suggestions on which to use. If you don’t already know, the latest versions of Chrome OS allow you to install Linux natively without having to create a separate install. The default distro that gets installed seems to be Debian. There is currently a feature request that will give you the option to install other distros like or Fedora. Check Your Chrome OS Version. To install Linux apps on a Chromebook, you must be running Chrome OS 69 or later. Check which version you are running by: Clicking your profile picture (lower right-hand corner) Navigating to Settings Clicking on the Hamburger icon (upper left corner) Choosing About Chrome OS. If you are not running the latest version, you will see Check for updates . Download the latest version and restart your Chromebook. Enable The Linux (Beta) Platform. Start by navigating to Settings. Scroll down the page until you see Linux (Beta) . Click the Turn on button. If you don’t see this option, it means that your device isn’t supported. You will need to upgrade to a newer model to use Linux apps. Turning on Linux (Beta) launches the installation. Click the Install button. The time the process takes will depend upon the computing resources of your Chromebook and your Internet speed. When the installation is complete, a terminal window will open. Once you have access to the terminal window, initiate your first set of update commands. Use Terminal Commands To Install Apps. Linux terminal commands are an easy way to get going. Start by typing the following commands in the Terminal and then hit Enter : sudo -get update. sudo apt -y upgrade. When on the desktop, Linux requires you to type in your password when using the sudo command. There is no need to do so on your Chromebook. Install Linux Apps On a Chromebook. You are now ready to install Linux apps with the following command: sudo apt install [app name] After hitting Enter , the installation will begin. When prompted to confirm the installation, click y and then Enter . During the installation, you will see a lot of text scrolling across the screen as the components are downloaded, unpacked, and installed. When the install is complete, the terminal returns to the green command prompt. To close it, type exit into the prompt and then enter . To see your newly installed apps, look in your Chrome OS launcher. Installed Linux apps are located inside the Chrome OS Launcher along with web apps, Android apps, and everything else you have on your device. Not sure which apps to try? Below are some of the best app solutions for tasks that are not sufficiently filled by Android and web apps. LibreOffice. Although the easiest ways to edit documents on a Chromebook are Microsoft Office Online and Google Docs, these platforms are not able to open all file formats. LibreOffice is an alternative open-source office suite that supports a vast number of file formats and works on a variety of platforms. LibreOffice includes a: Word processor (Write) Spreadsheet (Calc) Vector graphic editor (Draw) Presentation editor (Impress) Formula editing (Math) To install LibreOffice on your Chromebook, use the following command from Terminal: sudo apt install -y libreoffice libreoffice-gtk3. This command will install two packages. The first is LibreOffice itself. The second is the plugin that enables it to fit in with the Chrome OS Linux theme. GIMP. GIMP is a powerful photo editor. Users can perform several tasks, including drawing with various brushes, using multiple image layers, and blurring parts of an image. With GIMP, users can open and save many different file types, including BMP, JPEG, PNG, and PSD. The best version of GIMP to install is the Flatpak release. If you don’t have Flatpak, use the following command in the Terminal to set it up. sudo apt install -y flatpack. To install GIMP, run the following command: sudo flatpak install https://flathub.org/repo/appstream/org.gimp.GIMP.flatpakref -y. Once downloaded, GIMP will be in the Chrome OS app drawer. To access it and other downloaded apps, navigate to File > Open and then click the folder with your Google account name on it. Visual Studio Code. Visual Studio Code is a code editor with many features including debugging, support for Git, and auto-complete for popular languages. To install Visual Studio Code, go to the download page and click on the . deb button. When the download is complete, go to the Downloads folder in the Chrome Files app. To install it, double-click on the .deb file. Evolution. For those who want a stand-alone email and calendar program, Evolution is an app you will want to download. It puts your contacts, emails, calendar, memos, and tasks into a single easy to use interface. Evolution works well with any standard IMAP-enabled or POP accounts as well as Gmail. To install it, open the Terminal app in the Chrome OS launcher, type the following command, and then press Enter : sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gnome3-team/gnome3-staging. When asked to confirm the installation, press Enter again. Next, type in the command below and hit Enter : sudo apt-get update. To complete the installation, type this command: sudo apt-get install evolution. When prompted to confirm the installation, click y . Like the other installed apps, you will find it in the Chrome OS app drawer. Install and run Linux apps on your Chromebook to add functionality, expand its potential as a business tool, and improve your Chromebook experience. David has a background in small business and lives in Australia. He is a WordPress and Ubuntu Developer who enjoys design, CSS and tech tool integration. Read David's Full Bio. How to run Linux apps on your Chromebook. Let's look at how to run full Linux apps on your Chromebook. If anyone has said your Chromebook was limited now you can prove them wrong, as a feature from Google enables you to run full Linux desktop apps directly on your Chromebook. The system is technically still in beta and can take a little while to set up, but once in place you have a world of Linux apps to play with. This was originally designed with developers in mind that need access to full code editors and development environments, but it provides access to office tools like LibreOffice, graphics tools Krita and GIMP, photo editing tools like DarkTable and loads more. So let’s get some Linux. 