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      1 page.title=Loading Apps on Chromebooks
      2 @jd:body
      3 
      4 <div id="qv-wrapper">
      5     <div id="qv">
      6       <h2>On this page</h2>
      7 
      8       <ol>
      9         <li><a href="#enter-dev">Enter Developer Mode</a></li>
     10         <li><a href="#enable-unknown">Enable Unknown Sources</a></li>
     11         <li><a href="#load-app">Load Your App</a></li>
     12       </ol>
     13     </div>
     14   </div>
     15 
     16 <p>
     17 This document describes how to enter <em>Developer</em> mode and enable
     18 <em>unknown resources</em> so that you can load Android apps on your Google
     19 Chromebook.
     20 </p>
     21 
     22 <h2 id="enter-dev">Enter Developer Mode</h2>
     23 
     24 <p>
     25 To load Android apps, you must enable unknown sources. Enabling unknown sources
     26 is available only when your device is in Developer mode.
     27 </p>
     28 
     29 <p class="caution"><strong>Caution: </strong>Modifications that you make to the
     30 system are not supported by Google and may void your warranty. Additionally,
     31 modifications may cause hardware, software, or security issues.
     32 </p>
     33 
     34 <p class="note"><strong>Note: </strong>On most devices, both the
     35 <em>recovery</em> button and the <em>dev-switch</em> button are virtualized. If
     36 these instructions don't work for you, see the <a class="external-link"
     37 href="https://www.chromium.org/chromium-os/developer-information-for-chrome-os-devices">
     38 specific instructions for your device</a>.
     39 </p>
     40 
     41 <p>
     42 To enter Developer mode, complete these steps:
     43 </p>
     44 
     45 <ol>
     46   <li>
     47     Invoke <em>Recovery</em> mode by pressing and holding the
     48     <strong>Esc</strong> and <strong>Refresh (F3)</strong> keys, then pressing
     49     the <strong>Power</strong> button.
     50   </li>
     51   <li>
     52     When the <em>Recovery</em> screen appears, press <strong>Ctrl+D</strong>.
     53     There's no prompt for this action, so you must simply complete it.
     54     Afterwards, you are prompted to confirm and reboot into Developer mode.
     55   </li>
     56 </ol>
     57 
     58 <p>
     59 If you see one of the following screens when you turn on your device, you've
     60 successfully entered Developer mode:
     61 </p>
     62 
     63 <img src="{@docRoot}images/topic/arc/sideload_figure_1.jpg" />
     64 
     65 <p class="img-caption"><strong>Figure 1. </strong>Developer mode confirmation
     66 screens.</p>
     67 
     68 <p class="note"><strong>Note</strong>: To skip the OS loading screen, either
     69 wait 30 seconds or press <strong>Ctrl+D</strong>, and your Chromebook continues
     70 starting.
     71 </p>
     72 
     73 <h2 id="enable-unknown">Enable Unknown Sources</h2>
     74 
     75 <p>
     76 To enable unknown sources, navigate to <strong>Chrome Settings > App Settings >
     77 Security</strong>, then enable <strong>Unknown sources</strong> by moving the
     78 slider to the right.
     79 </p>
     80 
     81 <p class="note"><strong>Note:</strong>You can enable unknown sources only when
     82 your device is in <a
     83 href="{@docRoot}topic/arc/sideload.html#enter-dev">Developer mode</a>.
     84 </p>
     85 
     86 <h2 id="load-app">Load Your App</h2>
     87 
     88 <p>
     89 After enabling unknown sources, you can load apps by copying an app's APK file
     90 to the <em>Downloads</em> folder and opening it with Android's File Manager app.
     91 
     92 </p>
     93 
     94 <p>
     95 You can copy the APK file to your Chromebook using one of the following methods:
     96 </p>
     97 
     98 <ul>
     99   <li>
    100     <strong>Using a cloud app</strong> &ndash; Upload your APK file to Google
    101     Drive or send it to yourself via email. Open it with the Android app
    102     equivalent (Drive and Gmail, respectively).
    103   </li>
    104   <li>
    105     <strong>Using an external storage device</strong> &ndash; Transfer the APK
    106     file to the Downloads folder of your Chromebook using a thumb drive, SD
    107     card, or an external hard drive. Afterwards, open the Android File Manager
    108     app by navigating to  <strong>Chrome Settings > App Settings > Device &amp;
    109     USB > Explore</strong>.
    110   </li>
    111   <li>
    112     <strong>Using ADB</strong> &ndash; After <a
    113     href="{@docRoot}topic/arc/index.html#setup"> setting up ADB</a> on your
    114     Chromebook, enter the following command into a terminal window on your
    115     development workstation:
    116 <pre class="no-pretty-print">
    117 adb install <var>app-name</var>.apk
    118 </pre>
    119     <p>This command pushes the app to your connected Chromebook and installs the
    120     app. For more information about copying and installing apps from a
    121     development computer, see <a
    122     href="{@docRoot}studio/command-line/adb.html#move">Installing an
    123     Application</a>.</p>
    124   </li>
    125 </ul>
    126