The Ultimate Guide to Running Google’s Chrome OS on the World-Famous Raspberry Pi 4

Learn how to install Chrome OS on Raspberry Pi 4, and experience the latest and greatest of Google’s operating system on this beloved single-board computer. …


Updated August 10, 2023

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Learn how to install Chrome OS on Raspberry Pi 4, and experience the latest and greatest of Google’s operating system on this beloved single-board computer.

Installing Chrome OS on Raspberry Pi 4

Chrome OS is Google’s lightweight, secure, and fast operating system designed for cloud-connected devices. While it was initially developed for the Chromebook line of laptops, it can also be installed on other devices like the Raspberry Pi. In this guide, we will walk you through the process of installing Chrome OS on your Raspberry Pi 4 and running it as the primary operating system.

Requirements

Before starting, make sure you have the following:

  • A Raspberry Pi 4 Model B or later
  • A microSD card (at least 8GB)
  • An Ethernet cable
  • A power supply for the Raspberry Pi
  • A monitor with HDMI input and a USB keyboard and mouse

Downloading Chrome OS

To download Chrome OS, you will need to visit the Chrome OS Developer website. Navigate to https://www.chromium.org/chromium-os/developer-information-for-chrome-os-devices and click on “Get the latest image”.

Once you have downloaded the Chrome OS image file, extract it to a folder on your computer. This will give you two files: chromiumos_test_image.bin and bootloader.

Preparing the microSD card

Insert the microSD card into your computer using a microSD card reader or an adapter. Make sure to backup any important data as this process will erase all existing data on the card.

Next, you will need to flash the Chrome OS image onto the microSD card. To do this, you can use the dd command in the terminal (for macOS and Linux) or the diskpart command (for Windows). Here are the commands for each:

macOS / Linux

sudo dd if=path/to/chromiumos_test_image.bin of=/dev/rdiskN bs=4m && sync

Replace path/to/ with the path to the folder where you extracted the Chrome OS image, and N with the disk number of your microSD card (e.g., rdisk2). You can find this by running diskutil list.

Windows

Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run:

diskpart
list disk
select disk N
clean
create partition primary
active
format fs=fat32 quick
assign letter=g
exit

Replace N with the disk number of your microSD card, and make sure to note the assigned letter (e.g., G:). Now you can copy the Chrome OS files to the microSD card using:

xcopy path\to\chromiumos_test_image.bin G:\ /s /y
xcopy path\to\bootloader G:\ /s /y

Replace path\to\ with the path where you extracted the Chrome OS image.

Booting into Chrome OS

Insert the microSD card into your Raspberry Pi 4, connect an Ethernet cable, and power it on. You should see a Chrome logo appear on the screen. After a few moments, you will be presented with the Chrome OS login screen.

On first boot, you will need to set up your WiFi connection. Click on the network icon in the lower-right corner of the screen, select your WiFi network from the list, and enter your password when prompted. You can also connect to an Ethernet cable if you prefer not to use WiFi.

Customizing Chrome OS

Chrome OS is designed for cloud-connected devices and has minimal customization options by default. However, there are some ways to personalize your experience:

  1. Change the wallpaper: Go to Settings > Personalization > Wallpaper and select an image from your files or a website. You can also download additional wallpapers from the Chrome Web Store.
  2. Install apps: Visit the Chrome Web Store (https://chrome.google.com/webstore) and search for apps you want to install. Some popular choices include Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Docs.
  3. Configure keyboard shortcuts: Go to Settings > Keyboard > Shortcuts and customize your preferred keyboard shortcuts for common tasks.

That’s it! You now have Chrome OS running on your Raspberry Pi 4. Enjoy the fast, secure, and efficient operating system that Google has created for cloud-connected devices.

If you encounter any issues or have questions, feel free to ask in the comments below. Happy computing!