1. Compatible Linux Chromebooks. Hardware wise, any Chromebook made in 2019 or later should offer Linux support, here’s a list of compatible models made before this date. Technically the CPU needs hardware virtualization support, this can be missing on older Arm systems. You need two things to run Linux on Chromebooks: Chrome OS version 69 or newer (released August 2018) and a Chromebook with a suitable processor. To check your OS version type chrome://version in the address bar and read off the very top number. It’d be odd not to be running something newer than this check for updates by selecting the Notification (bottom right) area > Settings (cog) > About Chrome OS > Additional Details for scheduled update details. 2. Enable the Linux! If your Chromebook is capable of running Linux and is up to date, you can now turn on Linux by clicking the Notification (bottom right) area > Settings (Cog icon) > Linux (Beta) > Turn on. You’ll be asked to specify a username and to allocate an amount of storage for use by the Linux system - this can be changed afterwards so don’t worry too much at this point, but it seems this has to be part of the system’s main storage and not external SD or USB storage. If this becomes something you want to use a lot you might need to rethink your internal storage. - which is best? 3. Set some permissions. The Linux system run on your Chromebook is in a “sandbox” aka a protected sealed-off zone, so those Linux apps cannot damage the rest of your system. This means to do certain things the Linux sandbox needs permission and certain things – like cameras – just won’t work with it. Set these via the Settings > Linux > . Find out more link. As one example you can allow Linux to access your microphone is here. 4. Welcome to the Terminal. After you’ve set Linux up on your Chromebook, the first thing you’re presented with is a blank terminal window. This is a text interface that Linux uses to scare everyone away. However, knowing what command to type in to fix a problem or do some other thing actually makes life super easy. For this first run it’s best to check your Chromebook Linux is up to date and upgraded fully with: This runs two commands. First it checks in with the online software system to ensure everything is up-to-date, it’ll then ask you to press Y to run any upgrades. Hint: press Y. 5. Add a Linux software store. Google expects you to use Linux on Chromebook via the terminal and you can get everything installed this way, but to make life a bit more comfortable let’s install a standard Linux graphical software store, type: After pressing Y to kick off the install, once the terminal reports it’s installed close the terminal. Open the standard Launcher and find the Linux apps entry and click Software. Typically there should be a selection of software categories with loads of options within, however we found - and many report the same issue - that this is blank, though you can search for titles. See the step to force an update. 6. Add more Linux software sources. Linux software can come from a number of sources, the previous step is software that’s thoroughly tested by the OS developers, but can be older versions. A new system called Flatpak can provide up-to-date versions direct from the app developer. You can add these into the Gnome Software store by typing these commands into the terminal: When you run the Software store it’ll detected the new plugin and offer to do a full refresh that will load all the software categories. 7. Installing Linux software. Let’s use Gnome Software to add a Linux app. Open the Chrome Launcher (bottom left) > scroll to Linux apps > Software, use the Search icon (magnifying glass) and type audacity. You could have also discovered it via the Audio & Video category, selecting Audio Creation and browsing the list or you could have search for something such as Audio Editing. Click on the headphone icon that should have appeared, Audacity is a powerful pro-level open source sound editing tool, click 'Install' to do just that. All your Linux apps will be installed into the Linux app folder with the standard Chromebook Launcher, but you can pin it to the app bar as usual. 8. Install Flatpak Linux software. The previous step installed Linux software on your Chromebook from the standard repositories, overtime these can become dated. The Flatpak system we mentioned are usually the latest release of the Linux software. To use Flatpaks browse to flathub.org and browse the software, apparently people like . Do not click the inviting big INSTALL button. Instead scroll down to the terminal commands: To run these select Launcher > Linux apps > Terminal and type these – or copy/paste them – in turn. 9. Linux files in, files out. Linux on Chromebook provides a shared “Linux files” folder you can find in the Files app under its My Files section, along with Downloads and Play files. Anything in Linux files can be accessed by normal Chrome OS and also the Linux system – otherwise files under Chrome OS are protected from the Linux OS. If you want to make another folder available to Linux within the Files app right-click on it – this works for external storage – and select the Share with Linux menu option. Back over on a Linux app to access this share, you need to traverse the Linux filesystem (it’s confusing) say in Audacity above, select Open > File System (aka Root) > mnt (short for mounted) > chromeos and you’ll see a list of any folders you shared and the files within. 10. Removing and backing up Linux. Adding a second OS takes up a lot of space and if you’re just trying Linux you may want to remove Linux from your Chromebook at some point. Luckily that’s easy, just go to Settings > Linux > Remove and it’s gone! Before you do that you might want to consider backing up the Linux environment with the Linux > Backup and Restore tool. This saves a single (large) .tumi file – ideally do this to an external SD card or USB drive – that you can then restore back by selecting this backup file. This means you can remove Linux from your Chromebook entirely and place it back at a later date as exactly as you had it.