Full Windows 10 apps are coming to Chromebooks — but there's a catch

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Google and Parallels team up to make Chrome OS better

Dell Latitude 5400 Chromebook
(Image credit: Laptop Mag)

Windows apps on Chrome OS would be a dream come true for many Chromebook owners due to feeling unfulfilled with the absence of full-featured Microsoft software, such as everything included in Office.

Google, listening to customers' pleas, partnered with Parallels -- a leader in virtual-machine emulation -- to bring Windows apps to Chrome OS this fall, Engadget reported.

There is a catch, though. This new, upcoming feature will only be available for Chrome OS Enterprise devices (like the Dell Latitude 5400 Chromebook Enterprise), not the general populace.

With users being able to access full-featured Windows apps on Chromebooks, Chrome OS will likely become more attractive to business users. As Parallels said in a recent blog, purchasing Chromebooks will minimize hardware and employee ownership costs for business buyers.

We have no idea how well Microsoft apps will run on Chrome OS, but Parallels claims it will be a "seamless" process. Parallels has proven its expertise in merging two different operating systems into one with Parallels Desktop 15 for Mac, a software system that allows macOS owners to use Windows side-by-side with their operating system. 

Although this Google and Parallels partnership only benefits the business world for now, we hope non-enterprise Chromebooks will one day be equipped with full-featured Microsoft apps, too.

Kimberly Gedeon
Kimberly Gedeon

Kimberly Gedeon, holding a Master's degree in International Journalism, launched her career as a journalist for MadameNoire's business beat in 2013. She loved translating stuffy stories about the economy, personal finance and investing into digestible, easy-to-understand, entertaining stories for young women of color. During her time on the business beat, she discovered her passion for tech as she dove into articles about tech entrepreneurship, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and the latest tablets. After eight years of freelancing, dabbling in a myriad of beats, she's finally found a home at Laptop Mag that accepts her as the crypto-addicted, virtual reality-loving, investing-focused, tech-fascinated nerd she is. Woot!