Is this Chromebook about to die? Why Google’s expiration dates matter

If you’re the kind of person who looks at the milk carton expiration date or squeezes the bread before you buy it, then you probably don’t want to buy these 77 Chromebooks.

That’s because after examining every single Chrome OS device listed in Google’s database, we’ve found a healthy amount of them that are about as fresh as a three-day old donut.

Google publishes expiration dates for Chromebooks on its support site here. But rather than drill down into each Chrome OS device maker’s page to find out if just one particular Chomebook was expiring, we compiled a list of every single device and then sorted it by expiration date.

We found 51 expired devices, another 35 with just one year left of support. Another 29 had two years of “life” left and another 13 with less than three years. Frankly, that’s a lot of Chromebooks you could potentially purchase that will no longer get updates very soon after you buy it. All told, not counting the already expired Chromebooks, there’s 77 we think you may want to avoid right now. We’ll list those laptops bellow.

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What is a Chromebook’s lifespan?

The concept of an expired computer itself isn’t new, but Chrome OS has taken heat for years over it. Since Chromebooks are essentially low-cost hardware running a very lightweight Linux operating system as a vessel for the Chrome browser, few expected them to expire.

What’s a bit different with Chromebooks is that the hardware itself expires. With an “expired Windows 7 laptop,” for example, you can simply buy Windows 10 and keep using the laptop rather than buying a new one. With a Chromebook there is no option to buy an updated version of ChromeOS—the only answer to continue getting updates from Google is to buy a new one. 

(See our article comparing Chromebooks vs. Laptops for a comprehensive discussion of the differences between the two, as well as buying recommendations.)

Google’s End of Life Policy (as it was called before the less terminal-sounding “Auto Update Policy”) first offered 5 years of OS and security updates. Google later changed it to 6.5 years, and now it’s 8 years.

Kind of. 

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It’s not really ‘8 years’ on new Chromebooks

Even the “8 years” the newest Chromebook is supposed to last isn’t necessarily 8 years in your actual hands. The lifeclock of every Chromebook is tied to an introduction window and, like milk on a shelf, it’s running even if no one has bought it.

For example, a Lenovo Chromebook Duet announced in May and released in June has an expiration date of June 2028. If you bought it today, you’d get about 8 years. If you bought that same Chromebook Duet in June of 2021, you’d get 7 years of updates. Buy a brand-new, never-touched Duet in 2025 and you’d get only 3 years.

We suspect the June 2028 deadline will hold for the majority of Chromebooks announced over the next 12 months. Looking at Google’s list of Chrome OS devices, they tend to also expire in June or August.

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What happens to an expired Chromebook

Once a Chromebook expires, you no longer get updates. Period. Ever. That’s different from Microsoft, which updated Windows 7 on its last day. Intel even recently issued a security update for PCs running Windows 7, 8 and 10, so you do get some support.

The most important reason to keep your PC, Mac or Chromebook updated today is security. All computers are under constant attack and updating it is the first line of defense. With an expired Chromebook, you lose that defense.

For people used to Windows and MacOS, that could be enough to make you think an expired Chromebook should be crossed off the list. But to be fair, Chromebooks are still one of the most secure consumer laptops around, and you could argue that an expired Chromebook might even be more secure than updated Windows or MacOS laptops. In 10 years, only 55 security exploits have been documented for ChromeOS. Apple’s OSX has 2,212 listed vulnerabilities from 1999 until today and Microsoft Windows has 6,814 since 1999.

Security risks are just one problem. An unsupported browser means you get left behind by websites, too. For example, on the original $1,300 Google Chromebook Pixel (which expired in 2018), the version of Chrome it runs will no longer let you watch Netflix. For a typical consumer who isn’t going to open the laptop up, unlock the OS write protect, and install CloudReady, the only way to watch a Netflix movie is to buy a new Chromebook. Disney+ also rejected the 2013 Pixel. Eat your heart out, because you can still watch Netflix or Disney+ on a 2013-era Windows PC or MacBook. Meanwhile, Nvidia’s nifty GeForce Now game streaming service requires ChromeOS 77 and up, which was released late last year. If you’re on an older version, you can’t use GeForce Now, full stop. As time goes on, you can bet more Chromebooks on the list will also be abandoned.

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Nearly expired Chromebooks are still being sold

The unstated mess in all this is that you can still buy many Chromebooks that are nearing the end of their lives. We did spot-checks of older models and found that generally it’s pretty hard to buy a very old (five years or older) Chromebook. What you will find, however, are a lot of used Chromebooks we’d consider to be on the “close to spoiling” list being sold. Many Chromebooks with expiration dates of June 2022 can still be found in online stores.

