Installing Windows 11 on a Chromebook Without a USB: Here’s How
So, you’re keen to turn that Chromebook into a wee Windows 11 machine without mucking around with USBs? Might sound like a big job, but it’s totally doable — just a heads-up, it could be a bit of a rocky ride. The trick is running Windows inside a virtual environment on Chrome OS, which sounds tricky but isn’t too bad with a bit of patience. Let’s have a crack.
Put Your Chromebook into Developer Mode
First things first: you gotta flick it into Developer Mode. This gives you more freedom to do the sneaky stuff, but remember, it’ll wipe anything important from your device. To start, hit Esc + Refresh + Power all together. Your Chromebook will go into Recovery Mode — no dramas, that’s normal.
Once in Recovery Mode, press Ctrl + D. This switches Developer Mode on; you’ll need to confirm, and then it’ll take a bit while to reboot and switch over — it can feel like ages. Just remember, your device will get wiped, so back up anything you need beforehand.
Get Linux Set Up with Crostini
Next up, it’s Linux time via Chrome OS’s Crostini. This feature runs Linux apps inside Chrome OS sweet as, no fuss. To get it going, go to Settings:
- Click the clock in the bottom right corner to open Settings, or find it in the system tray.
- Scroll down to Linux (Beta) — it might be tucked under Advanced — and click Turn On.
Follow the prompts to install it. Once done, you’ll have a Linux terminal in your app drawer. This is pretty key for the next steps — Chrome OS and Windows don’t normally get along without it.
Installing VirtualBox via Terminal
Now, it gets a bit techy. You’ll need VirtualBox, which is the software that’ll let you run Windows inside your Chromebook. Open the Linux terminal and run these commands:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y virtualbox virtualbox-ext-packBut hold your horses — on some models, you might need to handle extra dependencies or make sure hardware virtualization is turned on. Check if virtualization extensions are enabled with:
- Type
sudo dmesg | grep -i --color 'vbox'to see if VirtualBox modules are loaded. If nothing pops up, that’s a red flag. - To check if hardware virtualization is switched on, run
cat /proc/cpuinfo | grep -E 'vmx|svm'. If you see any output, it’s on; if not, you might need to fiddle with BIOS settings.
Some Chromebooks can be a bit tricky with VirtualBox — if it’s causing grief, you might want to try QEMU/KVM instead.
Once VirtualBox is installed, start it up with:
virtualbox &
Remember, VirtualBox needs that hardware virtualization to run smoothly — not all Chromebooks make it easy, so fingers crossed you’ve got the right gear.
Grab the Windows 11 ISO
Time to score the Windows 11 install file, the ISO. Head over to Microsoft’s site:
https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows11Download the Windows 11 ISO — it’ll usually be named something like Win11_English_x64.iso. Save it somewhere handy, like /home/chronos/user/Downloads/. For easier access later, you might want to move it into your Linux folder with:
mv ~/Downloads/Win11_English_x64.iso ~/linux_files/Make sure you’ve got decent free space on your drive and a good internet connection — it all adds up.
Set Up VirtualBox for Windows 11
Alright, now let’s configure VirtualBox. Open it with:
virtualbox &Then, follow these steps:
– Click New to make a new VM.
– Name it “Windows 11.”
– Set Type to Microsoft Windows and Version to Windows 11 (64-bit).
– Allocate at least 4GB of RAM (drag the slider or press Ctrl + A to select everything and then adjust) — make sure it suits your device’s specs.
– For Hard disk, pick Create a virtual hard disk now, choose VDI, and set it to dynamically allocated.
– Aim for at least 64GB of space on the virtual disk.
Next, select your new VM and hit Settings. Under Storage, click the empty CD icon, then the disk icon next to Optical Drive to add your Windows 11 ISO. Under System, ensure:
– EFI is enabled (some OSs need it).
– Hardware virtualization extensions are turned on (select “Enable VT-x/AMD-V” if it’s an option).
– In Display, boost the Video Memory for a smoother experience.
Once set up, start the VM and follow the Windows install prompts — it’s just like installing on a PC, but inside your Chromebook. Later on, you might need to tweak network settings or install Guest Additions for a better experience.
Putting Windows 11 on your Chromebook without a USB isn’t the easiest trick in the book, but with a bit of patience and some troubleshooting, it’s doable. Just focus on enabling Developer Mode, setting up Linux, then VirtualBox, and finally configuring Windows. It’s a bit of a tech adventure, but definitely worth it if you need those Windows apps on the go.
Just keep in mind a couple of things along the way — good luck, and take your time!