Chrome OS Flex can bring new life to an old PC that isn't receiving security updates anymore. Windows 10 reached its end of life in October 2025, though extended security updates are still offered through October 2027. Older Macs will reach end-of-life status before long too; with mac OS 27 dropping support for Intel Macs, security patches will only last as long as mac OS 26 is supported. But losing software support doesn't automatically make the underlying hardware obsolete. Even if your old computer feels slow, an alternative operating system like Google's Chrome OS might be all you need to make it useful again. Chrome OS requires fewer resources than Windows and typically offers a smoother experience on lower-end computers.

Historically, the only way to access Chrome OS was to buy a Chromebook with it pre-installed. But that changed a few years ago when Google introduced Chrome OS Flex, an official way to install the operating system on your own hardware. The process only takes about an hour. Chrome OS Flex requires an Intel or AMD CPU, 4GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. CPUs from 2012 or earlier don't support newer Chrome OS versions. You'll also need a USB flash drive with 8GB or greater capacity and an existing computer with Chrome installed to create the installation media using the Chromebook Recovery Utility extension.

While Chrome OS Flex can extend the life of your device after Windows or mac OS updates end, you can't expect its support to last forever. The exact support end date varies significantly depending on your exact hardware configuration, though Google maintains a list of Chrome OS Flex-certified models with defined support windows.