For example, we found the Acer Chromebook 14 CB3-431-C99D selling for $300 or more. The high price is likely due to parents and even school districts rushing out to buy any Chromebook to prepare for remote learning. We know it’s hard times for Chromebook buyers, but $300 would mean just 18 months of updates before being pushed overboard by Google.

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How to buy a fresh Chromebook

To get a Chromebook that you know will get longer term support, you should first look at our list on the second page of this article and determine just how “fresh” you want it. If, for example, $300 for a Chromebook with three years of updates left is fine with you, you can pick out one like the Asus Chromebook Flip C101PA and buy that specific Chromebook with the confidence that you have August 2023 before the OS gets visited by Valkyries (the Norse mythology kind, not the Tom Cruise kind). We wouldn’t advise buying a Chromebook with less than three years of updates left on the clock if you can help it.

You can check any Chromebook on your shopping list against Google’s official support page to see how long it will last. Our list on the next page was compiled in late August of 2020, and more will be added over time. It’s a good idea to visit the official list once once you have an idea of what Chromebook you want.

Next page: Our list of expired and expiring Chromebooks by date

Chromebook expiration list

Expired Chromebooks

• Google Cr-48 Dec 2015
• Samsung Chromebook Series 5 Jun 2016
• Acer AC700 Aug 2016
• Samsung Chromebook Series 5 550 May 2017
• Acer C7 Chromebook Oct 2017
• HP Pavilion Chromebook 14 Feb 2018
• Samsung Chromebox Series 3 Mar 2018
• Google Chromebook Pixel Jun 2018
• Lenovo Thinkpad X131e Chromebook Jun 2018
• Samsung Chromebook – XE303 Jul 2018
• HP Chromebook 11 G1 Oct 2018
• Acer Chromebook 11 (C720, C720P) Jun 2019
• Asus Chromebook C200 Jun 2019
• Dell Chromebook 11 Jun 2019
• HP Chromebook 11 G2 Jun 2019
• HP Chromebook 14 Jun 2019
• Lenovo N20 Chromebook Jun 2019
• Lenovo ThinkPad 11e Chromebook Jun 2019
• Samsung Chromebook 2 11 Jun 2019
• Samsung Chromebook 2 13 Jun 2019
• Senkatel Chromebook Jun 2019
• Asus Chromebook C300 Aug 2019
• Acer Chromebook 13 (CB5-311, C810) Sep 2019
• Acer Chromebox Sep 2019
• Asus Chromebox (CN60) Sep 2019
• Dell Chromebox Sep 2019
• HP Chromebox G1 Sep 2019
• HP Chromebook 14 G3 Oct 2019
• Asus Chromebook C201PA Jun 2020
• CTL J2 / J4 Chromebook  Jun 2020
• EduGear Chromebook K Jun 2020
• EduGear Chromebook M Jun 2020
• Edxis Education Chromebook Jun 2020
• Haier Chromebook 11 Jun 2020
• Haier Chromebook 11e Jun 2020
• Hisense Chromebook 11 Jun 2020
• Lava Xolo Chromebook Jun 2020
• LG Chromebase (22CB25S, 22CV241) Jun 2020
• Medion Chromebook S2015 Jun 2020
• Medion Chromebook Akoya S2013 Jun 2020
• Mustek Mecer Chromebook Jun 2020
• Ncomputing Chromebook CX100 Jun 2020
• Ncomputing Chromebook CX110 Jun 2020
• Nexian Chromebook 11.6” Jun 2020
• PCMerge Chromebook PCM-116E/PCM-116EB Jun 2020
• Poin2 Chromebook 11 Jun 2020
• Positvo Chromebook CH1190 Jun 2020
• Prowise Chromebook Entryline Jun 2020
• Sector 5 E1 Rugged Chromebook Jun 2020
• Viglen Chromebook 11 Jun 2020
• Asus Chromebook Flip C100PA Jul 2020

