Windows apps
Photoshop, QuickBooks Desktop, Visual Studio, or any Windows program — running on the PC, shown on the Chromebook.
✦Chromebook · remote desktop
The Chromebook is the window. The power lives elsewhere.
A Chromebook can't run Photoshop or QuickBooks Desktop — your Mac, Windows, or Linux machine can. Remio streams the whole running desktop to a Play-enabled Chromebook through its native Android client, hardware-decoded. Free, no account, end-to-end encrypted.
✦The paradox
The Chromebook paradox
A Chromebook is light, cheap, and lasts all day — but it can't run the heavy desktop software your work depends on. The fix isn't a faster Chromebook. It's reaching the machine that already runs it and putting that desktop on the Chromebook's screen.
✦Native Android client
How Remio runs on a Chromebook
ChromeOS runs Android apps in its Android container, and Remio's native Android client — the same one that ships on Android 10+ tablets — installs straight from Google Play. It's built with Jetpack Compose and decodes video frames with MediaCodec, so streams arrive hardware-decoded, not as slideshows. There's no ChromeOS-native app today; the Remio Host now runs on Linux, a Linux client is on the roadmap, and a ChromeOS build is not something we promise.
Same hardware-decode client as Android tablets — no web wrapper.
What you can reach
The desktop runs on the host. Only the picture and sound travel to the Chromebook — so anything your Mac or PC runs, you run.
Your whole Mac
Final Cut, Xcode, Logic — the full macOS desktop reaches a Chromebook the same way, over the Android client.
Audio & files
Host audio streams to the Chromebook, and file transfer moves documents both ways — not just a silent screen.
Keyboard & trackpad
Full keyboard and trackpad pass-through from the Chromebook — every key and modifier reaches the host.
✦Setup in five minutes
Set it up in five minutes
Install the host, install from Google Play, pair with a PIN, connect. Every session is end-to-end encrypted with AES-256-GCM over an ECDHE-Curve25519 key exchange.
1 · Install the host
Put the free Remio host on your Mac (macOS 15+) or Windows PC (Windows 10 build 19041+ or Windows 11, Home included).
2 · Install from Google Play
On the Chromebook, install the free Remio client from Google Play — works on Chromebooks that support Android apps.
3 · Pair with a PIN
The host shows a 4-digit one-time PIN with a 60-second window. Enter it once; the devices remember each other.
4 · Connect
Tap the host in the device list. The full desktop appears with audio, file transfer, and trackpad pass-through.
✦Schools & budget setups
For schools and budget setups
A cart of Chromebooks reaching a lab of Macs or PCs is a genuinely good fit — but only where Google Play is allowed.
The honest note on managed devices
Play-disabled fleets should use Chrome Remote Desktop
School- and district-managed Chromebooks often ship with Google Play disabled by policy. On those devices Remio cannot be installed until an administrator allows Play apps — that is a Google Admin console decision, not a Remio setting. Where Play stays off, Chrome Remote Desktop is the tool that works, and we would rather say so than pretend otherwise. See our use cases and Remio vs Chrome Remote Desktop comparison for the full picture.
✦Options compared
Chromebook remote desktop options compared
The first row is the one to take seriously: if the Chromebook can't get Play apps, Remio is not an option on it — and Chrome Remote Desktop is.
| Chrome Remote Desktop | Remio | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on which Chromebooks | Every Chromebook — built into the browser, Play-disabled fleets included | Those with Google Play / Android app support — most consumer models sold since about 2019 |
| Frame rate | Around 30 fps | Hardware-decoded, full frame rate |
| Audio | Stays on the host | Streams to the Chromebook |
| File transfer | Limited | Both directions |
| Encryption | Google-account routed | End-to-end, AES-256-GCM, no account |
For everything after the install — latency, fidelity, the account model — the deeper matrices are in Remio vs Chrome Remote Desktop and the Chrome Remote Desktop alternative guide. Helping a family member? See remote tech support for parents.
✦Questions
Chromebook FAQ
Does Remio work on every Chromebook?
No — and this page will not pretend otherwise. Remio reaches a Chromebook through its native Android client, so it runs on Chromebooks that support Android apps from Google Play — most consumer models sold since about 2019. School-managed devices may have Play disabled by an administrator, and a Chromebook without Play cannot install Remio. For those machines, Chrome Remote Desktop — built into the browser — is the tool that works.
Do I need a Google account for Remio?
Remio itself needs no account of any kind — no email, no password, no profile. Devices pair with a 4-digit one-time PIN. Installing from Google Play does require the Chromebook to be signed in to Google, but that is a Play requirement, not a Remio one.
Can I run Windows apps on a Chromebook with this?
The apps run on your Windows PC, not on the Chromebook — Remio streams the running desktop to the Chromebook screen. So yes, you can use Photoshop, QuickBooks Desktop, Visual Studio, or any Windows program from a Chromebook, because the program executes on the PC and only the picture and sound travel to the Chromebook.
Does it work for school labs?
Only if the Chromebooks allow Google Play apps. Many school- and district-managed Chromebooks have Play disabled by policy in the Google Admin console, and on those devices Remio cannot be installed until an administrator allows Play apps. Where Play stays off, Chrome Remote Desktop is the tool that works.
Is it free?
Completely free — every feature included. No subscription, no trial clock, no locked tier, no account. Audio, file transfer, unattended access, Wake-on-LAN, and end-to-end encryption all ship in the one build everyone gets.
Your desktop, on the Chromebook you already carry.
Install the host on your Mac or PC, get Remio from Google Play, pair with a PIN. Free, no account, end-to-end encrypted.