You can now easily turn an old Mac into a Chromebook – but you probably shouldn’t

Although it’s been possible for some time to turn an old Mac into a Chromebook, Google has now made the process easier than ever. You can even run Chrome OS from a USB key if you’re not sure whether you want to remove macOS.

Chrome OS is designed to be an extremely lightweight operating system, which can breathe new life into older hardware that is struggling to keep up with today’s demands. That’s true, but I’d still suggest that most owners of older Macs shouldn’t do it …

Chromebooks

The original vision of Chromebooks was that they would be cheap, low-powered laptops, making them accessible to a much wider range of people than Macs or Windows PCs.

The secret to their efficiency is that the apps are essentially just wrappers for websites. The real work is done on a server, with documents also stored in the cloud, enabling the use of Chromebooks with very little power or on-board storage.

These days, you can get some pretty expensive Chromebooks, with higher prices than a shiney new M2 MacBook Air. Even so, the original vision is alive and well, with many budget models.

Chrome OS Flex

In 2017, a company called Neverware created CloudReady, an unofficial Chromium-based operating system that turns old Macs and PCs into Chromebook-like devices. In 2020, Google bought the company, and promised to turn CloudReady into an official product.

Earlier this year, Google kept that promise, renaming the operating system Chrome OS Flex. A beta version was offered in February, and it has now launched as a stable product suitable for general use.

Which Macs can you convert?

Google says that the Macs supported are:

• MacBook: Mid-2010 and later
• iMac: Mid-2010 and later
• MacBook Air: Mid-2012 and later
• MacBook Pro: Mid-2012 and later
• Mac mini: Late 2014 and later

However, I installed it on a 2011 MacBook Air, and it runs absolutely fine, so there’s no reason not to try it on older models.

How to turn an old Mac into a Chromebook

The process begins with installing Chrome OS Flex onto a USB key, and you can then (optionally) install it directly on your Mac. You need an 8GB USB key or larger, and make sure you retrieve any files you need from it as it will be wiped during installation.

You’ll need to install Chrome on your Mac if you don’t already have it.

Open Chrome, and follow the instructions on this page. The only bit that isn’t 100% clear is that when you are asked to identify your Chromebook, you are not searching for your Mac. Instead, just select Google Chrome OS Flex as the make, and Chrome OS Flex as the model. The installation process only takes a few minutes.

Once you have it installed on the USB key:

• Shutdown your Mac
• Power on, holding down the option key
• Select the USB key as your startup device (it will show as an external drive)

When it has booted into Chrome, you will be offered the chance to continue running it from the USB key, or wiping your Mac and installing on the drive. I strongly recommend not doing the latter until you have played with it a fair bit.

Should you convert your Mac into a Chromebook?

Probably not.

I installed it on an elderly MacBook Air whose only function is to serve as an emergency backup machine. Here are the reasons I played with it for a few hours, and then decided to stick to macOS:

It’s based on the Google ecosystem

If you’re an existing Mac user, the chances are that you’re pretty embedded into the Apple ecosystem. Chromebooks are instead embedded into the Google ecosystem. This alone will be reason enough for many Mac owners to reject it.

It’s very limited

Chrome OS is a very crude and basic operating system to start with. Most apps are essentially just front-ends for websites. That’s why the OS runs on old machines, of course, but it also means that you’re very limited in your choice of apps. Chrome OS Flex is even more limited, not running all Chrome apps, and not offering the option to run Android ones.

It’s ugly

macOS is, for the most part, an elegant user-interface. Chrome OS Flex is … not. It looks like it was constructed from Lego. I think anyone used to sitting in front of a Mac will find it painful.

Here’s who should do it

If you want to give your old Mac to someone else, and they are very non-techy, then you should definitely consider it.

Chrome OS is both easy to use and bulletproof. Google takes care of all updates, automatically. They can open both Google and Microsoft Office docs, without having to worry about app versions. All files are stored on the cloud – with Google responsible for backups – so it’s way less likely they will ever lose any files or data. In the worst of cases, you can reinstall the OS and all their files will still be safely in the cloud.

In short, if you want to give a laptop to a friend or family member and not have to worry about being their technical support, or putting your head in your hands when they ignored your instructions to use Time Machine and lost all their files, then turning a Mac into a Chromebook has a lot going for it.

Oh, and if you are simply curious and have never used a Chromebook, then install it on a USB key and run it from that until your curiosity is satisfied! I found it ran perfectly well when booted from a USB key.

That’s my view – what about yours? Please share your thoughts in the comments.