Chromebooks expiring in 2020

• Acer Chromebase Aug 2020
• Asus Chromebit CS10 Nov 2020

Chromebooks expiring in 2021

• Acer Chromebook 11 (C740) Jun 2021
• Acer Chromebook 15 (CB5-571, C910) Jun 2021
• Acer Chromebox CXI2 Jun 2021
• Acer Chromebox for Meetings CXV2 Jun 2021
• Acer Chromebase 24 (CA24I) Jun 2021
• Acer Chromebase for Meetings (CA24V) Jun 2021
• Asus Chromebox 2 (CN62) Jun 2021
• Dell Chromebook 13 (7310) Jun 2021
• Google Chromebook Pixel (2015) Jun 2021
• Lenovo ThinkCentre Chromebox Jun 2021
• Senkatel Chromebook 2 (2015 Edition) Jun 2021
• Acer Chromebook 11 (CB3-111, C730, C730E) Sep 2021
• Acer Chromebook 11 (CB3-131, C735) Sep 2021
• Acer Chromebook 15 (CB3-531) Sep 2021
• Aopen Chromebase Commercial Sep 2021
• Aopen Chromebox Commercial Sep 2021
• Bobicus Chromebook 11 Sep 2021
• CTL N6 Education Chromebook Sep 2021
• Dell Chromebook 11 (3120) Sep 2021
• EduGear Chromebook R Sep 2021
• Edxis Chromebook Sep 2021
• Edxis Education Chromebook (NL6) Sep 2021
• Haier Chromebook 11 G2 Sep 2021
• HEXA Chromebook Pi Sep 2021
• HP Chromebook 11 G3 Sep 2021
• HP Chromebook 11 G4/G4 EE Sep 2021
• HP Chromebook 14 G4 Sep 2021
• Lenovo 100S Chromebook Sep 2021
• Lenovo N21 Chromebook Sep 2021
• M&A Chromebook Sep 2021
• Samsung Chromebook 2 11 – XE500C12 Sep 2021
• Senkatel C1101 Chromebook Sep 2021
• Senkatel Chromebook 2 Sep 2021

Chromebooks expiring in 2022

• Aopen Chromebox Mini Feb 2022
• Aopen Chromebase Mini Feb 2022
• Acer Chromebook 11 N7 (C731, C731T, CB311-7H) Jun 2022
• Acer Chromebook 14 (CB3-431) Jun 2022
• Acer Chromebook 15 (CB3-532) Jun 2022
• Acer Chromebook R11 (CB5-132T, C738T) Jun 2022
• Asus Chromebook C202SA Jun 2022
• Asus Chromebook C300SA / C301SA Jun 2022
• CTL J5 Chromebook Jun 2022
• CTL NL61 Chromebook Jun 2022
• Dell Chromebook 11 (3180) Jun 2022
• Dell Chromebook 11 2-in-1 (3189) Jun 2022
• EduGear CMT Chromebook Jun 2022
• Edxis Education Chromebook (NL6D) Jun 2022
• Haier Chromebook 11 C Jun 2022
• HP Chromebook 11 G5 Jun 2022
• HP Chromebook 11 G5 EE Jun 2022
• HP Chromebook 11-v0xx Jun 2022
• Lenovo N22 Chromebook Jun 2022
• Lenovo N23 Chromebook Jun 2022
• Lenovo N42 Chromebook Jun 2022
• Lenovo ThinkPad 11e 3rd Gen Chromebook Jun 2022
• Multilaser Chromebook M11C Jun 2022
• Mustek Mecer V2 Chromebook Jun 2022
• PCMerge Chromebook PCM-116T-432B Jun 2022
• Positvo Chromebook C216B Jun 2022
• Prowise Chromebook Proline Jun 2022
• Samsung Chromebook 3 Jun 2022
• Viglen Chromebook 360 Jun 2022

Chromebooks expiring in 2023

• Acer Chromebook 11 (C771, C771T) Jun 2023
• Acer Chromebook 14 for Work (CP5-471) Jun 2023
• Asus Chromebook Flip C302 Jun 2023
• Dell Chromebook 13 (3380) Jun 2023
• HP Chromebook 13 G1 Jun 2023
• Lenovo ThinkPad 13 Jun 2023
• Samsung Chromebook Pro Jun 2023
• Acer Chromebook Tab 10 Aug 2023
• Aopen Chromebook Commercial Tab Aug 2023
• Asus Chromebook Tablet CT100 Aug 2023
• Asus Chromebook Flip C101PA Aug 2023
• CTL Chromebook Tablet Tx1 for Education Aug 2023
• Samsung Chromebook Plus Aug 2023

