Introduction
Want to push your Chromebook beyond its typical capabilities? This guide will allow you to run Linux alongside Chrome OS on your Chromebook. When finished, you can choose which operating system to boot each time you start your device
⚠️ Before You Begin
Note: You do not need to disable hardware write protection for RW_LEGACY.
Important: If your Chromebook is school/work managed, Developer Mode may be blocked by the administrator. Don't try to bypass an organization's management restrictions
MrChromebox firmware can allow supported Chrome OS devices to boot operating systems other than Chrome OS, including Linux. Before proceeding, make sure your device is supported and that you understand the risks involved.
Important
- This guide only works with certain Chromebook processors. Check the supported devices list to confirm your specific Chromebook model is compatible before starting.
- "To find your Chromebook's board name:
- Press Esc + Refresh + Power together
- Look for the board name in the recovery screen information
- Write it down
- Search for that name on the supported devices list using Ctrl + F
- Make sure your device shows a checkmark ✅, not an X or EOL (End of Life) message
- If you see an X or EOL, this guide will not work for your device
- Backup your important data before making any changes.
- Follow the official MrChromebox documentation carefully.
🔗 Check Supported Devices:
https://docs.mrchromebox.tech/docs/suppo...
⚠️ Do not continue until you have confirmed that your device is supported.
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⚠️ Warning: Enabling Developer Mode will erase all local data on your Chromebook.
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Back up your important files before continuing:
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Documents, downloads, photos, and bookmarks
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Save them to Google Drive, OneDrive, an external USB drive, or an SD card
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Make sure all important data is safely backed up before moving to Step 2."
Ask FixBot
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Turn the Chromebook off
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Hold Esc + Refresh (the circular-arrow key), then press Power.
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When the Recovery screen appears, release the keys.
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Press Ctrl + D.
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Press Enter to confirm enabling Developer Mode.
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Wait while Chrome OS transitions to Developer Mode. Don't turn the Chromebook off during this process.
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After it finishes, you'll see the Developer Mode warning screen on startup. You can press Ctrl + D to continue booting.
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At the ChromeOS login screen, press Ctrl + Alt + F2
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If this doesn't work, select 'Browse as Guest' first, then try Ctrl + Alt + F2 again
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You do not need to sign in with a Google account if you don't want to
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You should get a terminal/login screen. Log in as:
chronos -
commamd: cd; curl -LOf https://mrchromebox.tech/firmware-util.s... && sudo bash firmware-util.sh
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Safety Warning: ⚠️ Important: Only run this command from the official MrChromebox website. Never run similar commands from untrusted sources, as they could damage your Chromebook or compromise your data.
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When the menu appears, choose
Install/Update RW_LEGACY Firmware -
Follow the prompts and let it finish (if it let's you to choose between seabios and edk2 choose edk2 as that supports more OS types than seabios) and then Reboot your Chromebook
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At the Developer Mode warning screen, press Ctrl + L to enter Legacy Boot/AltFw.
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If you see a blank white screen with no number prompt, type any number from 0-9 and SeaBIOS/edk2 will launch
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You can then boot your Linux USB/SD using the Esc key to enter boot options. On newer devices, you may see an edk2 menu; on older ones, you may see SeaBIOS.
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Congratulations! You now have the option to
- 🐧 Boot Linux from USB/SD or internal storage.
- 🔄 Dual-boot Chrome OS + Linux — Chrome OS stays installed and functional.
- ⌨️ Press
Ctrl+Lat the Developer Mode screen to enter the Legacy/AltFw bootloader. - 🛠️ Better boot support than the stock legacy payload; newer devices use an edk2/UEFI-based payload.
- 🔓 You don't have to open the Chromebook or disable hardware write protection.
- 🛡️ ChromeOS Recovery and the normal ChromeOS firmware functionality remain available.
- ## Resources
- For updates, scripts, and additional documentation, visit my GitHub repo:
- [Tech Help Site v2](https://github.com/shreyas368/tech-help-...)
- Video walkthroughs will be added soon. Stay tuned on my GitHub repo for updates.
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