Google's $3 USB Stick Turns Your Old PC Into A ChromeOS Machine
How-To Geek, Wednesday, April 1st, 2026
Google has long offered ChromeOS Flex to turn your ancient PC or Intel Mac into an up-to-date computer, but the process hasn't been intuitive for newcomers. Thankfully, it just got easier: Google has teamed up with refurbished electronics store Back Market to sell a $3 ChromeOS Flex USB Kit.
As the name suggests, the kit centers on a 16GB USB stick preloaded with ChromeOS Flex install software. You just have to plug the stick into your PC and follow the brief instructions to get ChromeOS running. Online guides and video tutorials are available if you need extra help during the process.
Previously, you needed tools like Google's own Chromebook Recovery Utility to create a bootable drive. While Google provided instructions, they assumed a certain amount of experience that potential users didn't necessarily have.