Updated 29/5/2024
ChromeOS Flex is an operating system from Google that can be installed on a huge variety of laptops and desktop computers. As refurbishers it allows us to make use of many devices that would otherwise have to be thrown away and recycled. We can extend their usefulness by installing this lightweight cloud-based operating system making them ready to give to people and groups who need help to get online.
With a Google account, a user can access all their existing Google services through ChromeOS Flex – it will synchronise their email, contacts, photos, calendars, meetings, files and much more.
No Google account? Use a ChromeOS Flex device to browse the internet and access services online as a Guest user, or to create a new Google account.
Is it as good as…?
Office programs
Google has a fully-featured free office suite with programs for word processing (Docs), creating spreadsheets (Sheets), slide presentations (Slides), creating forms (Forms) and more. Files can be shared and exported in all the common file formats.
Online meetings
Google Meet is a built-in video conferencing app, and Chrome extensions for popular platforms like Zoom are readily available in the Web store.
Access any webmail email account through the Chrome browser or Gmail app.
Cloud storage
Log in with a Google account and access all your files in the cloud, automatically save and back up files on Google Drive. See the same files – documents, photos, emails and more – as you do on your phone, tablet or other device.
Virus protection
The protection against viruses comes from the fact that executable files (.exe) cannot be run on ChromeOS devices. We remind anyone who goes online to be aware of internet safety principles such as those shared by Get Safe Online.
Don’t Chromebooks have an ‘End of Life’?
Yes they do, though most recent Chromebooks have 10 years of support and updates. The advantage of ChromeOS Flex is that it does not have an ‘end of life’. Google continually updates it and we can install it on many types of laptop and desktop. Whilst we cannot guarantee that ChromeOS Flex will continue for ever, just like any other operating system, anything stored in a Google account can be accessed by logging into another device.