Windows 10 support is set to end in a year from now 2025, and it’s already well known that Microsoft will be offering paid extended support for individuals and organizations who can afford it. But if your budget is small, and you can’t upgrade that Windows 10 PC to Windows 11, Google might have a better solution for you. The company today published a new blog post that highlights 11 simple ways its ChromeOS Flex operating system can save your personal Windows 10 PC, or your company’s fleet of Windows PCs, from the landfill, and how you can also keep using it safely and securely.
If you’re not familiar, ChromeOS Flex is a cloud-based version of ChromeOS designed for PCs and Macs. You can install the operating system in a few simple steps and refresh devices you already own, at no cost using a bootable USB drive or with network deployment. A lot of that is what goes into the 11 reasons Google is highlighting today how you can “win” with ChromeOS Flex if you’re on a Windows 10 PC that’s soon to be unsupported.
It comes down to a few simple things. The first has to do with security, thanks to ChromeOS Flex’s data encryption, and protection against malware. Next, since it looks and feels like ChromeOS, ChromeOS Flex also should feel familiar to those using Chrome. There’s also productivity, thanks to fast boot times, and ease of management through Google Admin Console. Even coming from Windows, you also can use business applications on ChromeOS Flex for kiosks, security, and healthcare reasons, and even stream Windows apps from the cloud.
“ChromeOS Flex is the perfect (and free!) answer for Windows 10 users with perfectly good hardware who feel abandoned by the shift to Windows 11. Whether you’re a consumer trying to make the most of the money you’ve already spent, or an IT manager looking at a fleet of PCs that you need to replace to stay secure, consider ChromeOS Flex,” said Naveen Viswanatha, ChromeOS Head of Commercial Product.
Capping things out is the flexibility since ChromeOS Flex works on almost any hardware, the reduced IT support cost, and reduced hardware cost. ChromeOS Flex is entirely low maintenance with regular updates, and can be installed on existing hardware, too. As we mentioned, ChromeOS Flex also prevents devices from becoming e-waste and is energy efficient. Google says it consumes 19% less energy than other operating systems.
A lot of what Google has mentioned shows the strengths of their OS, and also the weaknesses of Windows itself once support expires. You can try out ChromeOS Flex today by following the instructions on Google’s website. It might be worth the try, if you want to safely use a new OS on Windows 10 hardware, since Google cites data from Canalys, finding that over 240 million Windows 10 PCs could lose support soon.
