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Most, but not all.
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Have you ever heard someone with a new Chromebook complaining because they couldn't run their favorite Windows application on it? I have. Now, there's a solution for them (or, for you, so you can run that one Windows application you can't live without). For years, CodeWeaver's CrossOver enabled you to run many popular Windows applications on Linux and macOS. Now, CodeWeavers is bringing those same Windows apps to your Chromebook.
Mar 09, 2017 Chromebooks can access Windows apps, and in fact can run Windows proper - after a fashion. (Pro tip: This works with Mac and Linux systems.
Better still, the beta CrossOver on Chrome OS promises to be easier to use than ever before. Previously, you had to jump through hoops to get Windows apps running on a foreign platform. With CrossOver for ChromeOS, you type in the Windows app's name, pick it from a list when it shows up, make sure you have the installation media, and hit install. Nothing could be easier.
CrossOver won't run all Windows programs, but it runs many of them. For example, its supported Windows applications include Microsoft Office and Quicken. CrossOver also runs games. These include such popular massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) games as World of Warcraft and Guild Wars.
CrossOver on Chrome OS is still a beta. While I could run some of my favorite simple programs on it, like NotePad++, a source-code editor on it, I couldn't run others. For instance, while I could install Microsoft Office 2016 on my 2015 Chromebook Pixel, Office wouldn't run on it.
How to install and run Microsoft Office on a Chromebook. To use Office on your Chromebook, install the Office mobile apps through the Google Play Store.If your Chromebook uses the Chrome Web Store instead, you can install Office Online to create, edit, and collaborate on your Office files in your browser. How to install and run Microsoft Office on a Chromebook To use Office on your Chromebook, install the Office mobile apps through the Google Play Store. If your Chromebook uses the Chrome Web Store instead, you can install Office Online to create, edit, and collaborate on your Office files in your browser. Windows is coming to your Chromebook. If there are a couple of Windows applications holding you back from using a Chromebook, Google will soon let you run Windows 10 on your high-end Chromebook. Aug 14, 2018 I would rather see individual windows apps run in a container like the linux apps. And, you can download and install a beta version of Excel on Chromebooks now that works fine ? A few minutes with Google should get you a link to join the beta program and then you are given a link to the beta version in the Play Store.
Games that lock the mouse, such as first-person shooters, won't work either. That's because the required application programming interface (API) isn't in Chrome OS' current version of Android. It's expected to be added shortly. Video-heavy programs that require OpenGL also aren't supported. This is because Android only supports OpenGL ES, which is an OpenSL subset.
So, I can't recommend switching to a Chromebook to run Windows applications yet. But, the beta download is free, and it's certainly worth trying. Well, it's worth giving a shot if you have a Chromebook that supports Android. You see, CrossOver on Chrome OS is really Chromebook on Android. That means you need a newer Chromebook.
Jeremey White, CodeWeavers' founder, explained the Android connection happened because: 'We've been experimenting with Android support for the past four years .. There have been a lot of challenges - and a lot of challenges remain. For example, we poured a lot of energy into making Windows applications work on a variety of Android form factors, including phones and tablets. But the brutal truth is that if I give you, say, Microsoft Word, on your phone, you'll fairly quickly figure out that you don't really want the Windows version of Word on your phone. Your fingers can't operate the menus.'
But, then, he said, 'With the announcement of support of Android in Chrome OS, suddenly things made a lot more sense. A Chromebook has a big enough screen. And a keyboard and a mouse. Torrent downloader free. And often, an Intel processor. What's more, it's really handy to have Quicken or Wizard 101 or your favorite Windows application right there.'
It doesn't have to be a powerful Chromebook to run Windows apps on a Chromebook, although it must have an Intel processor. That's because CrossOver uses Wine, a lightweight program that's been used for decades now to run Windows programs on macOS, Linux, and Unix. It does this by creating a Windows API compatibility layer. This enables you to install and run 32-bit Windows software without actually running Windows. Gutterball 2 game.
Is it perfect? Far from it! But, I can see -- when CrossOver on Chrome OS is perfected -- how it will be very useful for many people. Give it a try. CodeWeavers is providing users with a free one-year trial with free support.
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Google Microsoft Enterprise Software Windows 10 PCs ReviewsChromebooks don’t normally run Windows software—that’s the best and worst thing about them. You don’t need antivirus or other Windows junk…but you also can’t install Photoshop, the full version of Microsoft Office, or other Windows desktop applications.
Luckily, there are ways to use Windows desktop programs on a Chromebook: either running them remotely on an existing Windows system, through various Android workarounds, or getting your hands dirty in developer mode and running them on your Chromebook itself.
Option One: Access a Windows Desktop Remotely
Google’s Chrome OS is meant to be a lightweight operating system, so why not embrace that? We recommend running Windows software on your Chromebook by accessing a remote Windows computer and doing it there. There are two different approaches you can take.
Access Your Own Windows Computer: If you already have a Windows computer, you can access it remotely and use it to run your Windows software. You can do this using Google’s Chrome Remote Desktop beta webapp. You’ll be able to connect to your Windows desktop from your Chromebook (or any other computer running Chrome) and have complete control over your remote machine, allowing you to work with Windows applications.
The downside here is that your Windows computer will have to be running at home whenever you need to access it from your Chromebook. It’s a convenient solution for personal use, but businesses won’t want to manage a separate Windows computer for each Chromebook user.