Chromebooks expiring in 2024

• Acer Chromebook 11 (CB311-8H, CB311-8HT) Jun 2024
• Acer Chromebook 11 (C732, C732T, C732L, C732LT) Jun 2024
• Acer Chromebook 514 Jun 2024
• Acer Chromebook 15 (CB315-1H, CB315-1HT) Jun 2024
• Acer Chromebook 15 (CB515-1H, CB515-1HT) Jun 2024
• Acer Chromebook R13 (CB5-312T) Jun 2024
• Acer Chromebook Spin 15 (CP315) Jun 2024
• Acer Chromebook Spin 11 (R751T) Jun 2024
• Acer Chromebook Spin 11 (CP311-1H, CP311-1HN) Jun 2024
• Asus Chromebook C223 Jun 2024
• Asus Chromebook C403 Jun 2024
• Asus Chromebook C423 Jun 2024
• Asus Chromebook C523 Jun 2024
• Asus Chromebook Flip C213 Jun 2024
• CTL Chromebook J41 / J41T Jun 2024
• CTL Chromebook NL7 Jun 2024
• CTL Chromebook NL7T-360 / NL7TW-360 Jun 2024
• Dell Chromebook 11 (5190) Jun 2024
• Dell Chromebook 11 2-in-1 (5190) Jun 2024
• Edxis Chromebook 11 Jun 2024
• Edxis Chromebook x11 Jun 2024
• Google Pixelbook Jun 2024
• HP Chromebook 11 G6 EE Jun 2024
• HP Chromebook 11-ae0xx Jun 2024
• HP Chromebook 11-ae1xx Jun 2024
• HP Chromebook 12-f0xx Jun 2024
• HP Chromebook 14 G5 Jun 2024
• HP Chromebook 14-ca0xx Jun 2024
• HP Chromebook 14-ca1xx Jun 2024
• HP Chromebook x2 Jun 2024
• HP Chromebook x360 11 G1 EE Jun 2024
• Lenovo 100e Chromebook Jun 2024
• Lenovo 500e Chromebook Jun 2024
• Lenovo ThinkPad 11e 4th Gen Chromebook Jun 2024
• Multilaser M11C Chromebook PC912 Jun 2024
• Multilaser M11HC Chromebook PC911 Jun 2024
• PCMerge Chromebook AL116 Jun 2024
• Positvo Chromebook N2110 Jun 2024
• Positvo Chromebook N2112 Jun 2024
• Prowise Chromebook Eduline Jun 2024
• Samsung Chromebook Plus (V2) Jun 2024
• Samsung Chromebook Plus (LTE) Jun 2024
• Sector 5 E3 Chromebook Jun 2024
• Viglen Chromebook 11C Jun 2024
• Viglen Chromebook 360C Jun 2024

Chromebooks expiring in 2025

• Acer Chromebook 13 (CB713-1W) Jun 2025
• Acer Chromebook Enterprise 13 (CB713-1W) Jun 2025
• Acer Chromebook 714 (CB714-1W / CB714-1WT) Jun 2025
• Acer Chromebook Enterprise 714 (CB714-1WT) Jun 2025
• Acer Chromebook 715 (CB715-1W / CB715-1WT) Jun 2025
• Acer Chromebook Enterprise 715 (CB715-1WT) Jun 2025
• Acer Chromebook Spin 13 (CP713-1WN) Jun 2025
• Acer Chromebook Enterprise Spin 13 (CP713-1WN) Jun 2025
• Acer Chromebox CXI3, Chromebox Enterprise CXI3 Jun 2025
• Acer Chromebase 24I2 (CA24I2), Chromebase Enterprise 24I2 Jun 2025
• Acer Chromebase for Meetings 24V2 (CA24V2) Jun 2025
• Aopen Chromebox Commercial 2 Jun 2025
• Asus Chromebook C202XA Jun 2025
• Asus Chromebook C203XA Jun 2025
• Asus Chromebox 3 (CN65) Jun 2025
• CTL Chromebox CBx1 Jun 2025
• Dell Inspiron Chromebook 14 2-in-1 (7486) Jun 2025
• HP Chromebook 14-da0xxx Jun 2025
• HP Chromebook 15-de0xxx Jun 2025
• HP Chromebook 15 G1 Jun 2025
• HP Chromebook x360 14 G1 Jun 2025
• HP Chromebook Enterprise x360 14E G1 Jun 2025
• HP Chromebox G2 Jun 2025
• HP Chromebox Enterprise G2 Jun 2025 Lenovo C340-15 Jun 2025
• Lenovo Flex 11 Chromebook Jun 2025
• Lenovo 100e Chromebook 2nd Gen MTK Jun 2025
• Lenovo N23 Yoga Chromebook Jun 2025
• Lenovo 300e Chromebook Jun 2025
• Lenovo 300e Chromebook 2nd Gen MTK Jun 2025
• Lenovo Ideapad C330 Chromebook Jun 2025
• Lenovo Ideapad S330 Chromebook Jun 2025
• Lenovo Yoga C630 Chromebook Jun 2025
• Poin2 Chromebook 14 Jun 2025
• Poin2 Chromebook 11C Jun 2025
• Promethean Chromebox Jun 2025
• Prowise Chromebook Eduline (MTK) Jun 2025
• Prowise Chromebook Eduline360 Jun 2025
• Viewsonic NMP660 Chromebox Jun 2025