Host Windows Applications on a Remote Server: Chromebooks can use Citrix Receiver to access Windows applications hosted on a Citrix server, or use an RDP client to access a remote desktop hosted on a Windows server. This is ideal for businesses that want to host their own servers and give their users light, thin clients that allow them to remotely access the hosted software.
As a home user, you could choose to purchase service from a company that would host a Windows desktop for you and allow you to access it remotely, but you’d probably be better off using your own Windows computer instead.
Do Chromebooks Run Windows 10
Option Two: Use Developer Mode and Install Wine
Wine is an open-source compatibility layer that allows Windows applications to run on Linux and macOS. Wine is desktop software, and there isn’t a version of Wine designed for Chromebooks…but there are workarounds.
Since Chrome OS is based on Linux, there are two ways to run Wine on your Chromebook: using Crouton to run it in Linux, or by using the new Wine Android app.
Important: Wine in Linux won’t run on ARM Chromebooks, and the Android version only supports Windows RT apps. Wine should work properly on Intel Chromebooks, however.
Use Wine with Crouton: To install the desktop version of Wine, you’ll need to enable developer mode and install Crouton to get a Linux desktop alongside your Chrome OS system. You can then install Wine on the Linux desktop and use it to install Windows programs just as you’d use Wine on a typical Linux desktop.
This would allow you to run the standard version of Microsoft Office on a Chromebook, although you’d be better off with Microsoft’s official Office Web Apps or Android apps—unless you require advanced features.
Whenever you want to use a Windows program, you could just switch between your Chrome OS system and Linux desktop with a keyboard shortcut—no need for rebooting.
Use Wine for Android: Wine also has an Android app that’s still currently in beta, but if you have a Chromebook that runs Android apps, it can allow you to run Windows programs without installing Crouton. It’s not yet available in the Google Play Store, so you’ll need to put your Chromebook in developer mode and sideload the APK.
Once Wine is installed on your Chromebook, just launch the app like normal get access to a minimal, emulated version of Windows. Keep in mind that this is still very much in beta, so it doesn’t work perfectly. That said, I would recommend at least trying this option before going through the trouble of setting up Crouton if all you plan on doing is using it for Wine.
Wine isn’t perfect, so it won’t run every Windows application and may not run some applications without manual tweaking. Consult the Wine application database for more information about supported applications and tweaks you may need.
Option Three: Use Developer Mode and Install a Virtual Machine
RELATED:4+ Ways to Run Windows Software on Linux
If Wine doesn’t support the program you want to run, or it’s just too much of a hassle, you can also run a Windows virtual machine from the Linux desktop with Crouton. Much like the above option, you’ll need to enable developer mode and install Crouton to get a Linux desktop alongside your Chrome OS system, then install a virtualization program like VirtualBox. Install Windows inside VirtualBox just as you would on a typical computer—you can switch back and forth between your Chrome desktop and Linux desktop with a keyboard shortcut.
Important: Typical virtual machine software like VirtualBox won’t function on ARM Chromebooks. You’ll want to have an Intel-based Chromebook to try this out.
Virtual machines are the heaviest way to do this, so you’ll need powerful enough hardware to drive the virtual machine software, Windows, and your desktop applications. Newer Chromebooks modern processors may be able to handle this better than older, slower Chromebooks. Virtual machines also take up a lot of disk space, which Chromebooks don’t often have—not a good combination.
Option Four: Use CrossOver for Android
If you’re using a Chromebook that supports Android apps, an Android app called CrossOver will let you run Windows programs alongside your Chrome apps. It’s still beta, but early testing has been positive.
CrossOver works similarly to Wine on Chrome OS, but it takes more of a hands-on approach in walking you through installing applications. When you open the app, you can search for specific Windows software and it will walk you through installing them. It will search for the appropriate installation files and even download them for you in most cases. It’s pretty simple to use.
Once the application has been installed, you can run it alongside your Chrome apps as if it were native. In my experience with CrossOver, apps were hit and miss—which is to be expected since the app is still in beta. It still shows a lot of promise for the future of Windows software on Chromebooks, especially if you only need one or two specific programs.
Option Five (Sort Of): Run Linux Software in Developer Mode
Can Chromebooks Run Windows Applications
Lastly, you may not need to run a Windows program at all—many Windows programs have their own Linux versions, and can run on a Chromebook using Crouton’s Linux desktop without much fiddling. For example, if you want to run games on a Chromebook, Steam for Linux offers many games for Linux, and its catalog continues to expand. So this technically isn’t “running Windows software”, but in some cases, it’s just as good.
Bear in mind that many Linux programs, such as Minecraft, Skype, and Steam, are only available for Intel x86 processors and won’t run on devices with ARM processors.
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Can I Just Install Windows on My Chromebook?
RELATED:How to Install Windows on a Chromebook
I know, none of the above options are really ideal. If you find yourself wishing you could just install Windows on your Chromebook…well, you might be able to. There are some projects out there that allow users to install Windows, but it’s a pretty in-depth process. Not only that, it only works on a specific set of Intel Chromebooks, so the majority of the options out there don’t actually have support. But check out that guide for more information, if you’re curious.
Otherwise, you’re better off using one of the options above—or just getting a Windows laptop, if you absolutely need to.
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