Chromebooks expiring in 2026

• Acer Chromebook 311 (C721) Jun 2026
• Acer Chromebook 311 (C733, C733U, C733T, CB311-9H, CB311-9HT) Jun 2026
• Acer Chromebook 314 (C933, C933T, CB314-1H, CB314-1HT) Jun 2026
• Acer Chromebook 315 (CB315-2H, CB315-3H, CB315-3HT) Jun 2026
• Acer Chromebook 512 (C851, C851T) Jun 2026
• Acer Chromebook Spin 311 (CP311-2H, CP311-2HN, R721T) Jun 2026
• Acer Chromebook Spin 511 (R752T, R752TN) Jun 2026
• Acer Chromebook Spin 512 (R851TN) Jun 2026
• Asus Chromebook C204 Jun 2026
• Asus Chromebook C425 Jun 2026
• Asus Chromebook Flip C214  Jun 2026
• Asus Chromebook Flip C433 Jun 2026
• Asus Chromebook Flip C434 Jun 2026
• CTL Chromebook NL71/CT/LTE Jun 2026
• Dell Chromebook 3100 Jun 2026
• Dell Chromebook 3100 2-in-1 Jun 2026
• Dell Chromebook 3400 Jun 2026
• Edxis Chromebook 11 (S20-C) Jun 2026
• Google Pixel Slate Jun 2026
• Google Pixelbook Go Jun 2026
• Google Pixelbook Go Enterprise Jun 2026
• HP Chromebook 11A G6 EE Jun 2026
• HP Chromebook 11 G7 EE Jun 2026
• HP Chromebook 11 G8 EE Jun 2026
• HP Chromebook 11A G8 EE Jun 2026
• HP Chromebook 11-bd0xxx Jun 2026
• HP Chromebook 14 G6 Jun 2026
• HP Chromebook 14a Jun 2026
• HP Chromebook 14A G5 Jun 2026
• HP Chromebook Enterprise 14A G5 Jun 2026
• HP Chromebook 14-db0xxx Jun 2026
• HP Chromebook x360 11 G2 EE Jun 2026
• HP Chromebook x360 11 G3 EE Jun 2026
• HP Chromebook x360 12b-ca0xxx Jun 2026
• HP Chromebook x360 14b-ca0xxx Jun 2026
• Lenovo C340-11 Jun 2026
• Lenovo S340-14 Jun 2026
• Lenovo S345-14 Jun 2026
• Lenovo 100e Chromebook 2nd Gen Jun 2026
• Lenovo 100e Chromebook 2nd  Gen AST Jun 2026
• Lenovo 300e Chromebook 2nd Gen Jun 2026
• Lenovo 300e Chromebook 2nd Gen AST Jun 2026
• Lenovo 500e Chromebook 2nd Gen Jun 2026
• Lenovo 14e Chromebook Jun 2026
• Lenovo Ideapad Slim 3 Chromebook Jun 2026
• NEC Chromebook Y1 Jun 2026
• NEC Chromebook Y2 Jun 2026
• Samsung Chromebook 4 Jun 2026
• Samsung Chromebook 4+ Jun 2026
• Dell Latitude 5300 2-in-1 Chromebook Enterprise Aug 2026
• Dell Latitude 5400 Chromebook Enterprise Aug 2026

Chromebooks expiring in 2027

• Dell Latitude 7410 Chromebook Enterprise Aug 2027
• Dell Latitude 7410 2-in-1 Chromebook Enterprise  Aug 2027

Chromebooks expiring in 2028

• Acer Chromebook 712 (C871) Jun 2028
• Acer Chromebook Spin 311 (CP311-3H) Jun 2028
• Acer Chromebook Spin 713 (CP713-2W) Jun 2028
• Acer Chromebook Enterprise Spin 713 (CP713-2W) Jun 2028
• Asus Chromebook Flip C436 Jun 2028
• HP Chromebook x360 14c Jun 2028
• Lenovo 10e Chromebook Tablet Jun 2028
• Lenovo Duet Chromebook Jun 2028
• Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebook Jun 2028
• Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Jun 2028